82nd Air Assault Brigade received Cougar armored vehicles

2 August, 2024 The Cougar armored vehicle is in service with the 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Photo credits: @Weapons_Illust in X Soldiers of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade have received American Cougar armored vehicles of the MRAP class.

Photos of the soldiers with these vehicles have been posted online. The vehicles were handed over to the Ukrainian military as part of military assistance from the United States. It was reported in March of last year that the Ukrainian Air Assault Forces had received Cougar armored vehicles.

Then the Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov published a photo of Western armored vehicles that had been transferred to the Armed Forces, including a Cougar.

The Cougar armored vehicle in service with the 82nd Air Assault Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, July 2024. Photo credits: @Weapons_Illust in X

The transfer of a batch of these armored vehicles was announced in December 2022 as part of a large military aid package from the United States worth £1.85 billion.

Cougar armored vehicle in the Armed Forces. March 2023.

Photo credits: Oleksii Reznikov

At that time, the United States pledged to provide Ukraine with 37 such armored vehicles as part of the first delivery. The Cougar MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected) class is a family of armored vehicles manufactured by Force Protection Inc.

Cougar 4x4 armored vehicles of the MRAP class

These vehicles are protected by a combination of design features and materials that protect both the crew and the engine compartment from a wide range of damage, including from an explosive device or small arms fire.

Cougar 4x4 armored vehicles of the MRAP class

The Cougar has a V-shaped hull bottom that redistributes blast wave energy away from the crew.

The armored vehicle can be equipped with a 4x4 or 6x6 chassis in different versions.

CG Haenel MK556 assault rifle

The soldiers of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade also received Haenel MK 556 assault rifles, which were donated by the German government as part of international military assistance. The rifles were originally commissioned by the German Armed Forces, but due to patent infringements, the contract was canceled and the rifles were removed to storage.

In addition, the 82nd Brigade was armed with Challenger 2 tanks provided by the United Kingdom and American M1126 Stryker wheeled armored personnel carriers with a remote-controlled machine gun.