WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th December, 2020) The defense subsidiary of General Motors (GM) began construction of a 75,000 square foot factory to produce the Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) for the US military, the company said in a press release.
Construction involves expanding an existing facility in the state of North Carolina as part of a $214.3 million contract awarded by the US Army in June, the release said on Thursday.
"Construction at the 75,000-square-foot facility is expected to continue into early spring, and the production line will begin delivering vehicles in April. As GM Defense ramps to full-rate production, the facility will help to manufacture 649 ISVs and will support the production of up to 2,065 vehicles with additional authorization over eight years. The ISV program is the first major award for GM Defense since the subsidiary was re-established by its parent company in 2017," the release said.
The ISV is based on the 2020 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 midsize truck, and 90 percent of the vehicle will consist of commercially available parts, the release added.
The 5,000 pound vehicle designed for expeditionary missions is light enough to be sling loaded on a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter and compact enough to fit inside a CH-47 Chinook chopper, according to the release.
