Why GM Defense's Timing Might be Perfect to Expand its Marketing to NATO and Europe

You have been hearing a lot of talk about NATO lately, and its importance as a peace keeping force. The North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. GM Defense has been actively building new, lighter, military vehicles for about a decade now. GM Defense already markets vehicles to the U.S. military, as well as Canadian and Middle Eastern nations. Now, GM Defense plans to market its troop carriers called Infantry Squad Vehicles to England and the countries in NATO.

What Are These Modern Troop Carriers?

As I have previously reported, GM Defense has designed a family of vehicles based on the Colorado ZR2 midsize truck and uses race car technology to make them lighter, faster and more agile on difficult terrain. The main vehicle is the Infantry Squad Vehicle or ISV. The ISV is based on the award-winning Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck and uses 90 percent commercial-off-the-shelf parts. The ISV also uses Chevrolet Performance race car parts making it lighter and faster while still being built for heavy duty endurance. The ISV weighs 5,000 pounds which 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 vehicle’s high percentage of commercial parts means that it is easier to find parts for and easier to fix in remote locations. Replacement parts don’t have to be specially fabricated or shipped in. General Motors has dealers and parts suppliers all over the globe.

GM Defense Expanding its Reach

GM Defense is teaming with defense contractor NP Aerospace to see if the GM Defense vehicles would meet the requirements of the UK Ministry of Defence’s Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) program. The team will also explore the possibility of selling its vehicles to NATO and its allied nations.

Much like the United States and Canada, the British Army is also looking to start modernizing its fleet of military vehicles. GM Defense, a unit of General Motors, uses GM’s commercially proven platforms to deliver affordable, highly customizable commercial solutions that are ready for immediate deployment. While the main vehicle is the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), its utility variant is also popular.

The ISV is highly adaptable and already in service with U.S. Army infantry, Special Operations Forces, and Canadian Armed Forces. The Infantry Squad Utility vehicle has fewer seats and more cargo room. Both versions are already being used across the U.S., Europe, and Canada. GM Defense will include both vehicles as a part of their proposal for the British military. GM Defense is partnering with NP Aerospace on this initiative. NP Aerospace has facilities in Coventry, UK and London, Ontario, Canada. Countries that may be upset with the U.S. over tariffs might be more likely to buy from a Canadian or UK based company.

GM Defense Offers a Wide and Customizable Portfolio

While the troop carrier and the utility vehicles are the backbone of the GM Defense offerings, GM Defense has a wide range of vehicles to offer. It has vehicles that look like Chevrolet Suburbans but are actually built on Silverado truck platforms and are substantial enough to carry armor plating. It also has other military truck designs that can run on diesel or solar power. 

“Our objective is to deliver the next generation of mobility solutions for the UK with speed, efficiency, and enhanced capabilities by leveraging GM’s extensive investments in mobility R&D, product development, and manufacturing. This is now coupled with NP Aerospace’s expertise in armor manufacturing, technology integration, vehicle maintenance and support,” said GM Defense President Steve duMont. "Together, we will deliver innovative solutions to the British Army, demonstrating our commitment to provide the best capability to our NATO alliance partners."

“With decades of experience maintaining and upgrading global vehicle fleets, we are pleased to expand our teaming agreement with GM Defense to introduce new capabilities and innovation to UK and NATO defence markets,” said NP Aerospace CEO James Kempston. 

GM Defense and NP Aerospace have been cooperating on research and development, post-production support, and global logistics for various projects since 2023. The companies will showcase advanced technologies at defense exhibitions later this year.

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Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

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