GM Unveils Autonomous Silverado 3500HD for the Army

The UGV is intended to support "silent logistics and casualty evacuation," according to GM Defense. The front grille remains unmistakably Silverado. But the cab is gone and the traditional bed is replaced with a flatbed, leaving the drivetrain and payload platform riding on heavy-duty wheels. GM says the skateboard layout aids silent movement, keeping the vehicle in a logistics role rather than a combat one.

Chevrolet has no electric Silverado HD in its lineup. Even so, the concept uses a rechargeable energy-storage system rated at 100 kWh and carries a maximum payload of 8000 pounds. The autonomous driving stack comes from Scout AI's Gx Ground Agent, and the vehicle relies on drive-by-wire controls.

It also offers onboard and export power, plus open interfaces that accept modular payloads. The defense configuration adds two systems: a Locust X3 laser for countering drones and a Squarehead Discovair G2+ sensor that detects them acoustically.

"The modern defense landscape demands advanced capability, rapid fielding and sustainable scale," said Steve duMont, president of GM Defense. "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."

GM Defense dates to World War I and has turned out military vehicles and artillery in the decades since. GM shed the unit in 2003, then stood it back up in 2017. The UGV is a new project, separate from the company's existing Army work.

That existing work is substantial. GM won a $214.3 million contract in 2020 to produce 2065 Infantry Squad Vehicles, built on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 platform with a 2.8-liter Duramax turbodiesel four-cylinder and Multimatic DSSV dampers. That order has since swelled to nearly 12,000 units. A five-soldier variant is slated to reach 39 mobile brigades across active-duty and National Guard units.

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