Cougar (vehicle)

The Cougar is an American infantry mobility vehicle designed to be resistant to anti-vehicle mines and improvised munitions (MRAP).

It is a family of armored vehicles produced by Force Protection Inc, which manufactures ballistic and mine-protected vehicles. The automotives are integrated by Spartan Motors. These vehicles are protected against small arms, land mines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) using a combination of design features and materials to protect both the crew and engine compartment against a wide range of attacks. A Monocoque type, V-shaped hull extends to the engine bay and serves to direct the blast away from under the vehicle. The dual air-conditioners help keep heavily dressed troops from overheating in temperatures over 100 F in Iraq.

Development
Technical Solutions Group was a defence company in the US which was involved in a range of products, including mine-resistant vehicles based on South African designs. A few vehicles were sold to the US Army for evaluation, and a small fleet of heavily protected vehicles were sold to the British Army in 2001. Technical Solutions was purchased in 2002 by Sonic Jet and the combined company renamed itself Force Protection in 2004.

The new Cougar was designed in 2004 by a small British-led team at Force Protection, Inc. in the US, in response to an urgent requirement by the US Marine Corps. Contrary to common belief, this was not a South African vehicle but rather a new design, developed in the US, based on an evolution of vehicle mine-protection technology used by the UK, Rhodesian and South African forces from the 1950s. The very first sketches of the new vehicle were made in late March 2004 in response to those initial USMC inquiries. The rapid development and production that followed was based upon the USMC request that the first vehicle be delivered within 6 months of an order - which was subsequently placed in mid-April 2004 for 27 units.

The new design was called Cougar to provide a degree of continuity with the older designs, but had little in common with them. The former vehicles were almost entirely non-compliant with NATO standards for protection, human factors and safety, which made those designs obsolete. The Cougar was effectively a totally new vehicle which incorporated the latest US-made enhancements, a new hull design and structure, as well as built-in growth potential, including dimensions that allowed for the addition of the latest armor and protection systems.

The first vehicle was never trialled before leaving the factory beyond doing some circuits of the company campus and trundling over a few rocks. Urgent operational requirements dictated that the first unit be shipped to theater as fast as possible and those involved in the project decided that the risk of doing so was outweighed by the advantages of having the vehicle available. The operational record of the Cougar validates that decision. It was fully trialled when it became part of the MRAP program.

The first Cougars were called HEV (hardened engineer vehicle), which became JERRV when the Army joined the program, and then MRAP for political reasons when the requirement for many thousands of units was issued.

Some 4,000 of these vehicles will have been fielded under the US military's MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) and other vehicle programs. US Defense secretary Robert Gates demanded that the vehicles be ordered in larger numbers after the Marines reported in 2004 that no troops had died in more than 300 IED attacks on Cougars. Since then, Cougar vehicles have been hit by improvised explosive devices (IEDs) many times in Iraq with few fatalities. Britain chose the Cougar over the RG-31 Nyala for their "Mastiff" APV.

The Pentagon has future plans to add the Crows II remote weapon station and the Frag Kit 6 anti-EFP armor.

Variants
The Cougar comes in two configurations, a 4×4 and 6×6. It is designed for the transport and protection of troops and equipment, especially against mines or IEDs.


 * Cougar HEV (Hardened engineer vehicle) : 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles ordered in 2004 by the USMC.


 * Badger ILAV (Iraqi Light Armored Vehicle) : Based on the Cougar and manufactured by FPII and BAE Systems for the Iraqi Army. The ILAV is based on the Cougar, which can carry ten passengers (the six wheel version can carry 16). The Cougar/ILAV vehicle uses a capsule design to protect the passengers and key vehicle components from mines and roadside bombs. The larger Cougar costs about $730,000 each, fully equipped. The Cougars have been very popular with American troops, and with Iraqis who have worked with them. 865 ILAVs were ordered by Iraq and 18 by Yemen. The ILAV gives the Iraqis the same degree of protection that most Coalition troops have.


 * Cougar JERRV (Joint EOD rapid response vehicle) : 4x4 and 6x6 variants for the US Army, USAF, and USMC. Approx. 200 ordered in 2005 and 2006, with another 200 ordered in late 2006 but now called MRAPs to take account of the new US military/political initiative to be seen to be responding to public concerns about casualties.


 * Cougar ISS : Based on the Cougar 4x4, the ISS is fitted with an integrated independent suspension system that gives the vehicle increased cross-country mobility.


 * Ridgback PPV (Protected Patrol Vehicle) : British version of the Cougar 4x4 from FPII base vehicles with a British armor package and electronics, including installation of Enforcer remote weapon stations on some vehicles.


 * Mastiff PPV (Protected Patrol Vehicle) : British version of the Cougar 6x6, with FPII providing the base vehicle and NP Aerospace in the UK integrating electronics and the British armour package. The Mastiff 2 is an improved version with a capacity of 2 + 8. The Mastiff is armed with a 7.62 mm GPMG, 12.7 mm Heavy Machine Gun or 40 mm Grenade Machine Gun.


 * Mastiff 2 'Protected Eyes' : A version of the British Mastiff specially designed for the Talisman Counter-IED program. It is fitted with an M151 Protector remote weapon station, mine plow, optical camera and a Micro Air Vehicle (MAV) with screens in the back to display its camera feed.


 * Wolfhound (Heavy Tactical Support Vehicle) : British modification of the Cougar 6x6, with FPII providing the base vehicle and NP Aerospace in the UK integrating electronics and the British armor package. The first Wolfhounds entered service in Afghanistan in October 2010. 130 have been ordered for gun tractor and logistical roles.


 * MRAP : Several thousand vehicles of 4x4 and 6x6 configuration for all of the US Armed Forces, though mostly for the USMC. Over 3500 MRAPs will be delivered by the end of 2008.


 * Timberwolf: Cougar variant that was being marketed by Malley Industries of Dieppe, NS Canada for the replacement of the RG-31 and LAV for the Canadian Forces; Malley Industries lost the contract to Textron TAPV.

Operators

 * 🇦🇿 4 Cougar used for ISAF Azerbaijani Land Forces
 * 🇨🇦 for Canadian Forces - 40 Cougar JERRV
 * 4+ US Army donated several Cougar MRAPs to the Croatian Army ISAF contingent in Afghanistan.
 * 40 Cougar leased from USA. Used in Afghanistan by the army.
 * 10 in service Georgian Land Forces. Also Georgian HQ units who are part of the ISAF are using the Cougar HEs in the Helmand Province.
 * 🇭🇺 3+10 Cougar ordered
 * 🇮🇶 Badger 378 ordered in 2007, + 865 ordered by 2011.
 * 🇮🇹 6 Cougar HE used in Afghanistan by the Italian Army.
 * 🇵🇰: 20 Cougar JERRV (Buffalo Explosive Ordnance Disposal version) received from US under Coalition Support Fund in 2010.
 * 🇵🇱 40 on loan from the US
 * 🇬🇧 - 248 Mastiffs, 90 Wolfhound and 157 Ridgbacks on order.
 * Blackwater USA
 * US Army
 * US Navy
 * US Marine Corps
 * US Air Force
 * US Air Force

Operational history
The Cougar is used by the United States Armed Forces and Iraqi Army and has now entered service with the British Army. In service with those countries, the Cougar is used in a variety of roles, including the HEV (Hardened Engineer Vehicle) and the Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal Rapid Response Vehicles (JERRVs) while in service with the US Marine Corps, US Navy Seabees, and US Air Force RED HORSE.



Compared to the original Cougar vehicle, the British Forces variant is to be fitted with large, vertical armor plates which cover the large vision blocks and weapon firing ports. This is in line with British Army doctrine concerning the role of the APC/MICV, specifically that it is to carry troops under protection to the objective and then give firepower support when they have disembarked. The Mastiff will be fitted with a turret sporting either a L7A2 GPMG (General Purpose Machine Gun), L110A1 Light Machine Gun, L11A1 Heavy Machine Gun, L134A1 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, or even a 50mm cannon. One aspect of the British Army's approach to APC/MICV units (which differs to that of the United States) is that ability of the average soldier to fire accurately out of the ports of a moving IFV has been questioned. The large armor plates will also give added side protection from RPGs or IED explosions.

The British Army has operated an earlier MPV named "Tempest MPV". As of November 2008, the British Army has ordered over 400 Cougar vehicles for deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan following a series of Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs). Deliveries of the first 86 Mastiffs began in February 2007, and an order for 22 further vehicles was placed in March, bringing the total to 108. In October 2007 Gordon Brown announced a further 140 Mastiffs and 157 new Cougar 4x4 variants, named Ridgback were being ordered to protect troops from mines and roadside bombs.

Canada has deployed the Cougar since October 2007 in Afghanistan.

A British Mastiff suffered an IED attack in Afghanistan in April 2013 which caused three fatalities.