Chevrolet Silverado turned into driverless war machine
General Motors’ extensive defence department has created a heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado without a cab for a driver.
The Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD is already a tough machine, but GM Defense has taken it a step further, preparing the pickup for war – without anyone in it.
Revealed at the Association of the United States Army’s (AUSA) Annual Meeting and Exposition, GM Defense revealed the Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV), a striking vehicle with hallmarks of the Silverado, but without the need for anyone to sit behind the wheel.
Based on the dual-rear-wheel platform of the Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, it utilises the face of the pickup, but behind there the A-pillar would normally sit, there is now no cab, instead replaced by a single flat bed, intended for cargo storage.
Riding on basic steel wheels and meaty all-terrain tyres, it’s clear that the job of the UGV is to get supplies to places which are difficult to access, as well as extract casualties in the head of battle.
According to GM, it’s designed to do these jobs silently, suggesting there’s some kind of electric propulsion system underneath, but no further details have been announced.
“The modern defense landscape demands advanced capability, rapid fielding and sustainable scale,” said GM Defense president, Steve duMont.
Jordan Mulach
“We do not begin with a blank sheet of paper. By transferring GM’s world-class engineering, supply chain and manufacturing scale directly to the service member, we are transforming customer needs into mission-ready capability faster than ever before.”
Ironically, GM’s UGV unveiling has occurred as there have been similar projects announced on the other side of the Atlantic, with both Ford and JLR competing for the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) tender.
This has seen Ford reveal multiple Ranger-based defence vehicles, while Land Rover has used the Defender as its base.
