Creating a tactical vehicle based on something that may be in your driveway. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

One of the things that Ford, Ram and GM are really, really (yes, two reallys) good at is building trucks. Although many people buy pickups for non-work purposes, the engineers at those companies develop their trucks for all manner of demanding contingencies.

So it isn’t entirely surprising that GM Defense has rolled out with a Chevy Silverado 2500HD ZR2 truck that has been upfitted for war-fighting applications.

The “Next Gen” tactical vehicle prototype was introduced this week at the annual meeting and exp of the Association of the U.S. Army in Washington, DC.

The truck is primarily powered by a 2.8-liter Duramax turbo-diesel but there is also a 12-module battery pack that power electric motors that are on both axles.

So when the truck goes into “Silent Drive” or “Silent Watch” modes, the electric propulsion system comes into play. So the truck can approach in silence. What’s more, there is sufficient power on board to handle the electrical needs of various sensors and other equipment.

According to Steve duMont, president of GM Defense:

“This rugged and highly capable diesel-powered vehicle offers tactical advantages, such as Silent Operations, exportable power, and increased range with extended mission duration. Our warfighters deserve the latest technology that industry can offer in order to gain and maintain competitive advantage over our adversaries. Our Next Gen mobility solution can be customized and fielded now.”

Presumably, as this is based on a vehicle that is in mass production it would be more economical than one that is purpose-built. But GM is adding the tech necessary to make the truck sufficiently robust to handle fighting missions.

After all, these trucks need to deal with conditions that the standard truck engineers don’t need to think about.