According to information published on the Twitter account of the Polish Minister of Defense Mariusz Błaszczak on July 2, 2022, the first batch of 140 American-made Cougar armored vehicles has arrived in Poland. These vehicles will be very quickly delivered to the Polish army.
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The first batch of 140 American-made Cougar MRAP vehicles arrives in Poland for delivery to the Polish army. (Picture source Twitter Polish Minister of Defense Mariusz Błaszczak)
In December 2021, the Army Recognition editorial team reported that Poland signed a contract with the United States to supply an undisclosed number of second-hand Cougar 4x4 MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) vehicles.
The Cougar is a family of armored vehicles that were designed for U.S. armed forces under the Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) umbrella to meet requirements identified during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), with a focus on continual improvements in force protection and vehicle survivability through technology insertion.
The Cougar is available in 4x4 and 6x6 configurations manufactured by General Dynamics Land Systems. The Cougar vehicles were produced by the American company Force Protection until General Dynamics acquired it in December 2011.
The Cougar platform includes two primary vehicle variants, the CAT I and CAT II, all fielded with the upgraded Independent Suspension System (ISS). The CAT I (4X4) variant is capable of transporting five crew members and one gunner and supports small unit combat operations in urban and confined areas such as mounted patrols, reconnaissance, communications, and command and control.
The CAT II (6X6) variant is capable of transporting nine crew members and one gunner and supports multi-mission combat operations in urban or confined areas such as convoy security, troop and cargo transportation. In addition to these two primary variants, a select number of Cougar CAT I vehicles have been fitted with the Saber Tube-launched, Optically tracked, Wireguided (TOW) system, which is an anti-heavy armor missile system.
The Cougar MRAP vehicles incorporate a monocoque V-shaped chassis mounting bullet-proof and blast-proof body. The conventional layout houses an engine in the front, a crew cabin in the middle, and features a troop compartment at the rear. The vehicle is motorized with a Caterpillar C-7 diesel engine developing 330 hp coupled to a six-speed Allison 3500 SP series automatic transmission. It can run at a maximum road speed of 104 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 675 km.
