Team LionStrike demos its Land Mobility Programme solutions in UK for first time

Team LionStrike – comprising GM Defense, NP Aerospace and BAE Systems – demonstrated its vehicle contenders for upcoming British Army requirements in the UK for the first time at a VIP and media ‘ride and drive’ event at UTAC’s Millbrook proving ground in Bedfordshire on 13 November 2025.

Formed in early September 2024, Team LionStrike is addressing two key procurement initiatives under the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MoD’s) Land Mobility Programme (LMP): the General Support Utility Platform (GSUP) requirement and the Light Mobility Vehicle (LMV) requirement. These will replace the British Army’s fleet of various Land Rover and Pinzgauer wheeled tactical vehicles.

Team LionStrike is offering three vehicle types for the British Army requirements:

• a GSUP solution based on the Chevrolet S10 Work Truck, which accommodates a crew of four, has flexible and modular cab/utility configurations, is powered by a 207 hp diesel, and has a payload of 1,116 kg;
• the Silverado 1500 ZR2: a light-duty, more powerful variant accommodating five crew, with flexible and modular cab/utility configurations, a 305 hp diesel and a payload of 705 kg;
• and the Infantry Squad Vehicle – Utility (ISV-U), which is based on the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 platform and accommodates up to five crew with open-top utility and tactical configurations and has a payload of 3,200 lb (1,451.5 kg). This is powered by a 2.8-litre Duramax diesel engine with a performance tune that produces significantly more power than the Colorado ZR2, which delivers 186 hp and offers 369 ft-lb (500 Nm) of torque.

The three component companies within Team LionStrike all deliver complementary capabilities. As well as providing the vehicles, GM Defense brings with it a massive commercial presence. By the end of 2025 parent company General Motors (GM) will have 10 repair facilities in the UK and 100 service locations across Europe. This is significant because even the more military-focused ISV features 90% commercial off-the-shelf components, while J D Johnson, GM Defense’s vice president for global solutions and strategy, noted on 13 November at Millbrook that GM spends at least USD 10 billion (EUR 8.61 billion) per year on commercial research and development and produces a new Silverado every 62 seconds.

Emphasising GM’s technology and reach, Johnson noted that in March 2026 GM’s Cadillac F1 team will become the first US car brand on the F1 grid and will race for the first time on UK soil at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in July 2026.

NP Aerospace, meanwhile, is the prime contractor for the UK MoD’s Protected Mobility Engineering and Technical Support (PMETS) and Conventional Vehicle Systems Spares and Post Design Services (CVSSP) contracts, which together cover around 17,000 vehicles. The company is the engineering and design authority for UK MoD protected mobility and light utility vehicles and delivers full lifecycle support for more than 50% of the UK’s military ground vehicle fleet.

BAE Systems delivers for Team LionStrike accessible UK surge capacity with expertise on sensor, weapon and mission systems integration, including expertise on conversion of vehicles to right-hand-drive configurations.

For the UK MoD’s LMP requirements Team LionStrike says it will deliver economic growth as part of the UK’s Land Industrial Strategy, including significant export growth potential, while building a sustainable supply chain and delivery ecosystem in the UK.

Driving an ISV at Millbrook on 13 November, one of UVAC’s professional drivers noted that the vehicle is at least as capable as any other in its class and is very easy to drive: an assertion that ESD can certainly confirm, having also driven the vehicle.

Regarding how the LMP will pan out, Team LionStrike officials said that an industry day will be held in early 2026, with a request for proposals (RFP) expected around the middle of the year.

“We haven’t yet seen an RFP,” said Johnson, “but we’ve formed this team early because coming late to the party is not an option.”

Team LionStrike’s contending vehicles have already been brought up to the required UK specifications.

Bradley L Watters, vice president for international sales within GM Defense’s Government Solutions & Strategy division, additionally noted that the company has already worked with NP Aerospace, which has expertise in ballistic protection, to develop a light armour kit for the ISV “that gives top and side protection from frag but still keeps it light”.

Watters also noted that the latest A1 version of the ISV, which has an upgraded eight-speed transmission, a more powerfully tuned engine and a heater, would be the variant offered to the UK MoD.

GM Defense is also experimenting with hybrid electric drive (HED) technology. A HED-powered version of the Silverado is currently being trialled by the US Army’s 25^th Infantry Division in Hawaii that offers up to 160 km of silent drive, a low thermal signature and the ability to export power to the various proliferating electronic soldier systems.

Asked by ESD if the British Army had shown an interest in including a HED capability in its future LMP fleet, Johnson said the army had not expressed any HED-related plans, while stating that GM Defense needs to shoe that “it’s not a future capability; it’s a present capability”.

Watters added of the British Army, “They know they want the technology, but for now they need to get through replacing the Land Rovers and Pinzgauers.”