So
much so that military and law-enforcement agencies have been known to use them
as light-attack vehicles or for border patrol duty. The problem is that they’re
completely open, and offer no protection from hostile forces. Enter the Yagu.
The armored-up Arctic Cat Wildcat is the work of
Plasan, an Israeli military-equipment manufacturer based near the Lebanese
border. The company also makes carbon fiber components in the US for
high-performance American sports cars.
Typically focused on larger, heavier machinery,
Plasan’s new Yagu is an ultralight special-ops armored vehicle. It has room for
a three-man crew, and offers B6+ composite armor protection to keep its
occupants safe from anything up to and including high-powered rifle rounds.
The Wildcat, as standard, is powered by a 951-cc
v-twin motorcycle engine. In stock form, it weighs about 680
kilograms. Performance is largely dependent on payload. And while the
lightweight composite armor doesn’t weigh as much as heavier steel plating, the
extra pounds are sure to slow it down some. The bottom line is that it won’t be
outrunning Ford Raptors, but it may very well run circles around Humvees.
Especially heavily armored ones.
More to the point, it offers the protection
that typical ATVs can’t. With a machine gun turret on the roof, it may be the
quickest, most effective way to get personnel and firepower to where they’re
needed. And it’ll look pretty badass doing it, too.
