So this is the new Turk AAV that has Twitter buzzing...

Thanks to Donno for the pic!

Looks good....its just a modernized AAV...sorta like what they did with the M-113 to their ACV-19.

The wheeled ACV in the USMC is a done deal.

But think about the development path.

We started with the EFV.  When the costs on that program escalated, we came up with the solution of replacing a portion of the AAV fleet with Marine Personnel Carriers (MPC).  The SecDef killed the EFV.  The Commandant at the time killed the MPC.  We were gonna be stuck with the AAV.  For a time it was said that the AAV would be sufficient because we were becoming aviation centric.  The JLTV would become our new "main" combat ride but otherwise we would be flying or walking.  Then the spectre of combat against a peer/near peer foe loomed large.  The MPC was reborn but relabeled as the ACV.  We were told that it would be the replacement for the AAV.  It was further stated that we would have increments of that vehicle.  A basic ride would be 1.1, ship to shore swim (equal to the AAV) would be 1.2, and we would be back to a high water speed/ultimate IFV combined "new" EFV at 1.3.

Competition was held and vehicles for the 1.1 met 1.2 requirements and now we're looking at a family of vehicles.

But its wheeled and I didn't see the testing in the muck in Mississippi and I can't get images of the stuck LAV on the beach in Norway out of my mind.

Now I'm looking at the upgraded/slightly redesigned AAV that the Turks built and I'm wondering.

Are they doing what we should have done all along?

Did we follow a meme instead of getting a vehicle that could "traverse the coral reef" found in regions like the Pacific?

I like the ACV but doubts remain.  Would we be better served with tracks???