AUSA 2026: GM Defense to complete new UGV prototype demonstrator by 2027

GM Defense displayed its unmanned ground vehicle concept with a directed energy weapon at the Association of the United States Army's annual conference. (Janes/Meredith Roaten)

GM Defense unveiled a new unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) concept based on one of its commercial vehicles at the Association of the United States Army's annual conference on 12 August.

The UGV concept is based on a Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD truck, but the company plans to work on it over the next several months to make it fit the requirements for the US Army's Project Sustainment, Pete Johnson, vice president integrated vehicle solutions, told Janes on 12 October. The army has already down selected five other companies for the competition.

Johnson said the UGV was not ready for the army's timeline, but once the prototype demonstrator is complete in June 2027, the company expects the army would be interested in exploring different competitors. The army has done similar acquisition approaches with programmes like Low-Altitude Stalking and Strike Ordnance (LASSO) and Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2 (IFPC Inc 2) interceptors.

The service's goal with autonomy is to “try to identify capabilities that has … real capability, and then as they move along, they're going to off-ramp people, and they're going to on-ramp companies”, Johnson told Janes in an interview.

GM Defense is trying to minimize the differences between the commercial vehicle and the UGV, he said.

It was displayed with a Locust X3 high energy laser (HEL) as the payload. It has the capacity for up to 8,000 lb (3,628 kg) payload.

The company also has 102 kW of exportable power, according to Johnson. For the battery, GM Defense took its electric vehicle battery Lyriq and put it into the UGV concept, he said.