Ford in Talks to Provide U.S., European Militaries with Trucks
Ford Motor Company is in talks to provide U.S. and European militaries with converted versions of its pickup trucks (Bloomberg Government, subscription).
What’s going on: Negotiations, “which began last year, are ‘productive,’ though they haven’t yet yielded a contract, the automaker said [recently] in a blog post. Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley told analysts last month the automaker is in ‘early discussions with the U.S. government on some defense-related needs.’”
- By using “commercial-off-the-shelf” solutions manufactured by Ford, governments can access highly capable vehicles and world-class technology at a fraction of the time and cost.
- The news aligns with the administration’s strategy, announced last year, of diversifying its prime and subcontractor sourcing to “better manage cost and schedule growth” (Defense.gov).
- Ford was named specifically by Army Secretary Dan Driscoll this year as a manufacturer with which the Defense Department was seeking to do business.
The trucks: Ford is offering converted versions of its top-selling F-Series pickups, including its largest Super Duty trucks, to the defense departments. But no specific projects have been finalized yet, the company said.
Back to its roots: “Detroit’s automakers played a critical role in building aircraft, vehicles and engines during World War II in what became known as the Arsenal of Democracy. More recently, Ford switched to manufacturing ventilators and personal protective equipment during the pandemic in 2020.”