In future fights, deployed troops could be resupplied with critical supplies by a six-wheeled vehicle that is small enough to be transported in an MV-22B Osprey, so it can go places larger vehicles can’t reach, according to Polaris, which is developing the vehicle for the military.
The Polaris MRZR Alpha 6×6 can carry up to 3,000 pounds of cargo, which is about 1,000 pounds more than what can be carried by the Marine Corps’ four-seat version of the vehicle, said Erin Telander, defense program manager for Polaris.
“This allows you to go into all of the same places you go today with a four-seater and carry a lot more weight doing so,” Telander said.
Because it has six wheels, the Alpha 6×6 also has a larger cargo bed than the four-wheel variant of the vehicle, and that allows it to carry extra supplies, be fitted with weapons, and can even be used to evacuate wounded troops from the battlefield, Telander told Task & Purpose on Tuesday during this year’s SOF Week exhibition in Tampa, Florida.
Top Stories This Week
The extra set of wheels also allows the vehicle, which looks a bit like a mil-spec Gator, to better navigate austere environments.
“Having that third axle actually helps you maneuver in a lot of cases over like steeper, steeper, rockier terrain,” Telander said.
The MRZR Alpha 6×6 is not currently in production, said Telander, who added that Polaris has built prototype vehicles for the Marine Corps and U.S. Special Operations Command to evaluate. At SOF Week, the company showcased one of them, which is owned by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia.
The prototype vehicles have a maximum range of 225 miles, according to Polaris.
Polaris has been awarded a contract to build six additional prototypes for the Marine Corps, which will test whether the MRZR Alpha 6×6 can be fitted with the Scorpion Light mobile mortar system being developed by Global Military Products, a subsidiary of Polaris, Telander said.
