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AV Technology Dragoon

1982 COLD WAR MODERN

History of Dragoon AV Technology

In the early 1970s, the U.S. Army's military police were looking for a new, fast-response, air-transportable wheeled armored vehicle, which was fleshed out in a 1976 formal request. The Verne company went around to meet the demands and produced two pilot forms for 1978, but the gendarmerie abandoned the company at the time. The resulting design ("Dragons") was eventually adopted in small numbers by the U.S. Army and Navy in experimental, security, and patrol roles, and officially entered service in 1982.

Over time, operators include Cameroon, Pakistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey and Venezuela, with some of Pakistan's stock being produced at local factories.

Verne Corporation later merged with Arrowpointe Corporation to form AV Technology Corporation. It now belongs to parent brand General Dynamics Land Systems.

When completed, the Dragonoon is a four-wheel drive, four-wheel drive, lightly armored utility vehicle, weighing 28,000 pounds and measuring 19.3 feet in overall length, 8.1 feet in width, and 9.2 feet in height. Inside is a standard three-person crew (driver front left, commander front right), plus seating for six crew members. Its armored structure is made of welded steel with various angled faces for basic ballistic protection.

Power comes from a Detroit Diesel 6V-53T 6-cylinder 300 hp turbo diesel mounted in the right rear of the fuselage. The 4x4 wheel arrangement hangs on two axles and can travel up to 72 mph with a range of up to 550 miles.

Side and rear doors provide necessary boarding and egress for crew and passengers. Full amphibious capability is built into the Dragoon's design, with the vehicle propelled by wheels in the water. A power winch at the bow is standard equipment.

Its base design borrows components from the M809 and M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) in active duty U.S. military trucks. As such, the Dragonoon is marketed as a budget and logistics-friendly product, especially for countries that already operate one or two American vehicles.

Due to this dual role/multipurpose design, Dragoons can be equipped with a variety of weapons, including turret-based weapons. This resulted in a 90mm gun form (two-man turret) as well as a 20mm/25mm automatic cannon variant. Secondary armament is usually a 7.62mm machine gun mounted on the coaxial mount of the turret.

However, the typical configuration of the basic dragoon is still a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun, as seen in the standard M113 APC.

While on duty, dragoons performed a variety of combat and non-combat missions, including general reconnaissance, counterinsurgency, engineering services, and command and control (C2). In addition, the base vehicle is used as a mortar carrier and an anti-tank missile carrier.

The

Dragoon family has spawned a number of other named offshoots, including the "Patroller" for law enforcement and security forces, the Dragonoon 300 and the Dragoon LFV - each with its own sub-variants.