GM delivers first Chevy Colorado ZR2-based infantry vehicles to US Army
It's GM Defense's first contract fulfillment to the tune of $214 million.
GM Defense, General Motors ' latest foray as a military supplier, marked a milestone on Tuesday. The first of many new Infantry Squad Vehicles made their way to the US Army as part of a multimillion-dollar contract. The ISVs are particularly neat because they're actually based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.
While the ISV is a tough hauler, it actually shares 90% of its components with vehicles GM builds today. The vehicle even includes some race-proven Chevy Performance parts, thanks to research and development from the Colorado ZR2. While the ISV is meant to get the Army to places quickly, it's also a small, versatile thing. GM Defense said the 5,000-pound vehicle is light enough for loading into a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, but small enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for quick transport. Agility is the name of the game with the new ISV.
This is the first major delivery since GM Defense came to life back in 2017. The automaker previously operated a defense division but folded the subsidiary roughly two decades ago. Now, GM hopes to make GM Defense a major player when it comes to designing, engineering and delivering battle vehicles for the US armed forces.
It's surely not the last vehicle we've seen from GM Defense, and likely not the last breakthrough, either. Parent company GM has toyed with hydrogen fuel cells for military vehicles stemming from Colorado ZH2 research. It also looked at a versatile skateboard platform called SURUS, which could benefit the US military.
