United Arab Emirates has donated Cougar 4x4 armored APCs to Mali.

According to news published on January 30, 2020, on a Malian newspaper website, Malian Armed Forces have received 15 Cougar light armored vehicles from the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The Cougar is a 4x4 Armored Personnel Carrier designed and manufactured by the Company Streit Group with headquarters in UAE.

New Cougar Armored Personnel Carrier for Malian armed forces. (Picture source ICIMali website)

The Cougar 4x4 is a light Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) vehicle designed and manufactured by the Company Streit Group. The Cougar is based on a Toyota Land Cruiser 79-series chassis adapted to be used in all-terrain conditions with military specifications.

The Cougar is a 4x4 APC (Armored Personnel Carrier) designed to carry 9 military personnel including driver and commander. The vehicle offers protection against firing of small arms 7.62mm NATO caliber and artillery shell splinters. It can be equipped with various types of weapon stations and turrets armed with 7.62 mm or 12.7 mm machine guns or a 40 mm automatic grenade launcher.

The Streit Group Cougar 4x4 APC is motorized with a 4.5L 6 cylinders gasoline engine developing 218 hp. at 4,600 rpm. The engine is coupled to a manual transmission with 5 speeds and one reverse. It can run at a maximum road speed of 110 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 650 km.

In January this year, the Malian armed forces had already received seven Typhoon mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles also manufactured by the Company Streit Group.

According to military sources, Mali has signed an agreement to receive 30 Cougar Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) vehicles from UAE, as part of a wider agreement that also covers the sale of 100 Streit Typhoon mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles. The Malian armed forces have also announced that 35 Typhoon MRAP has already been delivered.

Mali plans to increase the size of its army by 50% in order to have more soldiers to fight terrorist groups in the country. Currently, the Malian army is around 6,900 soldiers and 4,800 people from the Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, and National Police. The Malian Army is mainly equipped with old Soviet-made military equipment and armored vehicles including T-55 main battle tanks, PT-76, BTR-60 APCs, BRDM-2, BTR-40, and BTR-152.