While the Army steps up its search for a combat vehicle that can
be deployed quickly for use in small-scale conflicts and peacekeeping
missions, the Marine Corps is working to upgrade and extend the
service life of just such a platform that it has employed for the
past 16 years-the Light Armored Vehicle (LAV).
The LAV has become a cornerstone of the Marines' strategy of expeditionary
warfare, which the Corps has employed practically since its founding
in 1775, according to the vehicle's program manager, Marine Col.
Thomas M. Lytle, based in Warren, Mich. "We wouldn't go anywhere
without it," Lytle told National Defense.
The LAV-manufactured by General Motors Defense of London, Ontario-is
a wheeled, combat vehicle with eight-wheel drive (8x8), he explained.
It is capable of traveling in rugged terrain, cruising at more than
60 mph on roads and crossing rivers, streams and lakes in amphibious
operations. With a combat weight of 14 tons, it can be loaded easily
on to air transports, such as the C-130, C-141 and C-5, or helicopters,
such as the CH-53E.
The LAV's relatively light weight makes it possible to deploy the
vehicle quickly for use in rapidly developing combat situations,
Lytle said. This is in sharp contrast to the 70-ton Abrams, which
is the main battle tank for the Army and Marines, but is so heavy
that it can't be loaded on to most air transports.
As a result, Lytle noted, it was the LAV that accompanied the first
U.S. troops into harm's way in deployments such as Kosovo, Somalia
and the Persian Gulf. On such missions, the LAV has performed "extremely
well," he said.
Currently, Lytle explained, the Marines have 771 LAVs. They come
in eight variants, including:
Worldwide Deployment
The numbers of each model vary depending upon need, Lytle said.
The Marines have 407 LAV-25s stationed with units around the globe,
from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), now deployed in the
Mediterranean Sea, to the Third Marine Division, based on Okinawa,
in the Western Pacific Ocean.
The Marines, by way of contrast, have purchased only 17 of the
new LAV-ADs, which cost $4.2 million each and are outfitted with
the latest in air-defense technology, Lytle said. All are based
at Camp Pendleton, Calif., where they form an LAV-AD platoon. The
only one of its type in the corps, this platoon is intended to be
deployed anywhere in the world that it is needed.
The program to develop the LAV began in 1980, as a joint Army-Marine
Corps venture, Lytle said. But in 1983, the Army decided to drop
out.
"The Army had a Cold War focus at that time," said Jim
Flynn, General Motors Defense's marketing and sales manager. "They
felt, with some justification, that their main mission was to fight
Soviet tanks on the plains of Central Europe." Army leaders
apparently felt that LAVs wouldn't help much in such a conflict,
Flynn noted.
The Marines, on the other hand, were convinced that the LAV fit
in well with their concept of expeditionary warfare and the need
to deploy quickly. They received their first LAVs in 1984.
Since then, Lytle said, the Marine Corps has been "extremely
pleased" with the vehicles. As they grow older, however, the
LAVs are becoming more difficult to maintain, Lytle conceded. Nevertheless,
he noted, the Corps decided two years ago not to replace them in
the foreseeable future with a new class of vehicles, such as the
Army is choosing with its Interim Armored Vehicle.
The reason, Lytle said, is that the Marine Corps has given priority
to procuring the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV), which
it wants to replace a 30-year-old platform for moving troops from
ship to objectives on shore.
For the LAVs, he noted, the Corps has embarked upon a $200 million
service-life extension program, or SLEP, designed to make the vehicles
last through 2015, when the Marines expect to field a replacement.
During the past two years, as part of this effort, all LAV engines
were remanufactured by Detroit Diesel Remanufacturing-Central's
plant in Emporia, Kan.
Equipment also is being upgraded, Lytle said. For fiscal year 2000,
upgrades include a thermal engine wrap and a spin-on hydraulic fluid
filter for easier maintenance and handling. The M250G machine gun
is getting a new pentle mount to improve reliability and lethality.
The 25 mm chain gun is to be enhanced for better safety and operation,
gaining a new bore gauge to measure wear of the barrel, a link stripper
and a wider bolt. An upgraded thermal sight will improve visibility
at night for maneuvering and precise target engagement.
With such improvements, the Marines expect to continue to use the
LAV for another 15 years, Lytle said. "It's light, and it's
fast, compared to most combat vehicles," he said. "It
fits the way we fight."