GM Defense hopes for ‘first win’ in Europe through UK vehicles race

MILAN — GM Defense has partnered with British company NP Aerospace to offer American platforms in a bid for the United Kingdom’s Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) tender.

The program requirements are part of the UK’s wider Land Mobility Program that intends to replace three different types of aging vehicles and consolidate the British Army’s fleet.

The two companies have teamed up to offer GM’s flagship Infantry Squad Vehicle and its utility variant for the LMV segment, both based on the rugged Chevrolet Colorado ZR2.

In an interview with Defense News, Bradley Watters, vice-president of international government solutions and strategy at GM Defense, said the company views the competition as a strategic race.

“It’s all about getting that first win, with a major military force, and having these vehicles back in Europe – GM is getting back into Europe, if you have not heard of it, in multiple areas including sales, maintenance, distribution centers and more,” he said.

The Request for Information published by the UK Ministry of Defense in January highlighted that an important aspect that would be considered in the selection process would be the potential for off-the-shelf solutions.

According to the manufacturer, its ISV uses approximately 90% commercial-off-the-shelf parts, which could play in its favor.

For example, the vehicle features dynamic suspension spool valve dampers sourced from Multimatic, a Canadian company. When asked whether the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration on a variety of goods have affected the procurement of components, Watters said that no negative impact has been felt.

“The bottom line is that the environment is changing all the time, everyday – we’ve worked with different administrations and changes for more than 100 years and we’re doing the same now,” a GM Defense spokeswoman said.

The company is also currently exploring the potential that second-source suppliers based in Europe could offer in certain areas to meet the localization requirements that many countries are now after.

GM Defense plans to incorporate in its bid the facilities NP Aerospace already has in Coventry, U.K., and London, Ontario, to gain access to localized and tailored design and contents. The two firms also announced that they would be going after the Canadian Armed Forces’ Light Utility Vehicle and Light Forces Enhancement programs.

British authorities have not confirmed whether they are considering integrating a remote weapon station on the vehicle to be chosen as part of the LMV tender.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

米兰——通用汽车防务公司与英国公司NP Aerospace合作，竞标英国轻型机动车辆（LMV）招标，提供美国平台。

该计划的要求是英国更广泛的陆地机动性计划的一部分，该计划旨在替换三种不同类型的老旧车辆，并整合英国陆军的车队。

这两家公司联手推出了通用汽车的旗舰产品——步兵班组车辆及其轻型机动车辆（LMV）版本，这两款车型均基于坚固耐用的雪佛兰科罗拉多ZR2打造。

通用汽车防务公司国际政府解决方案和战略副总裁布拉德利·沃特斯在接受《防务新闻》采访时表示，该公司将这场竞争视为一场战略竞赛。

“关键在于取得首场胜利，与一支强大的军事力量合作，并将这些车辆带回欧洲——通用汽车正在重返欧洲市场，如果你还没听说过的话，它将在包括销售、维护、配送中心等多个领域进行布局，”他说。

英国国防部 1 月份发布的征求信息书强调，选择过程中将考虑的一个重要方面是现成解决方案的可能性。

据制造商称，其独立软件供应商 (ISV) 使用了约 90% 的商用现成零部件，这可能对其有利。

例如，该车辆配备了来自加拿大公司Multimatic的动态悬架阀芯减震器。当被问及特朗普政府对多种商品加征关税是否影响了零部件采购时，沃特斯表示尚未感受到任何负面影响。

“关键在于环境每天都在变化——100多年来，我们与不同的政府合作，应对各种变化，现在也是如此，”通用汽车防务公司的一位女发言人说。

该公司目前也在探索欧洲的第二供应商在某些领域能够提供的潜力，以满足许多国家现在所追求的本地化要求。

通用汽车防务公司计划在其竞标中利用NP Aerospace公司位于英国考文垂和加拿大安大略省伦敦市的现有设施，以获得本地化和定制化的设计和内容。两家公司还宣布，他们将竞标加拿大武装部队的轻型多用途车辆和轻型部队增强项目。

英国当局尚未确认是否正在考虑在轻型机动车辆招标中选定的车辆上集成遥控武器站。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。