Polaris showcases flexibility of MRZR Alpha with multiple payloads and capabilities
NewsApril 29, 2025
Flavia Camargos Pereira
Military Embedded Systems
SOF WEEK 2025--Tampa, Fla. In order to demonstrate the flexibility of the MRZR Alpha special operations vehicle, Polaris Government and Defense will showcase the platform equipped with diverse payloads and capabilities at the SOF Week 2025 exhibition, set to be held May 5-8 in Tampa, Florida. The MRZR Alpha will be on display featuring weapons systems as well as combat support and exportable power solutions.
Nick Francis, vice president at Polaris, states that the platform was designed for tomorrow’s battlefield to provide “expanded modularity and capability” with “a host of available options and accessories.”
“Having a single vehicle that can do more than one or two roles is critically important. It reduces the burden on acquisitions,” Francis explains.
In terms of kinetic payloads, the MRZR Alpha will be fitted for the first time with the Global Ordnance Scorpion Light mobile mortar system. It will also feature the Teledyne FLIR Rogue 1 loitering munition system and drone launcher. Moreover, the company will exhibit the new MRZR Alpha base vehicle. Unveiled recently at the Modern Day Marine show in Washington D.C., the vehicle platform was built in partnership with the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC).
Compared to the previous MRZR Alpha, the more recent version brings major updates to the system including the provision of 1 KW power exportable as standard; the variant is fitted with a three-port common connector for enabling multiple systems to access the vehicle’s on-board power. It also has a smart idle, which enables it to adapt engine speed to meet the demand of power depending on the type of system to be hooked up for charging.
The manufacturer developed the new capability in a way to allow current MRZR Alpha operators to add it to their in-service platforms by using a kit.
On the show floor, the 1 KW platform will feature Teledyne’s ISR TacFLIR 280-HDEP system and a 3 ME battery solution that provides seamless power transition when the vehicle is turned off, plus 6 hours of silent watch capability.
Polaris has been also working on a 5KW version of the MRZR Alpha, which will enter production this summer.
John LaFata, the company’s program manager and chief engineer for defense, pointed out that 1 KW and 5 KW variants share the “same philosophy” in terms of producing and managing power. He asserts that it enables integration of diverse types of capabilities onto the vehicle “whether it is a large system like the LMADIS [Light Marine Air Defense Integrated System] or simply charging radios and batteries.”
