Cheetah Mine-protected Utility Vehicle / Rapid-Deployable (MUV/R)
Force Protection Industries Inc. of Ladson, South Carolina, planned to compete in the US Army's competition to replace the Humvee. Neither the Buffalo nor Cougar had all the performance the Army was looking for in the next generation vehicle. Specifically, they lack off-road capabilities. Force Protection's prototype, initially nicknamed the Lion, was said to weigh no more than 7 tons, but still offer the same level of protection as the much larger Cougar. The prototype vehicle was known as the Mine-protected Utility Vehicle / Rapid Deployable (MUV/R). The name "Lion" was dropped because the King of Swaziland's armored vehicle was named "Lion." The name "Kodiak" was also dropped because of a confict with an existing vehicle produced by Chevrolet. Ultimately the vehicle was named Cheetah.
The Cheetah MUV/R was a new armored vehicle with the same speed, climb, and general off-road performance capabilities as the Humvee. At 10 to 12 tons, the Cheetah was designed to meet these requirements, as well as offer mine and blast protection. In addition, it incorporated a roof-mounted weapons system that was remotely controlled by the right front-seat passenger. A 360-degree battlefield required a vehicle small enough to enable a full range of motion and strong enough to take the punch of an IED. A lighter weight troop carrier was designed to fill this critical role. The Cheetah was being developed with that purpose in mind, and would likely be ready for active operations near the end of 2006.
