Braxton Taylor
Every weekend, trails and dunes across the United States come alive with thrill-seekers. You can spot them filling up at gas stations on the edge of town by the whip antennas, flat-brimmed hats and energy drink stickers (seriously, so many energy drink stickers). They pour their paychecks into dirt bikes, ATVs and UTVs like the hyperactive Polaris RZR.
But they’re not the only ones. A few lucky U.S. service members are doing the same thing with the Polaris MRZR Alpha at military installations and areas of operations around the world, only with way cooler technology — and they’re getting paid for the pleasure.
Instead of neon graphics and LED light bars, the MRZR Alpha comes with matte-finish earth tones and infrared illuminators. They’re packing military-grade weaponry instead of GoPros, and wearing night vision and plate carriers instead of Pit Vipers and tank tops. At least the energy drinks are consistent.
Intrigued? So were we, so we got in touch with John LaFata, from Polaris Defense Engineering, to get the inside scoop.
Like a RZR, but Rolling Coal and Packing Machine Guns
When America’s elite operators need a fast, go-anywhere delivery service, they call Polaris. Their current vehicle of choice is the MRZR Alpha — the latest in a series of combat utility task vehicles (UTVs) fit for the most extreme adrenaline junkies.
The aptly named Alpha boasts a 1.5-liter diesel engine good for 118 horsepower and 199 foot-pounds of torque and a four-wheel-drive system that’s just as happy drifting through mud as it is crawling over boulders. It can haul 2,000 pounds and cover 300 miles on a tank of fuel. A roll cage protects up to four occupants, as do mounting points for machine guns — lots of them.
Service members can add medium machine guns such as the M240 on side-mounted swing arms and stack a .50 BMG M2 heavy machine gun on the turret. If that’s not spicy enough, they can opt for vehicle-mounted mortar or rocket systems. The Marine Corps L-MADIS integrated air defense system even fits on top of the Alpha to intercept drone attacks.
In some ways, building a combat vehicle for the U.S. military is no different than building a high-speed toy for the civilian market — just give the customer what they want.
“Our design philosophy is very customer-centric and fueled by passionate engineers and product managers on both sides of the business,” LaFata told Military.com. “Both vehicle platforms begin by defining high-level vehicle requirements that dictate system- and subsystem-level specifications. These requirements differ in several areas between military and civilian models, but we still bring the same Polaris Off Road DNA, expertise and pedigree to the table.”
Some components, such as body panels, instruments, seats, drivability and ease of maintenance, come straight from the civilian-spec RZR. Other aspects of the military’s UTVs are increasingly dictated by mission requirements.
“Previous models were more heavily based on an existing RZR platform and then militarized [RZR SW, MRZR gas, MRZR diesel],” LaFata said. “Still, modifications were made to elements like the rollover protection structure [ROPS], body plastics and cargo bed.
“MRZR gas and previous models used Polaris engines, but the MRZR D uses a third-party diesel engine. A collapsible ROPS on the MRZR D and MRZR Alpha allow it to be internally transported in smaller helicopters and other military aircraft; another requirement consumer models do not need to meet. Fuel requirements are also unique. Consumer models use a traditional gas engine while military customers prefer engines capable of accepting a variety of heavy fuels, including diesel/JP-8 fuel. Military models also have additional electrical functionality, including IR lighting and blackout mode.”
Are the customers happy? You bet. Polaris Defense Engineering doesn’t just serve the U.S. military; it’s earned the business of more than 50 foreign militaries and many federal and local law enforcement agencies in the United States.
Where Did the MRZR Alpha Come from?
The U.S. military has been working with Polaris for nearly a quarter-century. The partnership formed out of necessity in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001, when leaders at the Pentagon suddenly had a burning desire to land a punch deep in the mountains of Afghanistan. Humvees were too big, and boots were too slow. Warfighters needed something that was closer to a rally car than a pickup truck.
Back then, Polaris didn’t even have a defense division. It did have the expertise, though, and that was enough.
“We began working with the U.S. military after 9/11 before our defense division was stood up,” LaFata said. “That communication and collaboration has been critical to helping us understand their requirements so we can engineer each vehicle to meet their mission demands. … As Polaris has evolved, so has our government and defense division, which now serves military allies in more than 50 countries worldwide, as well as state, local and federal agencies nationwide.”
Slapping a few guns and IR illuminators on an already awesome vehicle sounds simple enough, but it still took some development and refinement to get it right.
“There is a uniqueness in some of the challenges in developing a military-specific UTV,” LaFata said. “These vehicles are not only engineered for off-road performance and capability but also durability, aircraft transportability with standardized tie-down requirements and other military requirements. As a whole, however, the development process doesn’t differ much from developing a commercial UTV.”
Conquer Any Clime and Place in the MRZR Alpha
As with any military equipment, the MRZR Alpha doesn’t operate in a vacuum. It has to function within the larger team, and that’s one of its party tricks.
In addition to a foot of ground clearance, 32-inch tires and an eight-speed transmission, the MRZR Alpha can hitch a ride in military aircraft such as the MV-22 Osprey. It has suspension points so it can be sling-loaded underneath a helicopter, too.
As with the civilian-spec RZR, military customers can replace all four wheels with individual tracks for unstoppable mobility in the snow. They can even have an enclosed cab to shelter occupants from arctic conditions.
“The modularity of Alpha provides a wide variety of mission configurable uses,” LaFata said. “From the Arctic to the desert, Alpha can be adapted to any mission environment and configured in the field with zero or very basic tools. Modular options include a fully enclosed cab, tracks and a wide variety of accessories to allow operators to kit out the vehicles for medevac, command and control, surveillance and reconnaissance, logistics, troop transport and numerous weapons systems.”
One for You, One for the Department of Defense
When it comes to the MRZR, some service members get to have all the fun. The rest of us can dream, though.
Want to spec out an MRZR for your dream mission? Check out the Polaris Government & Defense online configurator. If you get lucky, you might even score a deal on something similar at a military surplus vehicle auction, which would be a totally reasonable and in no way reckless financial decision.
Want something with a little less wear and tear than a military cast-off? Don’t forget that the MRZR can trace its roots back to the civilian RZR lineup. Polaris has everything from the kid-sized RZR 200 EFI to the no-holds-barred RZR Pro R Race Replica.
Regardless of trim level, the RZR is pretty awesome. If you haven’t gotten to drive a sport UTV, I highly recommend it. Bring your own Monster stickers and night observation devices.
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