U.S. Army to test Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 based Infantry Squad Vehicle.

General Motors has landed an exploratory $1 million contract with the US Army for its Infantry Squad Vehicle, based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.

Chevrolet's ZR-2 based prototype for U.S. Army's Infantry Squad Vehicle competition (Picture source: GM Defense)

After successful field tests at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the U.S. Army has ordered two more diesel-powered prototypes for further competitive trials beginning later this fall. The ISV may not look like a Colorado, though GM says 70% of its components are commercial 4x4 Colorado ZR2 off-the-shelf parts. The truck benefits from the ZR2 Bison's Multimatic DSSV dampers, long-travel leaf springs, underbody skid plates and other off-road gear originally developed for racing and sports cars. Their advanced design allows for high-speed running as well as high-jumping. While the ZR2 is available with a gasoline V6, the test trucks use its optional 2.8-liter four-cylinder turbodiesel engine, which is rated at 186 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque.

The competition requires each ISV candidate to be light enough for sling-loading from a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter, compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook, and capable of carrying nine soldiers and their gear at highway speeds. The ISV winner will receive a contract for 650 units.

Testing of the prototypes will start in November at the U.S. Army’s Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland, where they will be competing against submissions from the teams of Oshkosh/Flyer Defense and SAIC/Polaris for a contract to be awarded in March to build 651 vehicles through 2024. The final per-vehicle price for the program has not been announced, but the production ZR2 starts at $42,000.