AVGP

AVGP
A pair of Canadian Cougars
Type	Armoured fighting vehicle
Place of origin	Canada
Service history
In service	1976–present
Used by	See Users
Production history
No. built	Cougar – 195 Grizzly – 274 Husky – 27
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Weight	10.7 t
Length	5.97 m
Width	2.50 m
Crew	Cougar: 3 (Commander, gunner and driver, 2 soldiers in rear of vehicle) Husky: 2 (Driver and technician) Grizzly: Commander, gunner and driver, 6 soldiers in rear
Main armament	Cougar: 76 mm L23A1 gun (fires HESH, Smoke BE (base ejected), and Canister rounds) Grizzly: 12.7mm heavy machine gun and a 7.62 mm machine-gun (C6) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers (2 clusters of 4 launchers) Husky: 7.62 mm machine gun (C6) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers (2 clusters of 4 launchers)
Secondary armament	Cougar: 7.62 mm machine gun (C6) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers No 12 (2 clusters of 4 launchers)
Engine	275 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53T two-cycle turbo-charged diesel
Suspension	6×6
Speed	100 km/h

The AVGP (Armoured Vehicle General Purpose) is a series of three armoured fighting vehicles ordered by the Canadian military in 1977. The vehicles, which are the Grizzly, Cougar and Husky, were based on the six-wheeled version of the Swiss MOWAG Piranha I.

The Canadian Army retired all AVGP variants beginning in 2005; however, a number of the retired vehicles were transferred to other militaries and police forces, where they continue to serve.

The AVGP had propellers and trim vanes for amphibious use, like the eight-wheeled Bison, which was the vehicle family's immediate successor. Recent retrofits have removed the marine drive system, as it was seldom used and maintenance was costly. The Canadian Army's LAV III, the United States Marine Corps' LAV-25, and the US Army's Stryker are other variants of the Piranha family, and directly evolved from the Canadian designs.

The AVGP variants were introduced into Canadian service in the late 1970s. Intended for use only in Canada, they were pressed into service for several United Nations missions, including UNPROFOR and the mission to Somalia. One Grizzly was captured by Serb forces in the late 1990s, despite it being present on a peace keeping mission.

The Cougar was used for training in Canada as a reconnaissance vehicle. During the 1980s and 1990s, it was used by armoured units as a fire support vehicle, for those units not equipped with the Leopard tank. The squadrons equipped with the Cougar in those regiments were humorously referred to as the "boat squadron" as opposed to the reconnaissance squadrons, which were equipped with the Lynx, and later the Coyote (another AVGP successor).