Polaris: Light military vehicle Dagor

Polaris Defense, the military division of the US ATV, side-by-side and snowmobile specialist, has developed the Dagor military vehicle, a lightweight, four-wheel drive crew transporter. Dagor was presented at the annual meeting of the Association of the United States Army in Washington DC After concept development and testing, the Dagor military vehicle has now been contracted and production has started – all in less than two years.

Military vehicle Dagor: light crew transporter

“The Dagor was designed to meet the extremely tough requirements for a lightweight vehicle for our customer,” said Jed Leonard, general manager of Advanced Mobility Platforms and Polaris Defense. The customers are mainly special and infantry units; their requirements: a compact off-roader that is light and fast, even when fully loaded.

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Fast and resilient

Structurally, the Dagor shares similarities with ATVs and side-by-sides. The built-in turbo diesel engine JP8 can also be operated with aircraft fuel kerosene and should have a range of up to 800 kilometers. The Dagor’s suspension allows a payload of around 1,500 kilograms, which corresponds to a group of up to nine infantry soldiers and their equipment. This is how the Dagor manages to transport an infantry through terrain that would normally have to be traversed on foot, and at high speed. The Dagor’s design allows for easy operation, maintenance and continuity. The vehicle uses a standard powertrain, controls and components available on the market, simplifying training for mechanics and drivers. An open construction of the loading area ensures maximum loading space and flexibility.

Low weight and long range

The vehicle’s unladen weight is less than 2,050 kilograms, which, along with its narrow width, make loading for air transport easy. The Dagor military vehicle does not have to be modified for this.
Dagor is certified for internal airlift with the CH-47 Chinook, airdrop and rope transport with the UH-60 Black Hawk. “Dagor is under contract with US SOCOM and International Special Forces entities,” said Rich Haddad, Polaris Defense general manager. “The Dagor products are larger than our previous offerings, most notably the MRZR and MV850 vehicles, and represent a step forward in scope for Polaris and in payload for our customers.” It is not revealed to which armed forces Dagor will be delivered, but it is easy to imagine – the US Army is already advertising the new addition.

Use in the German Armed Forces

The German Bundeswehr also has military vehicles from Polaris. According to information from the German soldiers, these are ATVs of the type MV850, which are used by the combat swimmers, the ABC team and the KSK team. At the ‘Boot 2014’ trade fair in Düsseldorf, you could examine them at the stand of the Federal Ministry of Defence.
Of course, the Dogar military vehicle will not be available in stores – probably also an expensive affair, insiders speak of a unit price of around 150,000 US dollars. With such armaments orders, Polaris naturally puts itself in a different league as a vehicle manufacturer. chk

Contact: > Federal Ministry of Defence
Contact: > IPS – Import Polaris & Sufag
Contact: > Polaris Germany