Dragoon AFV The Dragoon 300 AFV ( armoured fighting vehicle ) was produced by Arrowpointe Corporation ( now General Dynamics Land Division ) during the 1980s . It was based on the automotive components of the US Army ' s M113 APC ' s and 5 ton trucks . It resembled a larger V - 150 Commando . History . With the end of the Sixties , the United States Army Military Police Corps expressed the need for a vehicle , capable of being transported by Lockheed C - 130 aircraft , which was intended to provide base protection , as well as carrying out convoy escort duties . This eventually led to a formal requirement being issued in 1976 . However the requirement was allowed to lapse , probably due to budgetary pressures of the time . Despite this , one of the firms that had expressed an interest in meeting the requirement , the Verne Corporation , decided to build two prototypes of a vehicle which was initially called the Verne Dragoon . These prototypes made their first public appearance in 1978 . The Dragoon is of a very similar configuration to that of Cadillac Gage V - 100 and the vehicles 4 X 4 general - purpose of the V - 150 range , but it in common has several parts with the tracked transport of troops M - 113 A2 and the truck M - 809 6 X 6 5 Ton . Description . Dragoon borrows from the M113A2 its starter , its periscopes , its drain pumps , its control knobs and its electric and hydraulic components . The hull of the Dragoon is of entirely welded steel construction , ensuring the crew protection against individual weapons of 5 . 56 and 7 . 62mm and against shell shrapnel . The driver sits on the left front with room for another man on his right , the crew compartment being in the center ; the engine is located at the back on the right ( on the Cadillac Gage V - 150 , it is placed on the left ) , and a passage connects the crew compartment to a door opening on the rear of the vehicle . The soldiers enter and leave by two doors located on each side the vehicle , the lower part of these doors folding down to form a step - up , while the upper part swings clear to the side . Firing ports with periscopes are arranged on the sides and the back of the crew compartment . The diesel engine is coupled with an automatic transmission , having five forward gears and one reverse , and with a single speed transfer case to provide power to all wheels . The Dragoon is completely amphibious , and is propelled in water by its wheels , at a speed of 4 . 8 km / h , while three drain pumps remove water entering through the doors . Utilized like an armoured personnel carrier , the Dragoon is usually equipped with a turret identical to that of the M - 113A2 armed with a machine - gun of 12 . 7 mm or 7 . 62 mm assembled on pivot . The vehicle can also receive two - seater turrets carrying a gun of 25 or 90 mm and coaxial and anti - aircraft machine - guns of 7 . 62 mm . There are more specialized versions of the genus , including recovery and command vehicles . U . S . military variants . In 1982 , the U . S . Army accepted an initial delivery of at least six Dragoons from the first production batch . An unknown number ( sources differ ) from this batch was procured by the United States Navy . The first army vehicles were used by the 9th Infantry Division High Technology Test Bed , in three forms : Personnel Carrier ( 3 ? ) , EW variant with AN / MSQ - 103A Teampack system ( 2 ) , and a video optical surveillance vehicle with a retractable long - range day / night surveillance system mounted in a modified Arrowpointe 25 mm two - man turret , and connected to an on - board data link . This version was intended to provide field commanders and rear line command staff with a highly mobile , armour - protected observation capability . The electronic warfare version was apparently capable of simultaneous connections with a large ( unknown ) number of friendly aircraft including Command and Control platforms . Its primary role was advanced battlefield direction finding and high speed communications jamming , although it had other ELINT and SIGINT capabilities . It used a tall hydraulically operated mast which was normally carried in the hotizontal position on the vehicle ' s rear left side , protected by a brush guard and a weather shield . When the Teampack system was active , the mast could be quickly deployed into the vertical position . It also carried an 7 . 62mm M60 machine gun over on its right side , on the forward part of the roof . The U . S . Navy used its vehicles to patrol a nuclear weapon storage facility in Alaska and three similar sites on the East coast of the United States . They were fitted with a 7 . 62mm MG ( M60 ? ) with a ballistic shield and a floodlight . This version was notable for the fact that it had a double width door on both sides which opened in three parts , the lower part dropping down to form a step and the upper parts , each with a vision block and a firing port underneath , opening to each side . This was intended to allow security personnel to disembark in a hurry . Variants . This is the base hull of the LFV - 90 Dragoon vehicle ( see US light combat vehicles ) . The hull has some modifications to better suit it for use as an armored personnel carrier , and may have a pintle mount or one of several turrets . The basic APC version is used , in addition to military forces , by several police forces in the US , often with a ramming pole welded to the nose of the vehicle . The Personnel Carrier is the base vehicle of the line , with two hatches in the front deck for the commander and gunner , a center hatch with a weapon mount directly behind those hatches for the gunner , and a large sliding hatch on the rear deck for the passengers . In addition , there are six firing ports , two on each side and one in the rear , as well as a door in either side of the passenger compartment . Among other roles that the Carrier can be used for is basic APC , reconnaissance , command , base security , convoy escort and Command and Control vehicle . The Dragoon ACV ( Armored Command Vehicle ) is a Dragoon basic APC set up to be a command post carrier . In this variant , the Dragoon carries a folding worktable , at least three radios , a camouflage net , various drawers and lockers for equipment , and a 3 kW generator to run the vehicle with the engine off . The pintle - mounted machinegun is retained . The Dragoon ALSV ( Armored Logistics Support Vehicle ) is a Dragoon APC fitted out as an armored truck of sorts . The load area in this vehicle is open - topped , and there is a materiel - handling crane with a capacity of 1 ton . It can carry standard NATO pallets and containers , as well as several makes of civilian ones . This vehicle is normally used to carry bulk cargo like ammunition and spare parts to forward elements , and is often found accompanying Dragoon EMVs on their rounds . The Dragoon ASV ( Armored Security Vehicle ) , also known as the Patroller , is the version of the Dragoon APC that is in service with several US law enforcement agencies . The vehicle is a little higher to allow standing , and the weapon mount is replaced with a rotating box that carries the surveillance equipment . The windows are larger , as are the firing ports and vision blocks . The vehicle is equipped with several surveillance devices , including a low - light TV , VCR , computer , shotgun microphone , and night vision gear . Many of these vehicles are equipped with pole - mounted ramming blocks mounted on the nose of the vehicle . Sirens and flashing lights complete the modifications . The LFV - 40 ( Light Forces Vehicle ) is a Dragoon APC with a one - man turret mounted on the deck behind the driver ' s hatch . This turret is armed with a heavy machinegun and an automatic grenade launcher . The LFV - 50 is the same as the LFV - 40 , but the turret is armed with a heavy and light machinegun . The Dragoon MGTS ( Multi - Gun Turret System ) is a Dragoon APC fitted with a two - man turret armed with Bushmaster Chain Gun in one of three calibers and a machinegun , as well as a commander ' s machinegun .