2017 Air, Space and Cyber Conference 18 September 2017 (Day 1) Report
MONS Correspondent Marty Kauchak files end-of-the-day report from the US Air Force (USAF) Association-sponsored Air, Space and Cyber Conference at National Harbor, MD/USA. MONS has seen Polaris Government and Defense products extensively exhibited at various defence conferences focused on ground forces and their materiel and programmes. So, it was with heightened, genuine professional interest when Mark McCormick, Senior Director at Polaris Government and Defense, noted his company was at this year’s AFA conference because, “the USAF is one of our biggest customers and uses our products throughout the Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Special Operations.” Accordingly, “We’ve introduced and enhanced several products in recent years and are showcasing one of them at the show: DAGOR with a personnel recovery kit and a MSG gun turret.”
Polaris military and commercial vehicles are increasingly populating defence departments’ vehicle inventories around the globe. McCormick pointed out: “Polaris military vehicles are used in every US service and more than 25 allied countries worldwide. They are often used in forward areas because they are transported with some of the first to insert: light infantry. Polaris commercial vehicles – like RANGER utility vehicles and GEM electric vehicles – also are used on base.”
Asked about some of the military requirements and trends to which Polaris is responding, the corporate executive responded: “Polaris military vehicles are helping airmen, soldiers and Marines expand upon their mission profiles and have been called a force multiplier by being able to move operations from 3mph [4.8km/hr] to 60(+) miles per hour. This is a major development and drastic increase in capability. People don’t always think about the Air Force needing ground mobility, but it is critical to a number of USAF missions. And because we’re the leader in mil-COTS ground mobility in the world, those trends intersect.”
McCormick further emphasised Polaris is an off-road vehicle leader in the commercial sector and it is using that expertise to bring world-class capabilities to warfighters worldwide. “Our military vehicles are intuitive to operate, highly transportable, affordable, easy to maintain and simple to buy – through DLA [Defense Logistics Agency], GSA [US General Services Administration], or a direct contract.”
Polaris’ heritage in this sector dates back to serving Special Operations customers shortly after 9/11, with the company welcoming their feedback and improving its vehicles ever since. The community expert continued: “So now we provide a robust range of ultralight vehicles with the military mission in mind: the MV 850 ATV, MRZRs that seat up to six, and the DAGOR that seats up to nine. These vehicles are made for rugged environments and tested extensively to meet the mission requirements of warfighters worldwide. The USAF is responsible for personnel recovery so we’ve taken our modular DAGOR and outfitted it with NATO litters to demonstrate that mission profile.”
Indeed, this is the first time Polaris has shown the DAGOR with this personnel recovery kit at a US military trade show. McCormick concluded, “DAGOR is a fielded and proven vehicle platform that is highly transportable and modular – as we’re demonstrating with the personnel recovery kit. These modifications allow for up to three NATO litters, crew and gear for CASEVAC [casualty evacuation] and personnel recovery missions.”
Marty Kautschak
