Stunning realization.
With the Japanese, S. Koreans, Brazilians, Thailand, Taiwan and Philippines either already operating or soon to operate the AAV. With the undeniable fact that Asian corporations WILL provide upgrade packages to these vehicles...and with the continued delay in the ACV, MPC and AAV Upgrade....
The USMC might soon operate the most primitive version of this vehicle in the region.
Indecision and vacillation. Display it at the Basic School and you drop in class. Display it as Commandant and future Marines die.
It is as if US industry / government are incapable of doing simple when it comes to tech,.
ReplyDeleteFor me the one major omission for AAV is TOW to deliver HE. I know the US has lots of firepower. And in theory the AAV will be heading for a relatively safe beach. But surely there is a need, a gap, to deliver a good quantity of HE onto the shore, Armour would have been cleaned out. But ATG teams dug into sangars may have been missed. I don't know.
Sol you should draw up the specs of the ideal vehicle for the job for us to look at. :)
I agree with your statement, one of the things i proposed was that if the AAV was ever upgraded that 3 of the 4 tracks per sections should have the ability to mount a TOW or Jav system, and that the 4th vic per section would have a larger weapons system (25/30mm...but seeing as the BMP-3, and now BTR-82A have the ability to take 30mm to the front maybe the Mk45 40mm would be better) and serve as a "gun track" for the section. I also think looking at adding a Assault gun to the mix say 1 per plt would be beneficial, back in the day the LVT-5 had a 105 and was use for that purpose.
Deleteyou guys are cooking with gas. HQMC would never go for it but its common sense stuff. a return to a family of vehicles for the AAV. the Modernized Extensively AAV would be awesome.
Delete1. APC
2. APC w/Tow/Hellfire
3. Fire Support Version
4. Engineer
5. Recovery
6. Command Post.
it would be a blast from the past but i've seen mockups for the AAV to have 120mm cannon, to launch Navy anti-air missiles out the back and serious engineering vehicles.
the ground work has already been laid.
I've worked with a few of these versions, BAE's with the MK44 mount was one of my favorite. Also here in the future when 10th Marines heads to Rolling Thunder, they are going to be playing around with 120mm Mortars in the back of AAV's. You can load two guns in one track, in-turn a plt of tracks can carry the battery and all the personal plus ammo and such....just imagine.
DeleteAs for HQMC, yah...untill someone who actually "cares" for the groundside gets into a head postion, money will go to the Wing.
Pivot to the pacific...
Honestly if we're looking at weapon mounts bigger than 25mm, I say we skip right over the 30/35/super40 and go right to 40mm CTA. Its a much better system with better ammo volumes and payload delivery.
ReplyDelete