Editing AVGP (section)

{{about|the military armoured vehicle|other uses|AVGP (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox weapon
| name               = AVGP
| image              = Cougar Fire Support Vehicle (7527694220).jpg
| image_size         = 300
| caption            = A surplus Cougar seen in a militaria event in the UK.
| origin             = Canada
| type               = [[Armoured fighting vehicle]]
<!-- Type selection -->| is_vehicle         = yes
| is_UK              = <!-- Service history -->
| service            = 1976–present
| used_by            = See ''[[AVGP#Operators|Operators]]''
| wars               = [[Bosnian War]]<br>[[War in Darfur]]<br>[[MONUSCO|United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo]]
| designer           = 
| design_date        = 
| manufacturer       = 
| developed_from     = [[Mowag Piranha|Mowag Piranha I]]
| unit_cost          = 
| production_date    = 
| number             = Cougar – 195<ref name="Grizzly" /> <br />Grizzly – 274<ref name="Grizzly">{{cite web |url=http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=71&more=71 |title=Grizzly AVGP |access-date=2008-12-10 |publisher=Department of National Defence |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080117035733/http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=71&more=71 |archive-date=2008-01-17 }}</ref><br />Husky – 27<ref name="Grizzly"/><ref name="Husky">{{cite web |url=http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=62&more=62 |title=Husky |publisher=Department of National Defence |access-date=2008-12-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123184916/http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=62 |archive-date=2007-11-23 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| variants           = See ''[[AVGP#Variants|Variants]]''
<!-- General specifications -->| spec_label         = 
| weight             = 10.7 t
| length             = 5.97 m
| part_length        = 
| width              = 2.50 m
| height             = 
| diameter           = 
| crew               = Cougar: 3 (Commander, gunner and driver, 2 soldiers in rear of vehicle) <br />Husky: 2 (Driver and technician)<br />Grizzly: Commander, gunner and driver, 6 soldiers in rear
<!-- Vehicle/missile specifications -->| armour             = 
| primary_armament   = Cougar: 76 mm L23A1 gun (fires HE, HESH, Smoke BE (base ejected), and Canister rounds)<ref name="Cougar">{{cite web |url=http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=57&more=57 |title=Cougar |publisher=Department of National Defence |access-date=2008-12-10 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20080117040443/http://www.army.forces.gc.ca/lf/English/2_display.asp?product=57&more=57 |archive-date=2008-01-17 }}</ref> <br />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)<ref name="Grizzly"/><br />Husky: 7.62 mm machine gun (C6) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers (2 clusters of 4 launchers)<ref name="Husky"/>
| secondary_armament = Cougar: 7.62 mm machine gun (C5A1) and 66 mm smoke grenade launchers No 12 (2 clusters of 4 launchers)<ref name="Cougar"/>
| engine             = 275 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53T two-cycle turbo-charged diesel
| engine_power       = 
| pw_ratio           = 
| transmission       = 
| payload_capacity   = 
| suspension         = 6×6
| clearance          = 
| fuel_capacity      = 
| vehicle_range      = 
| speed              = 100 km/h
| guidance           = 
| steering           = 
}}
[[File:AVGP-Cougar.png|thumb|SALH Cougar at CFB Wainwright]]

The '''AVGP''' ('''Armoured Vehicle General Purpose'''), later known as the '''LAV I''',<ref>{{Cite web|last=McInnes|first=Captain Mathew|date=2017|title=FIRST PRINCIPLES AND THE GENERATION OF ARMOURED FIGHTING POWER|url=http://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2018/mdn-dnd/D12-11-17-3-eng.pdf|access-date=12 August 2020|website=Canadian Army Journal}}</ref> is a series of three amphibious [[armoured fighting vehicle]]s ordered by the [[Canadian military]] in the 1970s. The vehicles, named '''Grizzly''', '''Cougar''' and '''Husky''' respectively, were based on the six-wheeled version of the Swiss [[Mowag]] [[Mowag Piranha|Piranha I]], and became the first generation [[LAV (armoured vehicle)|Light Armoured Vehicle]] produced by [[General Motors Diesel]] (later [[General Dynamics Land Systems]] – Canada).<ref name="Maas">{{Cite web|last=Maas|first=Frank|date=Spring 2011|title=The Success of the Light Armoured Vehicle|url=https://www.canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/4-Maas-LAV.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808210553/https://www.canadianmilitaryhistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/4-Maas-LAV.pdf|archive-date=8 August 2020|access-date=8 August 2020|website=Canadian Military History, Volume 20, No. 2}}</ref>

The AVGP program led to the development of the 8×8 [[LAV II]], variants of which were adopted as direct replacements for the AVGP. These were the [[Bison (armoured personnel carrier)|Bison]] and [[Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle]], which replaced the Grizzly<ref name="Military Today">{{cite web |title=Bison Armored personnel carrier |url=http://www.military-today.com/apc/bison.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306212343/http://www.military-today.com/apc/bison.htm |url-status=usurped |archive-date=March 6, 2007 |website=Military Today |publisher=ARG |access-date=15 February 2022}}</ref> and Cougar respectively.

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 in use.<ref name=CasrGrizzly2009-09>{{cite news |url=http://www.casr.ca/bg-army-armour-avgp-grizzly.htm |title=Background – Armoured Vehicle, General Purpose – the Grizzly ISC |publisher=[[Canadian American Strategic Review]] |date=September 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091007102833/http://www.casr.ca/bg-army-armour-avgp-grizzly.htm |archive-date=2009-10-07 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="casr.ca">{{cite web |url=http://www.casr.ca/bg-army-armour-avgp-wlav-le.htm |title=AVGPs and the Wheeled LAV Life Extension Project |publisher=[[Canadian American Strategic Review]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091031044213/http://www.casr.ca/bg-army-armour-avgp-wlav-le.htm |archive-date=2009-10-31 }}</ref>