Ford Motor Co. joined rival General Motors in a race to build the U.S. Army's newest tactical truck.
Ford is making its biggest push into military contracting in decades, announcing Monday it will compete for the Army's program to build the next-generation truck designed to transport troops while serving as a mobile power source for advanced battlefield technology.
The Army has awarded prototype contracts to Ford, GM, and off-road manufacturer BC Customs, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.
Each company will develop vehicles for testing next year as the Pentagon seeks roughly 600 trucks capable of carrying soldiers across rugged terrain while powering drones, communications equipment, and command-and-control systems.
Ford's proposal is based on its Super Duty F-Series pickups, while GM's competing ISV-Heavy is derived from the heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado.
"Ford is excited to work on this project," the automaker said in a statement, adding that it looks forward to delivering prototypes that demonstrate the company's capabilities to the Army.
The competition reflects the Trump administration's broader effort to strengthen America's defense industrial base by tapping commercial manufacturers to replenish military equipment depleted by conflicts in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has said the company is in discussions with the Pentagon on multiple defense-related initiatives, including military vehicles, semiconductor production, and critical mineral supply chains.
The automaker argues that adapting commercially available trucks can provide the military with advanced capabilities faster and at a lower cost than designing specialized vehicles from scratch.
General Motors, meanwhile, already has an established defense business.
The Detroit News reported last week that GM expects to secure a contract worth more than $1 billion to build about 10,000 Infantry Squad Vehicles for the Army if funding is approved.
GM Defense also has partnerships with Lockheed Martin, NASA, and the State Department, making military contracts an increasingly important part of the company's long-term growth strategy.
In May, the Detroit Free Press reported that both Detroit automakers have been in talks with U.S. and allied governments about supplying military vehicles, with Ford promoting its F-Series, Ranger and Super Duty trucks as "off-the-shelf" solutions that can be quickly adapted for defense missions.
Senior Pentagon officials have encouraged major American manufacturers to reenter the defense sector as the military modernizes its procurement process.
Ford has a long history of supporting the U.S. military, supplying Jeep-style tactical vehicles during the Korean and Vietnam wars before largely exiting the defense business after selling its aerospace division in 1990.
Now, with Washington urging American manufacturers to help rebuild the nation's military capacity, Ford is positioning itself to compete directly with GM for what could become one of its most significant defense contracts since the Cold War.