GM Defense eyes contract worth $5 billion from US Army

The United States Army is among the most modernised and has access to some of the most advanced weaponry on the planet. However, it is aiming for even more sophistication. Under its Common Tactical Truck (CTT) programme, the American Army is seeking prototypes of tactical trucks in order to replace its old fleet of Heavy Tactical Vehicles. The Army has put out a contract worth $5 billion that requires the winning bidder to deliver 5,700 vehicles after the officials give a green signal for production. The American arm of Rheinmetall Vehicles and GM Defense are preparing to lock horns for this coveted deal.

According to the announcement by the US Army, it wants trucks with maximum commercial features with the ability to perform military missions. Officials shared that the trucks should come with advanced driver safety systems, increased off-road mobility, cybersecurity, machine learning, artificial intelligence, improved survivability and fuel efficiency among other emerging technologies. While General Motors (GM) Defense which is the military product subsidiary of General Motors (GM) did not reveal anything about its product offering, it is being guessed that Rheinmetall’s HX3 truck could be one of the offerings. The US Army is aiming to give the contract by the end of this year.

The US Army is also not shying away from welcoming electric vehicles on the field as a recent report said that officials have chosen the GMC Hummer electric vehicle for demo and testing purposes. The GMC Hummer has a long history of association with the American military. The Army is planning to test and analyse the EV to conclude if it can be used for various military purposes in the future.

The GMC Hummer EV can generate a massive power output of 1,000 hp and promises to offer a range of 482 km on a single charge. General Motors has reportedly claimed that the electric vehicle can be charged for 160 km within 12 minutes using a DC fast charging technology.