This Ultra-Compact Armored Vehicle Is a Military-Grade ATV Ready for Battle

Can we get one of these?

Regular old ATVs could give soldiers exactly the kind of lightweight, mobile, easily flown-in vehicle that the original Army Jeep provided. However, those vehicles wouldn’t provide any protection to the soldiers aboard.

So Israeli company Plasan has developed the Yagu, an armored version of the Arctic Cat Wildcat ATV. The armor doubles the ATV’s weight, to 3,255 lbs., which will surely slow down its 95-horsepower 1,000cc V-twin, especially when loaded with three soldiers and ammo for the roof-mounted gun. But it still weighs half as much as an up-armored Humvee.

Yagu’s composite armor repels attacks from typical military weapons, including 5.56×45, 7.62×39 and 7.62×52 rounds. 

Also, the vehicle’s cabin is air conditioned, which has to be a welcome relief to troops in hot, dusty environments. 

“It is a truly usable combat vehicle, deployable for use by special forces, border guards, or on counter-terror operations,” touts Plasan’s announcement. “Easily maneuverable in urban environments, and highly mobile off-road, there is nowhere that Yagu can’t take the chase.”

And it can do it while providing armored protection for soldiers that the classic Army Jeep never could.