Tag Archives: Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV)

Navy

Infantry Squad Vehicle

The U.S. Army’s Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) program was approved by the Program Executive Officer for Combat Support & Combat Service Support (PEO CS&CSS) on March 30 to transition to Full-Rate Production, or FRP. This green light represents a major Army acquisition programmatic milestone in «motorizing» Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, Security Force Assistance Brigades, as well as Army Ranger units. The Army Acquisition Objective currently stands at 2,593 ISVs.

Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV)
The Infantry Squad Vehicle program was approved for Full-Rate Production (FRP) in late March. The ISV «motorizes» and modernizes Infantry Brigade Combat Teams, Security Force Assistance Brigades, as well as Ranger units (Mark Schauer, U.S. Army Yuma Proving Ground)

The Army in June 2020 selected GM Defense LLC to produce the ISV. Based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 architecture, the ISV derives a high percentage of its parts from commercial-off-the-shelf components. The Army’s newest light tactical vehicle is dubbed a «better boot», and its basic operational capabilities include:

  • Nine-Soldier squad carrying capability;
  • 3,200-lb./1,451.5-kg payload;
  • External sling load/external lift by UH-60 Black Hawk/CH-47 Chinook helicopters;
  • Low-velocity air drop by fixed-wing C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster III transport;
  • Exceptional mobility over a wide variety of terrain.

John Hufstedler, product director, Ground Mobility Vehicles, PEO CS&CSS, said, «The comprehensive team responsible for bringing the ISV program to a full-rate production decision not only involves Army Acquisition professionals assigned to our PEO, but also relevant stakeholders and collaborative partners representing the Army’s funding community, Army Futures Command, Army Forces Command, Army Materiel Command and the testing community».

«Soldier touchpoints, developmental testing and operational testing have been key elements throughout the ISV program», Hufstedler continued. «Leveraging a commercial vehicle and the world-class manufacturing capability of GM Defense has helped compress the time it takes to field a modernized capability meeting infantry Soldiers’ needs».

The ISV has been rigorously tested, including production qualification testing and transportability certification, which included low-velocity air drops and helicopter sling loading. Developmental and operational testing enable units to train while offering feedback to the requirements and acquisition communities. This is aimed at improving a system’s utility and operational effectiveness in Soldier’s hands, as well as suitability for the environments in which Soldiers train and fight.

Reliability testing concluded earlier this year, which completed the ISV production qualification test.

To date, the Army has accepted more than 300 ISVs and has fielded three brigade sets of 59 vehicles, for a total of 177. The program is on track to continue to meet fielding plans, with two Brigade sets fielding this June.

Ground Forces

Infantry Squad Vehicle

GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, is celebrating the first delivery of the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) – a light and agile all-terrain troop carrier intended to transport a nine-Soldier infantry squad and their equipment – to the U.S. Army as part of a $214.3 million contract awarded in June. GM Defense will manufacture 649 ISVs and will support the production of up to 2,065 vehicles with additional authorization over eight years. This is the first major award and delivery for GM Defense since the subsidiary was reestablished by its parent company in 2017.

Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV)
GM Defense Delivers First Infantry Squad Vehicle to U.S. Army

The ISV is based off the award-winning 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck architecture and leverages 90 percent proven Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) parts, including Chevrolet Performance race components. The 5,000-pound/2,268-kilogram ISV was uniquely engineered to fulfill military requirements and designed to provide rapid ground mobility. The expeditionary ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability. The COTS parts, combined with the ISV’s innovative Rollover Protection System, will provide agile transportability on the battlefield to support mission success.

«One hundred and twenty days from contract award to delivery is a significant milestone, and I am very proud of the team for this accomplishment», said David Albritton, president of GM Defense. «We’re leveraging General Motors’ engineering prowess and immense manufacturing capabilities to bring transformative solutions to the military vehicle market. Our initial success with the ISV shows our commitment to our customer and highlights our unique right to win in the military mobility market».

«The value we bring to our Army customer is our willingness to listen and adapt», said Mark Dickens, GM Defense chief engineer. «During Soldier testing, the feedback we received was paramount in delivering a vehicle that met Soldiers’ needs, while maximizing safety and performance and taking their comfort into consideration. The production ISV we’re delivering today is an evolution from our original prototype design, and it’s certainly a vehicle that is a source of pride for the team».

GM Defense has a teaming agreement with Ricardo Defense, which will lead the Integrated Product Support for the ISV, including technical manual development, new equipment training, provisioning, total package fielding and field service support.

«The success of the ISV program within 120 days is a true testament to the hard work and determination of a great partnership between GM Defense and Ricardo Defense», said Chet Gryczan, president of Ricardo Defense. «Ricardo Defense is proud to be leading the creation and integration of critical ISV logistics products to ensure a successful transition of the ISV to the Army’s inventory».

GM Defense is driving the future of military mobility by leveraging the best-in-class capabilities of General Motors for unmatched innovation, proven performance and breakthrough life-cycle economics. The ISV will bring world class manufacturing efficiencies, ease of maintenance and a well-established global supply chain to the U.S. Army.

Ground Forces

Infantry Squad Vehicle

The U.S. Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal announced on June 26, 2020 that GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, has been awarded the production contract to build, field and sustain the Army’s new Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV).

GM Defense awarded a $214.3 million contract to produce the U.S. Army’s Infantry Squad Vehicle

Designed to provide rapid ground mobility, the expeditionary ISV is a light and agile all-terrain troop carrier intended to transport a nine-Soldier infantry squad moving throughout the battlefield. The ISV is light enough to be sling loaded from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook helicopter for air transportability. The total production ISV contract award value is $214.3 million to procure the initial Army Procurement Objective of 649. The approved Army Acquisition Objective is 2,065 vehicles.

GM Defense’s solution to the Army’s next-generation transportation needs is based off the award-winning 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck architecture and leverages 90 percent commercial off-the-shelf parts. These parts include the Multimatic dual spool-valve dampers and Chevrolet Performance suspension components. The durability and performance of those components have been proven in the grueling Best in the Desert race series, where Colorado is one of only four vehicles to complete 11 consecutive races (out of a total of 434 competitors).

As a result, GM Defense can deliver an ISV with world class manufacturing efficiencies, ease of maintenance and a well-established global supply chain. All ISV models will be equipped with an occupant and cargo superstructure powered by a 186-horsepower, 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel engine, and six-speed automatic transmission.

«Winning this Army award is well-deserved recognition for the hard work and dedication of our GM Defense team and their production of a fantastic vehicle. We are confident the GMD ISV will meet and exceed all of our customers’ requirements», said David Albritton, president of GM Defense. «It’s indeed an honor to leverage our parent company’s experience as one of the world’s largest automotive manufacturers to design, build and deliver the best technologies available to the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces and our allies».

In 2019, GM Defense partnered with Ricardo Defense after the U.S. Army awarded three $1 million contracts to competing industry providers to develop ISV prototypes for testing, evaluation and down-selection for the production contract. Ricardo Defense will support key product logistics and fielding requirements of the GM Defense ISV.

«The entire Ricardo team is proud to continue our work with GM Defense on the ISV contract, and to provide our infantry troops in harm’s way with this highly-capable, and much needed vehicle», said Chet Gryczan, president of Ricardo Defense. «Being awarded the ISV program is a testament to Ricardo’s success in developing and delivering key integrated product logistics and life-cycle sustainment plans for our customers’ top priorities. The ISV will showcase the speed at which the Army can rapidly produce, field and sustain new equipment by leveraging a proven commercially available vehicle and the global supply chain infrastructure of General Motors, supported by Ricardo».

GM Defense is driving the future of military mobility by leveraging the best-in-class capabilities of General Motors for unmatched innovation, proven performance and breakthrough life-cycle economics.

Ground Forces

Squad Vehicle

Oshkosh Defense, LLC, an Oshkosh Corporation company, announced on August 23, 2019 that the U.S. Army has awarded Oshkosh Defense along with teammate, Flyer Defense LLC, a Task Assignment award under an existing Project Agreement with the National Advanced Mobility Consortium (NAMC) to develop the new Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV).

The ISV is a lightweight expeditionary all-terrain vehicle that can carry up to nine passengers and associated equipment

The ISV is a lightweight expeditionary all-terrain vehicle that can carry up to nine troops and associated combat equipment.

Under the award, Oshkosh and Flyer will deliver two prototype ISVs in support of government testing and evaluation.

«The ISV program is critical in providing infantry troops with an agile means to get to and through the battlefield as quickly and capably as possible», said George Mansfield, Vice President and General Manager of Joint Programs at Oshkosh Defense. «The ISV platform will also significantly lighten the load for infantry troops, who regularly each carry over 100 pounds/45 kg of gear on foot», continued Mansfield.

Flyer Defense is most prominently known for the highly successful GMV 1.1 deployed around the world by U.S. Special Operations Forces as well as the U.S. Army A-GMV (Army-Ground Mobility Vehicles), which is fielded as the interim ISV solution. Flyer Defense is the design authority and leads the build team for the two prototype ISVs which will be submitted to the government for testing. If selected, Oshkosh Defense will be responsible for manufacturing the production phase vehicles. «The Oshkosh and Flyer team brings together an abundance of tactical wheeled vehicle design and manufacturing expertise and we’re very confident in our team’s ISV offering», concluded Mansfield.

The ISV production contract award is expected to take place in the Spring of 2020. In total, the U.S. Army plans to procure 651 vehicles and associated hardware and services between fiscal years 2020 and 2024.