The Pentagon is calling on domestic automakers to boost weapons production capacity, with Ford's F-150 pickup trucks photographed at the company's Dearborn, Michigan factory as the automaker competes for one of the largest military contracts since the Cold War.

Ford (stock code F, up 0.45%) is vying for the biggest defense order in the post-Cold War era. The automaker announced Monday that it has officially entered the bidding for the US Army's next-generation tactical truck program. The vehicle, designed as a pickup truck, will serve dual roles on the battlefield: providing both combat transport and acting as a mobile, concealed high-power supply station.

Against the backdrop of the Pentagon urging automakers to leverage their manufacturing capacity to replenish and update military equipment depleted by conflicts in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war, Ford is competing head-to-head with crosstown rival General Motors. General Motors has been developing its Infantry Squad Vehicle-Heavy (ISV-Heavy) for several years, a vehicle based on the Chevrolet Silverado heavy-duty pickup. It was officially unveiled in 2024 and has undergone field testing by the military in recent months.

Ford has already secured a development contract from the US Department of Defense to build three prototype trucks based on its own F-Series heavy-duty pickup. In a statement, Ford said it takes the project very seriously and is poised to deliver multiple high-performance prototypes, fully demonstrating the practical value it can bring to the US Army and frontline soldiers.

Ford is expected to deliver multiple high-performance prototype trucks, fully showcasing the value it brings to the US Army and soldiers on the front lines.

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Editor: Guo Mingyu