Its base design borrowed components from the in-service U.S. M809 military truck as well as the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). As such, the Dragoon was marketed as something of a budget- and logistically-friendly offering particularly for those nations already operating one or both of the American vehicles.
Due to this multirole / multipurpose design, the Dragoon could be outfitted with a variety of weapons including turret-based ones. This led to a 90mm-armed form (two-man turret) as well as 20mm / 25mm autocannon models. Secondary armament was usually a single 7.62mm machine gun in a coaxial mounting in the turret. A typical fit for base Dragoons, however, remains a single 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun as seen in the standard M113 APC.
In service, the Dragoon has undertaken various combat and non-combat roles including general reconnaissance, riot control, engineering service and Command and Control (C2). Beyond these, the base vehicle has also been used as a mortar carrier and ATGM carrier.
The Dragoon family has spawned a variety of other named offshoots including the "Patroller" for police and security forces, the Dragoon 300 and the Dragoon LFV - each with subvariants of their own.
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