The third Team LionStrike proposal for the UK MoD LMV (Light Military Vehicle) requirement is the Chevrolet Infantry Squad Vehicle or ISV, writes Bob Morrison.
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It is looking possible that some of the vehicles required to replace the current UK Forces Land Rover Defender and ATL Pinzgauer medium utility vehicle fleets under the LMV or Light Mobility Vehicle programme might need to exceed 3500kg gross vehicle weight (i.e. Cat B Licence) if they are to meet payload and capacity requirements. Hence Team LionStrike offering both their Chevrolet Silverado LD and Silverado HD models from the heavier end of their pickup truck portfolio as a way of covering all bases (see Part Two for more detail).
However it is still very likely that a substantial quantity of <3500kg GVW trucks will be required in what is presently classed the LMV GSV (General Support Vehicle) role and this is where the GM Defence / NP Aerospace / BAE Systems consortium believes the Chevrolet ISV also fits the bill while providing well in excess of the desired minimum 1000kg payload. Based on the Colorado ZR2 pickup truck, this open hamper 4×4 is in current US Army service as the M1301 Infantry Squad Vehicle, but it is more likely that this nine-seat option would not actually be required for most outlined British roles and a four- or five-seat variant is probably more likely.
The original nine-seat M1301 ISV was developed by GM Defence and Sussex-based engineering specialists Ricardo (who in the mid-1990s helped Land Rover develop the WMIK or Weapons Mount Installation Kit for the UK MoD Wolf 110 model) specifically for the US Army Ultra Light Combat Vehicle / Army Ground Mobility Vehicle programme of the last decade. In addition to thousands of ISVs now having been ordered by the US Army, Canada also procured a batch in July 2024 specifically to equip the NATO eFP (enhanced Forward Presence) formation deployed to Latvia.
The original US Army requirement for the ISV was to provide a basic and lightweight means of rapid transportation for an eight-strong infantry squad, plus driver, giving them more mobility than if relocating solely on foot in situations where armoured vehicles were neither available nor desirable. It was never intended that this airportable lightweight would be a fighting vehicle, though its open nature means occupants can return fire with their personal weapons if necessary and gun mounts can also be affixed to the roll cage in similar fashion to the likes of the 1990s vintage US Rangers Special Operations Vehicle or slightly later UK WMIK Land Rovers and many subsequent similar light 4×4 trucks.
While the original American requirement might have just been for a light troop carrier, it soon became apparent that a need existed for a supporting cargo carrying vehicle to transport the infantry squad’s additional personal equipment, so GM Defence developed the ISV-U or -Utility version with seating for up to four passengers plus an open load bed at the rear. This version has now also been procured by the US Army, who have also been experimenting with using it to transport crew-served infantry weapons including the Alakran (Scorpion) 81mm mobile mortar mounted at the rear.
Being not only constructed using a very high proportion of off-the-shelf and widely available commercial pickup truck components as well as being fully supported by the Original Equipment Manufacturer, the Team LionStrike Colorado ZR2 ISV and ISV-U combination looks like it might almost be a straight shoe-in for the existing outgoing Defender TUM fleet. Additionally as two other NATO armies already have field experience of the base model, unlike some other suggested UK LMV candidates the ISV is not an unknown and/or unproven quantity. In my opinion it therefore has to be considered one of the serious contenders.
¤ See also:-
- Team LionStrike Possible UK LMV Candidates ~ Part One
- Team LionStrike Possible UK LMV Candidates ~ Part Two
- Team LionStrike Possible UK LMV Candidates ~ Part Three
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Editor’s Footnote: The latest publicly available UK MoD published information for LMV (which has nine distinct categories, including also EPV or Enhance Protected Vehicle, TCV or Troop Carrying Vehicle and BFA or Battle Field Ambulance) suggests a desired gross vehicle weight of no more than 3500kg but up to four 95 percentile male service personnel with full body armour and helmet plus personal weapon and belt kit along with daysack and bergen would need to be accommodated in addition to a cargo payload of up to 1000kg… or even 2000kg in some categories.
