AVGP

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Template:About Template:Infobox weapon

SALH Cougar at CFB Wainwright

The AVGP (Armoured Vehicle General Purpose), later known as the LAV I,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> is a series of three amphibious armoured fighting vehicles ordered by the Canadian military in the 1970s. The vehicles, named Grizzly, Cougar and Husky respectively, were based on the six-wheeled version of the Swiss Mowag Piranha I, and became the first generation Light Armoured Vehicle produced by General Motors Diesel (later General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada).<ref name="Maas">Template:Cite web</ref>

The AVGP program led to the development of the 8×8 LAV II, variants of which were adopted as direct replacements for the AVGP. These were the Bison and Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle, which replaced the Grizzly<ref name="Military Today">Template:Cite web</ref> and Cougar respectively.

The Canadian Army retired all AVGP variants beginning in 2005; however, a number of the retired vehicles were transferred to other militaries and police forces, where they continue in use.<ref name=CasrGrizzly2009-09>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="casr.ca">Template:Cite web</ref>

History

Canada

Cougar swimming
Cougar

In 1974 the Canadian military launched an acquisition program to procure a light vehicle for the Army reserves. The Army desired a flexible vehicle that could be adapted to serve in many different styles of conflict. The military drafted requirements for four different variants. Cadillac-Gage seemed primed to win this contract. The Swiss firm Mowag pitched its Piranha. Mowag partnered with General Motors Diesel to manufacture the AVGP at GM's plant in London, Ontario. In March 1976, the Piranha was selected.<ref name="Maas"/>

The AVGP variants were introduced into Canadian service in the late 1970s.<ref name=CasrAvgp2009-09>Template:Cite news</ref>

The AVGP had propellers and trim vanes for amphibious use, like the eight-wheeled Bison, which was the vehicle family's immediate successor.

The Cougar was used for training in Canada as a reconnaissance vehicle.<ref name=CasrCougar2009-09>Template:Cite news</ref> During the 1980s and 1990s, it was used by armoured units as a fire support vehicle, for those units not equipped with the Leopard tank.

The Grizzly was used as an armoured personnel carrier in regular force infantry battalions not equipped with the M113 APC, and also by reserve units. The majority of vehicles had their marine propulsion systems removed. Under the Wheeled LAV Life Extension project, the Canadian Forces planned to convert Grizzly and Husky vehicles to support variants, such as Command Post and Mobile Repair Team Vehicle. However, the project was cancelled in 2005, and the vehicles retired.<ref name=CasrGrizzly2009-09/><ref name=CasrHusky2009-09>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The AVGP was passed on to several United Nations missions, including UNPROFOR and the mission to Somalia. One Grizzly was captured by Serb forces in the late 1990s, where it was present on a peace keeping mission.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In May 2007, the Edmonton Police Service accepted the donation of a disarmed Grizzly from the Canadian Army.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2020 it was retired and replaced with the Quebec-made Camblie BlackWolf based on the Ford F-550.Template:Citation needed

In March 2010, the Canadian Army donated two disarmed Cougar AVGPs to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in British Columbia for use by the Emergency Response Team.Template:Citation needed They were retrofitted to transport ERT assault teams into hazardous areas where transport in unarmoured vehicles would not be safe.

In April 2013, the department of National Defence donated a Cougar AVGP to the Windsor Police Service in Windsor, Ontario and another to the New Glasgow Regional Police in Nova Scotia. The New Glasgow Regional Police ended use of the AVGP in 2017 with plans to donate it to another Police Service, citing difficulty in driving and lack of regular use. In 2020 the Windsor Police replaced their AVGP with the Ontario built Terradyne Armored Vehicles Gurkha based on the Ford F-550.

Use in Africa

In June 2005, the Canadian government announced plans to loan 105 AVGPs (100 Grizzlys and 5 Huskys) to African peacekeepers in the Darfur region of Sudan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=CasrSudan>Template:Cite news</ref> The AVGP was considered sufficiently modern to be useful in this low-intensity conflict. Canada 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.<ref name=Casr2009-10SudanAvgp>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=AmnestyInternationalDarfur2008-02-07>Template:Cite news</ref>

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.<ref name="GlobeAndMail051115">Template:Cite news</ref> The loan of vehicles for peace-keeping service in Sudan was originally for one year.<ref name=Casr2009-10SudanAvgp/><ref name=AmnestyInternationalDarfur2008-02-07/>

However, 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.<ref name=Casr2009-10SudanAvgp/> A second vehicle was damaged when it rammed a more heavily armed, but unarmoured Technical vehicle.

Uruguay

Turretless Cougar serving with the Uruguayan contingent of MONUSCO in Goma, June 2020

In 2008, the Uruguayan Army bought 44 surplus Cougars from the Canadian Army.<ref name="Uruguay">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=CasrAvgpUpdate2009-10>Template:Cite news</ref> 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 were on loan with the AMIS/UNAMID mission in Darfur.<ref name="UD">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was reported that FAMAE was contracted in 2011 to modernize the vehicles by installing new engines and gearboxes, as well as performing preventive maintenance.<ref name="UD"/>

Variants

Variants of the 491 AVGP manufactured are:<ref name="Grizzly"/>

Cougar (195)

  • Used as a tank trainer, reconnaissance and fire support vehicle<ref name=CasrCougar2009-09 />
  • Three-man crew<ref name=CasrCougar2009-09 />
  • Turret of a British FV101 Scorpion reconnaissance vehicle (76mm main gun)<ref name=CasrCougar2009-09 />

Grizzly (274)

Husky (31)

  • Armoured recovery vehicle (ARV)<ref name=CasrHusky2009-09 />
  • Two-man crew<ref name=CasrHusky2009-09 />
  • Designed to provide mechanical support for the other two vehicles<ref name=CasrHusky2009-09 />

Operators

Map of AVGP operators in blue
Turretless Cougar serving with the Uruguayan contingent of MONUSCO, in Nord-Kivu, December 2013.

Historical operators

  • Template:Flag (Canadian Army) – AVGPs were used by Regular and Reserve units, the Cougar in armoured regiments and the Grizzly in mechanized infantry battalions.
  • Template:Flag – at least one Canadian Grizzly serving in the former Yugoslavia was captured by Serbian forces and had been photographed in the service of Jedinica za Specijalne Operacije (JSO, Unit for Special Operations) or Crvene Beretke (Red Berets), a unit of the Serbian police.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Current operators

Others

See also

References

Template:Reflist

Template:Commons category

Template:Modern IFV and APC

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