SOF Week 2023: MRZR Alpha will receive new capabilities

After introducing a full cab enclosure to the MRZR Alpha, Polaris Government & Defense is now planning to add other capabilities to this vehicle. The company is currently working on engineering changes to increase its exportable power.

MRZR Alpha is part of the inventory of the US Marine Corps (USMC) and the US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The platform offloads 1kw of power and, after receiving the improvements, it will be able to supply up to 5kw.

Speaking to Shephard, an official spokesperson for the company explained that in order to develop the exportable power solution, Polaris is working closely with the USSOCOM Program Manager for Family of Special Operations Vehicles (PM-FOSOV) and the USMC Program Manager for Light Tactical Vehicles (PM LTV).

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The official stressed that although the modification is not part of the ongoing contracts with the marines and the SOCOM, the company is ‘on schedule to deliver pre-production test articles late in calendar year 2023 and anticipate production to follow’.

Polaris has already conducted another engineering change in the platform which enabled it to offer 2,500 lb towing capacity.

Shephard Defence Insight notes that the MRZR Alpha is an improved variant of the Polaris MRZR series developed to meet a USSOCOM requirement for a follow-on light tactical all-terrain vehicle.

It is internally transportable in most special operations fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Its architecture also facilitates the insertion of new technologies and generates more exportable power.

Several options or mission packages can be integrated into the MRZR platform to adapt it to different mission sets, operating environments or user requirements.

Steve Canner, international business development for Polaris Government & Defense stressed that it is a ‘multi-mission very modular capability that can be splayed in different environments’.

At the SOF Week exhibition, in Tampa, Florida, three versions of the Alpha were on display: the platform in service with the USMC, the USSOCOM’s variant and the Arctic mobility platform.

The Arctic version features a mobility kit, which includes a cab enclosure and a track system, which replaces each wheel with a separate track assembly, maintaining the same level of manoeuvrability while adding another level of off-road, all-terrain capability over snow, soft soil and mixed terrain.

Polaris recently was awarded other two agreements to supply the MRZR Alpha. One of them is a direct sale to the UAE through Specialized Sports Equipment. The second deal comprises the provision of the MRZR Alpha with the cab enclosure kit to a domestic customer.

The company’s systems will also be deployed in Ukraine. Canner stressed that Polaris as well as some of its customers have shipped platforms to support Kyiv.

‘The vehicles have been delivered, and we are now establishing parts supply and other things for them. I would imagine we will get feedback on how they performing, but I would say it is a very good platform for the environment that they are working in over there,’ he highlighted.