The Polish Ministry of National Defense (Ministerstwo Obrony Narodowej, MON) on November 10, 2021, the Polish Army (Wojska L?dowe) will procure 300 second-hand mine resistant ambush protected (MRAP) Cougar 4×4 vehicles from the United States. The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected would reach the Polish army in 2022 as part of a contract of an undisclosed value that includes logistics and training. They are tested vehicles, used in the US Army for many years and on many foreign missions. Thanks to an accelerated procedure, they will reach us in 2022. The contract also covers a logistics and training package. MRAPs are a type of armoured military vehicle with increased mine resistance. The vehicles the defence minister mentioned are familiar to Polish soldiers who served in Afghanistan.
Wojsko Polskie pozyska od USA 300 u?ywanych pojazdów MRAP Cougar 4×4. To sprawdzone pojazdy, u?ywane w armii USA od wielu lat i na wielu misjach zagranicznych. Dzi?ki przy?pieszonej procedurze trafi? do nas ju? w 2022 r. Kontrakt obejmuje tak?e pakiet logistyczny i szkoleniowy. pic.twitter.com/EYYGJ6Bbd6
— Mariusz B?aszczak (@mblaszczak) November 10, 2021
The Cougar is a mine-resistant ambush-protected and infantry mobility vehicle structured to be resistant to landmines and improvised munitions. It is a family of armored vehicles produced by Force Protection Inc, which manufactures ballistic and mine-protected vehicles. 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 (38 °C) in Iraq.
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 were fielded under the US military’s MRAP (Mine Resistant Ambush Protected) and other vehicle programs. US Defense Secretary 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. Official data states that the Cougar is able to withstand a blast of at least 14 kg TNT (30.86 lb) under a wheel and 7 kg TNT (15.43 lb) under a belly.
