Gardaí have launched an investigation after an expensive all-terrain vehicle (ATV) that was due to be delivered to the Irish army was stolen in a raid.

The Sunday Tribune understands that a John Deere military vehicle, a type that is used by US Special Forces in Afghanistan, was stolen on the night of the 29 October from a yard in Kilcock, Co Kildare.

Gardaí are concerned that the vehicle is in the hands of organised criminals and have issued an appeal to all stations throughout the country to be on the lookout for the ‘M-Gator’.

The ATV had been imported from the US by the Lyons and Burton farm machinery company in Kilcock and was being stored in a secure yard prior to being delivered to the Defence Forces.

Lyons and Burton is a supplier of equipment from US machinery giant John Deere and it is understood that the M-Gator took months to be sourced and delivered. The standard model is often used on farms and golf courses but the stolen Gator had been heavily modified for military use.

A number of masked men cut through secure gates and electric fencing and managed to put the ATV on the back of a trailer before disappearing.

The yard at Lyons and Burton is heavily secured and detectives believe that a crime gang, probably from Dublin, learned about the army’s latest purchase and decided to steal it.

It is thought that the yard was under surveillance for several days prior to the robbery.

Gardaí say its compact size and speed would make it a perfect getaway vehicle if a gang was carrying out robberies in area of rough terrain.

The garda circular has described the six wheeler as “unique” and say that it was not for sale privately.

The M-Gator is currently being used by several units of the US armed forces and an evaluation is currently underway with a view to expanding the fleet because it is eight times cheaper than all-terrain vehicles currently used.

Lyons and Burton did not return calls when asked to comment on the robbery.

A Defence Forces spokesman said: “The Defence Forces have ordered five all-terrain tractor units which are designed to move heavy loads across broken or difficult terrain.

“The Defence Forces will receive all five vehicles by Friday 26 November 2010. Any theft of the vehicles prior to the delivery to the defence forces is a matter between the gardaí and the supplier.”