The world of military contractors is far and wide, and way deeper than you think. There are companies that you likely interact with on a daily basis that have been, or continue to be, part of the military industrial complex that you'd never guess would be part of that system. GE helped build nukes. Dell supplies computers and more. Bose doesn't just make stereos; they also make headsets for the U.S. military.
But the one you're most likely to see or have is General Motors.
GM has been a government contractor for decades, having spun off its defense subsidiary in 1950. It's supplied everything and anything, including the legendary Humvee, the Stryker armored convoy, the prior chase vehicles for the U-2 Dragon spy plane, and its latest project, the ISV-U, a Colorado ZR2-based UTV-ified truck. That ISV-U is also why I'm writing today, as while normally, you or I wouldn't be able to buy one until it's well-past its prime twenty years from now, there's a brand new one that could end up in our garages.
Better yet, it's being auctioned off to support the Medal of Honor Foundation.
Clocked by our friends over at GearJunkie, the ISV-U or Integrated Squad Vehicle-Utility, takes a regular Colorado ZR2 and basically guts the truck, leaving only the 2.8-liter Duramax turbo diesel engine and Multimatic DSSV shocks intact. From there, GM Defense takes inspiration from Can-Am and Polaris and UTV-ifies the pickup, installing a roll cage, a bed, and that's about it.
Quick, rugged, light(ish). Everything you'd want in a special operations vehicle.
I say that's about it, but everything else that remains has been ruggedized for special forces operations, including BFGoodrich KM3 run-flat tires shod over beadlock wheels, armored skidplates abound, there are tie-down hooks for being loaded into a C-130 cargo plane, and panels designed for troops to outfit the ISV-U with all sorts of weaponry, including things like a .50 cal or even the new Sig-Sauer XM250 Next Generation Squad Weapon.
According to Barrett-Jackson, which is the auction house set to drop the hammer on the ISV-U, "Born for the battlefield and built on Chevrolet’s Colorado midsize truck platform, this 2026 GM Defense Infantry Squad Vehicle-Utility (ISV-U) is a five-passenger, ultra-light tactical utility vehicle purpose-built for high-speed, off-road mobility and demanding missions... The ISV-U’s five-seat layout and versatile rear cargo bed are designed to carry mission-critical loads for logistics, fire support, command and control, electronic warfare, counter-unmanned aircraft systems and reconnaissance roles. With its open roll-cage design, expeditionary footprint and extensive use of commercial-off-the-shelf components, the ISV-U offers authentic, modern military capability that is in use today by the US Army and other militaries around the world."
Barrett-Jackson notes that the entire auction sale price will go to the Medal of Honor Foundation, which is a "nonprofit organization and the official fundraising and philanthropic arm of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society."
The GM Defense ISV-U will be auctioned off this Saturday, April 18th, at Barrett-Jackson where one lucky new owner will have a one-of-a-kind UTV to stunt on everyone else, as GM Defense doesn't sell these to the public, and we're still a few Middle Eastern wars away from them showing up in government auctions like the Humvee. So if you want the coolest UTV around, you'd better register to bid on it.
