Polaris Defense is debuting its new DAGOR ultra-light combat vehicle at the 2014 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Oct. 13-15, according to a company press release.
The company, a division of Polaris Industries Inc., designed, tested, and is now producing the DAGOR in less than two years to meet an emerging threat to SOF and light infantry forces, according to the release.
“DAGOR is under contract with elements of U.S. SOCOM and international SOF customers,” said Polaris Defense General Manager Rich Haddad.
“The DAGOR was engineered to meet a very demanding set of light-mobility needs for our customer,” said Jed Leonard, manager of Advanced Mobility Platforms, and Polaris Defense. “It provides the optimal balance of rapid air transportability, payload and advanced mobility. The design offers our customers a modular, light-weight platform to support a variety of expeditionary missions.”
The DAGOR is designed to carry 3,250 pounds of payload or a 9-man squad with its gear. Polaris Defense photo
Polaris Defense leveraged Polaris’ off-road engineering and design experience to design the purpose-built vehicle. It is designed with “trophy truck-inspired” suspension to carry 3,250 pounds of payload or a 9-man squad over very rough terrain with a range of up to 500 miles, depending on mission profile. The cargo bed is an open design that maximizes space, flexibility and access to equipment. The vehicle can accommodate up to a 48-inch overhead ring mount as well as multiple pintle mounts for weapons. The DAGOR uses a commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) turbo diesel/JP8 engine chosen for its power, weight, and size. Extensive use of COTS components, including driveline elements and controls, simplifies training and maintenance.
At less than 4,500 pounds, the DAGOR can be sling loaded under the UH-60 Black Hawk, but it is also narrow enough to allow rapid loading into a CH-47 Chinook without modification to vehicle or helicopter. The DAGOR has completed government durability testing and is certified for CH-47 Chinook internal air transport (IAT), air drop, and UH-60 Black Hawk sling load, according to the release.
The DAGOR went from concept to production in less than two years. Polaris Defense photo by Wayne Davis
“DAGOR is under contract with elements of U.S. SOCOM and international SOF customers,” said Polaris Defense General Manager Rich Haddad. “DAGOR is larger than our previous offerings like the MRZR and MV850, and represents a step up in size for Polaris and in payload for our customers. DAGOR highlights Polaris Defense’s ability to fill an urgent need, with an affordable purpose-built MILCOTS solution that can be maintained anywhere with a COTS supply chain.”