GM Defense Expands Infantry Squad Vehicle Work and Unveils UGV Concept at AUSA
At AUSA, GM Defense showed how it is moving GM's commercial engineering and manufacturing scale into military programs, from a growing Infantry Squad Vehicle order to a new unmanned ground vehicle concept.
- approximately 649 vehicles
- nearly 12,000 units
- 22 days
- 39
What Happened
GM Defense LLC, a subsidiary of General Motors, used the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington, D.C., to showcase what it called the rapid acceleration of its global business model. The company says it works on a "customer-first, technology-transferred" approach, bridging the gap between commercial innovation and tactical military deployment at unprecedented speeds. Its updates covered an expanded Infantry Squad Vehicle requirement, a fast component delivery to Lockheed Martin, new autonomous and hybrid platforms, and a UK light mobility proposal.
“The modern defense landscape demands advanced capability, rapid fielding and sustainable scale. We do not begin with a blank sheet of paper. By transferring GM's world-class engineering, supply chain and manufacturing scale directly to the service member, we are transforming customer needs into mission-ready capability faster than ever before.”
- Infantry Squad Vehicle: GM Defense self-funded the Infantry Squad Vehicle Utility (ISV-U) prototype, delivering seven early prototypes for unit-level military assessments at no cost to the Army and engineering a five-soldier variant expected to field across 39 active-duty and National Guard mobile brigades.
- Lockheed Martin: the first batch of mission-critical PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE) housing components was delivered just 22 days after contract signing.
- New platforms: an Unmanned Ground Vehicle concept for silent logistics and casualty evacuation, with functional trials targeted for 2027, plus the EPIQ Hybrid prototype expeditionary energy storage system.
- Allied commitments: GM Defence UK is advancing a Light Mobility Vehicle program proposal through Team LionStrike with NP Aerospace and BAE Systems.
- approximately 649 vehicles
- nearly 12,000 units
- 39 active-duty and National Guard mobile brigades
GM Defense signs the contract with Lockheed Martin.
First batch of mission-critical PAC-3 MSE housing components delivered, 22 days after signing.
GM Defense unveiled an Unmanned Ground Vehicle concept built on a rugged Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD dual-rear-wheel skateboard architecture to support silent logistics and casualty evacuation, with functional trials targeted for 2027. The company also showcased the EPIQ Hybrid prototype, a customer-inspired 60-kilowatt/100-kilowatt-hour expeditionary energy storage system paired with an onboard generator to lower thermal and noise signatures in austere environments. The company says the 22-day Lockheed Martin delivery shows that GM's advanced casting and precision-fabrication capabilities can immediately scale critical air and missile defense systems.
Furthering its strategic expansion, GM Defence UK is advancing its Light Mobility Vehicle program proposal. Partnering through Team LionStrike with NP Aerospace and BAE Systems, the consortium delivers low-risk, high-quality, commercially based solutions at the speed and scale required by allied forces. GM Defense says that with proven vehicles, global scale and an operating model built around rapid technology transfer, it is showing that commercial manufacturing disciplines can solve the military's most complex and immediate challenges.
Why this matters
GM Defense is a General Motors subsidiary that sells to the military rather than to car buyers, so these updates show a second route to growth beyond retail vehicles. The plan to field vehicles across 39 active-duty and National Guard brigades, plus a component delivery to Lockheed Martin just 22 days after signing, signals that commercial automotive manufacturing can supply defense customers quickly.
Terms in This Story
- Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV)
- A light military vehicle designed to carry and support an infantry squad.
- Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV)
- A ground vehicle that operates without a human driver on board.
- skateboard architecture
- A vehicle platform design in which the chassis and propulsion components are packaged into a single flat base.
- PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE)
- A version of the PAC-3 air and missile defense system, for which GM Defense makes housing components.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.