A modified Chevrolet Silverado platform fitted with modules of counterterrorism equipment just might be the next big thing for homeland security.



“SmarTruck II is engineered to meet the nontraditional challenges of today’s military,” said Dennis Wend, executive director of the Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command’s National Automotive Center (NAC). “It provides built-in flexibility and offensive capability [for a variety of situations].”



The jet black prototype SmarTruck II unveiled at the North American International Auto Show didn’t much look like a Silverado pickup truck.



Rather than the usual two axles, the SmarTruck II has three, and all six wheels drive the vehicle all the time.



This is key to the SmarTruck II’s appeal, Wend said. The modification gives the SmarTruck II a 5-ton payload, so it can carry a bevy of counterterrorism equipment, much of it packaged in armored, self-contained stainless steel modules. The modules can be swapped out for other non-terrorism-related modules when needed.



For example, the SmarTruck II could carry water purification systems on disaster relief missions and communication systems for surveillance missions.



The flexibility could allow many government agencies—from FEMA to the FBI to the military—to share the vehicle, Wend said. “You won’t need to have unique trucks with installed equipment; you can just have the modules [stationed] around the United States [ready for use when needed].”