Army Awards ISV-H Prototype Contracts to Ford, GM Defense, BC Customs; Vehicles Must Generate 60 kW Power for Electronic Warfare

The U.S. Army awarded Other Transaction Agreements on June 30 to Ford, GM Defense, and BC Customs to build competing Infantry Squad Vehicle-Heavy prototypes, with three units from each contractor due by March 30, 2027. The ISV-H must generate 60 kW of continuous high-voltage DC power to support counter-drone systems, electronic warfare, and directed energy weapons—a capability gap the Army identified as critical at the mobile brigade combat team level.

The 60 kW requirement exposes a mismatch between commercial truck platforms and military power demands. A Silverado 3500HD's factory alternator produces ~220 amps at 48V; delivering 60 kW continuous at 400V DC (the military standard for directed energy systems) requires either a hybrid powertrain with onboard generation or a towed generator—both add weight and complexity GM and Ford are not optimizing for in their Super Duty lines.

BC Customs' ground-up design has no legacy constraints, but faces supply-chain risk on power electronics that Ford and GM can source from their suppliers. If BC Customs wins, it signals the Army is willing to accept longer lead times and higher unit costs for a purpose-built platform.

WHY IT MATTERS

The 60 kW power requirement forces a fundamental redesign of light tactical vehicles away from commercial truck platforms toward hybrid or alternative-power architectures.

GM Defense's current ISV uses a Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD; Ford is adapting the F-Series Super Duty; BC Customs is building ground-up. None of those platforms natively deliver that power output at weight and mobility targets, meaning the winner will own the reference design for every peer military copying this playbook.

The March 2027 delivery gate matters because the Army's FY27 budget requests 34 production units at $463K each—if prototypes slip past Q1 2027, the procurement timeline compresses into FY28, forcing a reprogram or deferral. Watch the Army's test results in Q2 2027 for which architecture (commercial-truck-based vs. purpose-built) meets the power and thermal specs without exceeding vehicle weight limits.

WHAT THIS DOESN’T TELL US

What is the actual contract value per prototype, and does it include the power generation subsystem or is that a separate integration cost? The Army's silence on cost suggests either competitive sensitivity or a unit price that undercuts expectations.

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