A new ultra-light combat vehicle for special operations and light infantry use has been unveiled by Polaris Defense, a maker of off-road vehicles.

The vehicle is called DAGOR and can carry as much as 3,250 pounds of payload or an infantry squad at a higher rate of speed over terrain usually traveled on foot.

"The DAGOR was engineered to meet a very demanding set of light-mobility needs for our customer," said Jed Leonard, manager of Advanced Mobility Platforms, and Polaris Defense. "It provides the optimal balance of rapid air transportability, payload and advanced mobility.

"The design offers our customers a modular, light-weight platform to support a variety of expeditionary missions."

The vehicle uses a commercial off-the-shelf, or COTS, driveline, controls and components. It has the diesel/JP8 COTS engine and an open design cargo bed for maximum space.

Polaris said its curb weight is less than 4,500 pounds.

The vehicle is being officially launched next week at the 2014 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., though the company said it has already been ordered by the U.S. Special Operations Command.

"DAGOR is under contract with elements of U.S. SOCOM and international SOF customers," said Rich Haddad, Polaris Defense general manager. "DAGOR is larger than our previous offerings like the MRZR and MV850, and represents a step up in size for Polaris and in payload for our customers.

"DAGOR highlights Polaris Defense's ability to fill an urgent need, with an affordable purpose-built MILCOTS solution that can be maintained anywhere with a COTS supply chain."