How long will the AAV and LAV-25 server? Till 2035! via Janes

Thanks to Jonathan for the link!

via Janes.

Following the cancellation of the General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), the US Marine Corps (USMC) has had to reappraise its future armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) requirements if it is to retain its unique ship-to-shore capability.

Details of the USMC Ground Combat and Tactical Vehicle (GCTV) Strategy were outlined at the International Armoured Vehicle 2016 conference held in London by Colonel John Atkinson, director of fires and manoeuver integration at Headquarters USMC Combat Development and Integration.

The USMC currently has a requirement for 1,058 assault amphibious vehicles (AAV) in order to provide lift to a total of 12 infantry battalions.

This objective will be obtained through a three-phase programme that includes the upgrade of part of the existing tracked AAV7A1 fleet, as well as the procurement of the amphibious combat vehicle Phase 1 Increment 1 (ACV 1.1) and the follow-on ACV 1.2.
The currently deployed AAV7A1 was originally developed by the then FMC Corporation as early as 1966 and entered service as the Landing Vehicle Tracked Personnel 7 (LVTP7), with first production vehicles delivered in 1971.

The troop carrier version is referred to as the AAV7PA1 (personnel) with more specialised versions being command (AAV7CA1) and recovery (AAV7RA1).

Science Application International Corporation (SAIC) won a contract to modernise the AAV7A1 under the amphibious assault vehicle survivability upgrade (SU) and sustainment improvement initiative (SII) programmes, which aim to extend the operational life of the AAV7A1 out to 2035.

The first phase covers 10 prototype and 52 low rate initial production vehicles, and according to SAIC has a potential value of more than USD192 million over five years.

THIS IS BULLSHIT ON A CRACKER AND DERELICTION OF DUTY BY THE HIGHEST RANKING OFFICERS IN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS!

Question.  Why aren't we hearing from professional journals, military bloggers that focus on the Marine Corps, senior officers and enlisted talking about this?

We are pouring ENORMOUS amounts of money into aviation yet consider it ok that the AAV and LAV-25 will be required to soldier on till 2035?  Think about that!

An armored vehicle that's basic design dates back 70 years?????

And you think I'm being over the top when I say that this is bordering on the criminal?  Someone's son will be riding in these vehicles!  Hell someone that's serving today might see their GRANDSON ride in one of these vehicles!

THIS IS UNFUCKING SAT!  Solution?  The Marine Corps can't do this right.  Fire every swinging dick and ovary in that enterprise and hand it over to the Navy.  When they were running things we seemed to get tracked landing craft on time...nothing revolutionary but they were all better than what came before.  Oh and if you want an aviation comparison then how about this.  If we treated aviation the way we're treating the ground combat element then we would be updating AV-8A Harriers and having them serve till 2035.