| AVGP | |
|---|---|
A pair of Canadian Cougars |
|
| Type | Light armored vehicle |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1976 - present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Production history | |
| Number built | Cougar - 100[1] Grizzly - 274[1] Husky - 27[1][2] |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 10.7 t |
| Length | 5.97 m |
| Width | 2.50 m |
| Crew | Cougar: 3 (Commander, gunner and driver, 2 soldiers in rear of vehicle) Husky: 2 (Driver and technician) Grizzly: Commander, gunner and driver, 6 soldiers in rear |
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| Main armament |
Cougar: 76 mm L23A1 gun (fires HESH, Smoke BE (base ejected), and Canister rounds)[3] Grizzly: .50 cal heavy machine gun or a 7.62 mm machine-gun (C6) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers (2 clusters of 4 launchers)[1] Husky: 7.62 mm machine gun (C6) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers (2 clusters of 4 launchers)[2] |
| Secondary armament |
Cougar: 7.62 mm machine gun (C6) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers No 12 (2 clusters of 4 launchers)[3] |
| Engine | 275 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53T two-cycle turbo-charged diesel |
| Suspension | 6x6 |
| Speed | 100 km/h |
The AVGP (Armoured Vehicle General Purpose) is a series of three armoured fighting vehicles ordered by the Canadian military in 1977.[4][5][6][7] The three vehicles are the Cougar, Grizzly and Husky.
These vehicles were based on the six-wheeled version of the Swiss MOWAG Piranha I. They formerly had propellers and trim vanes for amphibious use, like the eight-wheeled Bison. Recent retrofits have removed the marine drive system, as it is no longer used and service is expensive.
The Canadian Armed Forces' LAV III, the United States Marine Corps' LAV-25, and the US Army's Stryker are other variants of the Piranha family.
Contents |
The AVGP variants were introduced into Canadian service in the 1970s.[4] Intended for use only in Canada, they were pressed into service for several United Nations missions, including UNPROFOR and the mission to Somalia. One Grizzly was captured by Croatian forces in the late 1990s.[8][9]
Variants of the AVGP are:[1]
The Cougar is only used for training in Canada as a reconnaissance vehicle.[5] The Grizzly is no longer in front line service but are being converted to support vehicles such as Command Post and Mobile Repair Team Vehicle.[6][11] The Husky still serves in its original role.[7] The majority of vehicles have had their marine propulsion systems removed.
In June 2005, the Canadian government announced plans to loan 105 AVGPs (100 Grizzlys and 5 Huskys) to African peacekeepers in the Darfur region.[12][13] The AVGP was considered sufficiently modern to be useful in this low-intensity conflict. The Canadian government planned to arrange for civilian contractors to maintain these vehicles. As the vehicles contained some U.S.-manufactured or licensed parts, U.S. permission would be required to loan the vehicles. Initially, the vehicles were to be shipped without their Cadillac-Gage turrets.
The vehicles arrived in Senegal in the late summer of 2005.[14][15] The Sudanese government required various kinds of assurances before they would allow peacekeepers to use the vehicles in Sudan. On November 18, 2005 the vehicles started arriving in Sudan, in white livery, with their turrets.[16]
The loan of vehicles for peace-keeping service in Sudan was originally for one year.[14][15] But the loan was extended, and transferred from the African Union to the United Nations. According to Amnesty International the soldiers who used the loaned vehicles served in Sudan for too short a term to be properly trained, and become experienced.
One of the vehicles was destroyed by a rocket-propelled grenade.[14] A second vehicle was damaged when it rammed a more heavily armed, but unarmored technical.
In May 2007, the Edmonton Police Service accepted the donation of a disarmed Grizzly from the Canadian Forces.[17]
In 2008, the Uruguayan Army bought 44 Cougars from the Canadian Army (surplus to requirements).[18][19] They were rebuilt without the turret by the Chilean MOWAG-Piranha builder FAMAE, as they will act as armoured personnel carriers for the UN deployment in the Republic of Congo (MONUC), and domestically.
In 2009 Uruguay bought 98 Grizzlys and 5 Huskys that they were on loan with the AMIS/UNAMID mission in Darfur.
In March 2010, the Canadian Forces Donated 2 disarmed Cougar AVGPs to the British Colombia area Royal Canadian Mounted Police for use by the Emergency Response Team. They were retrofitted to transport ERT assault teams into hazardous areas where transport in unarmored vehicles wouldn't be safe.