During May’s Special Operations Forces Industry Conference I was taken to an offsite warehouse on the edge of Downtown Tampa’s in order to see the Polaris Defense DAGOR. What I saw was a vehicle larger than anything Polaris had ever offered. You could definitely see that it was a Polaris design, but it was a step up in size from the familiar MRZR. Under development for the past year, the DAGOR was originally created for an undisclosed customer, but it turned out that it fit two other niches quite well.

One of those niches is reflected in the full name of the vehicle: Polaris Defense DAGOR ultra-light combat vehicle. The Maneuver Center of Excellence is working on a requirement for an Ultra-Light Combat Vehicle. Primarily focused on the Global Response Force mission (aka airborne forced entry), the ULCV must be airdroppable and then derigged in two minutes, cannot weigh more than 4500 lbs, offer a 250 mile radius and carry 9 troops with equipment (3200 lbs).

The Army had just released a Sources Sought notice in January of 2014. The DAGOR was one of six vehicles to participate in the Platform Performance Demonstration (ULCV-PPD) from 9-13 June, at Ft Bragg which was used to validate those threshold requirements we just laid out. While the UCLV has been referred to as a “21st century Jeep” it’s actually being asked to do more than the Jeep ever could. For instance, as you can see from these photos taken during the PPD, you can actually fit an Infantry Squad in the DAGOR.

The DAGOR has already had limited public exposure during last month’s Maneuver Conference at Ft Benning as well as Modern Day Marine at Quantico Marine Base but Polaris Defense believes in the DAGOR so much that they started low rate initial production over the Summer.

Intentionally simplistic design of the DAGOR allows for maximum capability on a light-weight platform. It also allows for ease of operation, maintenance and sustainment in support of combat operations. Some of you will note the lack of armor. This is by design. The vehicles already at the Army’s disposal include armored mobility systems. Soldiers in the UCLV will be protected from kinetic threats by their Personal Protective Equipment and will rely on speed and maneuverability to avoid threats. Remember, the UCLV is intended primarily to satisfy a mobility requirement for airborne forces. It is meant to be light, fast and inexpensive.

The DAGOR weighs less than the 4,500 lbs requirement to maximize aircraft transport, operational range and increase vehicle payload. Most of the components that make up the DAGOR include readily available commercial off the shelf (COTS) driveline, controls and components. In fact, the initial customer insisted on such a design so that they could procure spares virtually anywhere. The engine too is a COTS component which burns diesel/JP8. These offer streamlined maintenance and operator training. But that doesn’t mean this is some simple pick-up. The DAGOR introduces a trophy truck-inspired suspension to carry 3,250 lbs of payload or an infantry squad at a higher rate of speed over terrain usually traveled on foot. The current ULCV requirement calls for 10% movement on primary roads, 10% on secondary roads, 75% cross-country and trails, and 5% in urban, rubble environment.

As you can see, it’s pretty straight forward and incorporates an open design in the cargo bed offering adaptability, plenty of room for cargo and ready access for to it. Although I wasn’t able to take any photos of the DAGOR during my brief time with the vehicle in May and I wasn’t able to drive it, I was allowed to sit in the various crew positions. To me, it is very much like a HMMWV except, smaller. In the driver’s seat, you have better visibility than with the HMMWV and the door threshold is very low. It’s very easy to ingress and egress, including the rear cargo area. Everything is closer at hand than with a HMMWV meaning it is a bit more cramped but you don’t have to reach as far for anything either.

While the DAGOR was not designed as an Internally Transportable Vehicle for the V22 Osprey, its narrow width allows rapid loading into rotary wing aircraft (CH/MH47) under ‘other than ideal’ conditions. It can also be sling loaded with the Army’s UH-60 Black Hawk in high altitude, hot weather conditions and naturally, can be rigged for Airborne insertion via fixed wing just like the MRZR. This narrow body also means it is highly maneuverable through areas inaccessible by other vehicles with its capacity.

As you can see from this slide of current and future technologies provided to the SEC last year by Polaris Defense, the DAGOR fits nicely into an expanded family of light vehicles. It also gives you an idea of its size in relation to the other Polaris Defense vehicles. In addition to the US Army’s ULCV requirement, it might well help round out USSOCOM’s Family of Special Operations Vehicles (below). That’s the other “niche” I mentioned at the beginning of the article.

All-in-all, the DAGOR is an interesting platform that can rapidly be procured and adapted to a wide variety of light vehicle duties that have been abandoned along with the entire CUCV and majority of the HMMWV fleets. No matter the branch of service or type of unit, everyone has a requirement for a light utility vehicle. Perhaps that solution is the Polaris Defense DAGOR. Be sure to check the DAGOR out at AUSA next week in Washington, DC.