Armor: The Swiss Solution

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July 6, 2017: Denmark has ordered 36 more Eagle 4x4 armored vehicles. Denmark is already an Eagle user but the May 2017 order is for the latest version; the Eagle V. Eagle is a Swiss (Mowag) design, first introduced in 2003 as an armored reconnaissance vehicle. Over 1,200 are currently in use by Swiss, German and Danish security forces. Germany used Eagle vehicles extensively in Afghanistan since 2003 and were popular with the German troops and police serving there. This was largely because the Eagles were resistant to landmines and roadside bombs.

A heavier 6x6 version was introduced in 2012 but most built so far have been the 4x4 version. These vehicles are a bit larger than hummers, and heavier. They can be equipped with a remote control machine-gun turret on top. Eagles are wheeled armored vehicles that weigh ten tons and are 5.4 meters (16.7 feet) long and 2.1 meters wide. Typically they carry a driver and four passengers. The 4x4 ambulance version can carry a driver, two medics and two patients.

Mowag is one of several defense manufacturers that have flourished in Switzerland despite the fact that the Swiss have managed to stay out any wars since the early 1800s. Mowag has long been a successful designer and manufacturer of military vehicles. The U.S. Marine Corps was a long time user of the Mowag Piranha LAV (wheeled armored vehicle. Mowag was founded in 1950 but in 2003 was purchased by General Dynamics, an American firm. This enabled Mowag to remain competitive in global markets.

 

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