On Tuesday, May 12, 2026, the Team LionStrike consortium, comprising GM Defense UK, NP Aerospace, and BAE Systems, announced that it would include the Chevrolet Silverado HD tactical heavy-duty vehicle in its offering for the UK’s Land Mobility Programme (LMP). Previously, it had offered the lighter General Support Utility Platform (GSUP) and Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV).
Chevrolet Silverado HD alongside a replica of a Second World War-era LRDG vehicle / Photo: GM Defense
One of the most capable vehicles ever built by U.S. automotive group General Motors, the Silverado HD was unveiled today during Team LionStrike’s “From Proven Heritage to Present Power” event at the prestigious Royal Hospital Chelsea in London.
Equipped with a 6.6-liter Duramax V8 diesel engine producing 1,322 Nm of torque, the Silverado HD is built for serious tasks. In the 2500HD version, this means towing capacity of up to 9,997 kg and a payload of 1,860 kg, while the 3500HD version, with a single rear axle, offers even greater capability, with towing capacity of nearly 10,000 kg and a payload of more than 2 t.
Most importantly, the spacious interior provides enough room both to transport and simultaneously operate inside the vehicle the equipment and kit required by today’s soldiers. The cargo bed is also substantial, measuring up to 2.1 m by 1.9 m, enabling the transport of standard NATO pallets.
Team LionStrike’s proposal also includes:
- Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV), a light, agile, and air-transportable troop carrier based on the Chevrolet Colorado pickup, designed to provide infantry with rapid mobility in difficult terrain. The ISV has been selected by the Canadian and U.S. armed forces as part of their equipment modernization, providing them with greater performance, scalability, and affordability compared with dedicated military platforms.
- Chevrolet Silverado LD pickup, equipped with a 3-liter Duramax turbodiesel, providing high torque at low engine speeds and proven performance. It delivers 671 Nm of torque, towing capacity of up to 6,804 kg, and a payload of 1,000 kg, making it suitable for demanding long-distance applications.
“Team LionStrike’s approach – leveraging the depth, experience and highly-skilled U.K.-based workforce of BAE Systems and NP Aerospace to modify, integrate, homologate, and support vehicles built in North America by General Motors – is the fastest, lowest-cost path to put modern vehicles into the hands of British soldiers,” said Gilbert Nelson, Vice President, International Sales and Marketing, GM Defence. “Our foundation is commercial, off-the-shelf technology with a proven track record of quality, durability, and capability that can be OEM-adapted to meet emerging requirements. That’s how we will rapidly enhance the operational readiness of the British Armed Forces and reduce the cost and complexity of equipping, training, and deploying troops.”
The success of the Chevrolet Silverado family, together with its sister GMC brand, has made General Motors’ full-size pickups industry leaders in the United States, with more than 5 million vehicles delivered over the past five years.
The Silverado and ISV vehicles will not be the first GM trucks to support British forces. For more than a century, General Motors designers, engineers, and production teams have supplied vehicles that have proven their quality, durability, and capability in theaters of war around the world.
GM was the largest supplier to the U.S. armed forces during the Second World War, and Chevrolet and GMC trucks formed the backbone of key operations such as the Red Ball Express, a massive logistics operation supporting Allied forces in their pursuit of enemy forces after the Normandy landings.
In addition, the British Long Range Desert Group, an elite reconnaissance and raiding unit, used the Chevrolet 30 CWT while operating deep behind enemy lines in North Africa between 1940 and 1943. One Long Range Desert Group truck was recovered from the Egyptian desert in 1980 and is now part of the Imperial War Museum’s collection. To honor and preserve the unit’s heritage, replicas of the Chevrolet 30 CWT were built ‒ one of them was displayed during the event.
Press release
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