| AAVP7A1 RAM/RS | |
|---|---|
US Marine Corps AAV in Fallujah, Iraq |
|
| Type | Armoured personnel carrier |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1972–present |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands, Gulf War, Operation Restore Hope, Iraq War, |
| Production history | |
| Designer | FMC Corporation |
| Manufacturer | FMC Corporation |
| Produced | 1972 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 29.1 tons |
| Length | 7.94 m (321.3") |
| Width | 3.27 m (128.72") |
| Height | 3.26 m (130.5") |
| Crew | 3+25 |
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|
| Armor | 45 mm |
| Main armament |
Mk 19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher (864 rounds) or M242 Bushmaster 25mm (900 rounds) |
| Secondary armament |
M2HB .50-caliber (12.7 mm) machine gun (1200 rounds) |
| Engine | Detroit Diesel 8V-53T (P-7), Cummins VT 400 903 (P-7A1) 400 hp (300 kW) VTAC 525 903 525 hp(AAV-7RAM-RS) |
| Power/weight | 18 hp/tonne |
| Suspension | torsion-bar-in-tube (AAV-7A1); torsion bar (AAV-7RAM-RS) |
| Operational range |
480 km (300 miles) |
| Speed | 72 km/h land, 13.2 km/h water (45 mph, 8.2 mph) |
The Amphibious Assault Vehicle[1] (AAV)—official designation AAV-7A1 (formerly known as LVTP-7) is a fully tracked amphibious landing vehicle manufactured by U.S. Combat Systems (previously by United Defense, a former division of FMC Corporation).
The AAV-7A1 is the current amphibious troop transport of the United States Marine Corps. It is used by USMC Assault Amphibian Battalions to land the surface assault elements of the landing force and their equipment in a single lift from assault shipping during amphibious operations to inland objectives and to conduct mechanized operations and related combat support in subsequent mechanized operations ashore. It is also operated by other forces. Marines call them amtracks.
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The LVTP-7 was first introduced in 1972 as a replacement for the LVTP-5. In 1982, FMC was contracted to conduct the LVTP-7 Service Life Extension Program, which converted the LVT-7 vehicles to the improved AAV-7A1 vehicle by adding an improved engine, transmission, and weapons system and improving the overall maintainability of the vehicle. The Cummins VT400 diesel engine replaced the GM 8V53T, and this was driven through FMC's HS-400-3A1 transmission. The hydraulic traverse and elevation of the weapon station was replaced by electric motors, which eliminated the danger from hydraulic fluid fires. The suspension and shock absorbers were strengthened as well. The fuel tank was made safer, and a fuel-burning smoke generator system was added. Eight smoke grenade launchers were also placed around the armament station. The headlight clusters were housed in a square recess instead of the earlier round type. The driver was provided with an improved instrument panel and a night vision device, and a new ventilation system was installed. These upgraded vehicles were originally called LVT-7A1, but the Marine Corps renamed the LVTP-7A1 to AAV-7A1 in 1984.
Another improvement was added in the form of a Cadillac Gage weapon station or Up-Gunned Weapon Station (UGWS) which was armed with both a .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2HB machine gun and a Mk-19 40 mm grenade launcher.
Enhanced Applique Armor Kits (EAAK) were developed for the AAV-7A1, and the added weight of the new armor necessitated the addition of a bow plane kit when operating afloat.
The Assault Amphibian Vehicle Reliability, Availability, Maintainability/Rebuild to Standard (AAV RAM/RS) Program has provided for a replacement of both the engine and suspension with US Army M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicle (BFV) components modified for the AAV. The ground clearance has returned to 16 inches and the horsepower to ton ratio has changed from 13 to 1 back to 17 to 1. The AAV RAM/RS rebuild encompassed all AAV systems and components in order to return the AAV back to the original vehicle's performance specifications and ensure acceptable Fleet Marine Force (FMF) AAV readiness ratings until the EFV is operational. Introduction of the BFV components and the rebuild to standard effort is expected to reduce maintenance costs for the remaining life of the AAV through the year 2013.
Many P7s have been modified to carry the Mk 154 MCLC, or Mine Clearance Line Charge. The MCLC kit can fire three linear demolition charges to breach a lane through a minefield. MCLCs were used in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and again in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003.
In the 1970s, the US Army used an LVTP-7 as the basis for their Mobile Test Unit (MTU), a ground-based antiaircraft high energy laser. After several successful test firings at Redstone Army Arsenal, the laser was reportedly transferred to NASA.
Twenty U.S.-built LVTP-7s were used by Argentina during the 1982 invasion of the Falkland Islands with all of them returning to the Argentine mainland before the war ended. From 1982-1984, LVTP-7s were deployed with U.S. Marines as part of the multi-national peacekeeping force in Beirut, Lebanon. As Marines became increasingly involved in hostilities, several vehicles sustained minor damage from shrapnel and small arms fire. On October 25, 1983 U.S. Marine LVTP-7s conducted a highly successful amphibious landing on the island of Grenada as part of Operation Urgent Fury. It was heavily used in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 invasion of Iraq and has been criticized for providing poor protection for the crew and passengers compared with other vehicles such as the M2 Bradley. Eight of them were disabled or destroyed during the Battle of Nasiriyah, where they faced RPG, mortar, tank and artillery fire. At least one vehicle was destroyed by fire from friendly A-10 Warthog attack planes.[2][3][4] AAV-7A1s were also used extensively in the Persian Gulf War and in Operation Restore Hope.
The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) was designed to replace the aging AAV, and the Marine Corps' number one priority ground weapon system acquisition. It has three times the speed in water and about twice the armor of the AAV, and superior firepower as well. The EFV was intended for deployment in 2015.[5] It was renamed from the Advanced Assault Amphibious Vehicle in late 2003.
The design is an amphibious armored personnel carrier; launched at sea, from an amphibious assault ship beyond the horizon, able to transport a full Marine rifle squad to shore. It was designed to maneuver cross country with an agility and mobility equal to or greater than the M1 Abrams. However, in January 2011 United States Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans to cancel the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.[6]
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) under the Virtual Training and Environments (VIRTE) program, led by then LCDR Dylan Schmorrow, developed a prototype training system called the AAV Turret Trainer. The system consists of an actual surplus turret mounted with ISMT (Indoor Simulated Marksmanship Trainer) weapons firing on a projected screen displaying the VIRTE Virtual Environment.[7]