Colombia receives new batch of 20 US M1117 ASV Armored Security Vehicles

According to a tweet Published by the Colombian Ministry of Defense on December 3, 2021, the Colombian army has received 20 M1117 Guardians from the United States. This is the first batch of the 145 vehicles that will be delivered in the first part of the year 2022.

The M1117 Commando 4×4 armored vehicle in service with the Colombian army under the name of “Pegaso”. According to the SIPRI (Stockholm International Peace Research Institute) arms trade database, 28 M1117 ASV (Armored Security Vehicle), 4×4 armored vehicles were already delivered to Colombia in 2013/2014 and the second batch of 60 vehicles was delivered in 2016, including command post version.

Army Recognition has also reported that the Colombian army has a plan to upgrade the vehicle with a Belgian turret John Cockerill CSE 90LP armed with a 90mm cannon.

According to the Military Balance 2020, the Colombian army has a total of 38 M1117, 32 Stryker LAV III 8×8 armored vehicles, 28 Commando Advanced, 4 RG-31 Nyala, 56 EE-11 Urutu, and 121 EE-9 Cascavel 6×6 armored vehicles armed with a 90mm cannon.

The M1117 ASV (Armored Security Vehicle), also nicknamed Guardian was developed by the American company Textron Marine & Land Systems. The vehicle entered service with the U.S. Army in 1999.

Since the introduction of the ASV into the U.S. Army’s Military Police inventory, Textron has been receiving inquires and orders from domestic and international customers seeking a safe and reliable combat vehicle capable of various mission capabilities.

In response to demand, initially by the Iraqi Security Force, Textron has produced variants of the original ASV to meet specific customer missions. These variants include an Infantry Carrier Vehicle which has a crew of 2 and can accommodate 8 soldiers, a Command and Control vehicle that carries a 2 man crew and a battle team of 4, a recovery vehicle, and the M1200 Armored Knight for the Combat Observation and Lasing Teams. The Armored Knight is the ASV equipped with a sensor package used to locate and designate targets for in-direct fire and laser-guided weapons. Other variants are available for special mission requirements, including Reconnaissance Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RSTA), Mortar Carrier, Ambulance, Countermine, or other customer-defined configurations.

The external modular expandable armor system of ceramic composite material provides ballistic protection for the crew, ammunition, fuel tanks, and storage areas against 12.7mm armor-piercing ammunition.

The M1117 is fitted with a non-stabilized one-man turret with can be armed with one 40mm automatic grenade launcher (MK19 MOD 3) and a .50-caliber machine gun (M2/M48).

The M1117 is motorized with a Cummins 6CTA8.3, 260 hp/828 lb-ft engine, coupled to a transmission Allison MD3560 with 6 forward and 1 reverse speed. It can run at a maximum road speed of 97 km/ with a maximum cruising range of 710 km.