The LAV-25 (Light Armored Vehicle) is a member of the LAV II family. It is an eight-wheeled amphibious armored reconnaissance vehicle built by

General Dynamics Land Systems General Dynamics Land Systems (GDLS) is an American manufacturer of military vehicles, including tanks and light Armoured fighting vehicle, armored fighting vehicles. The company is based in Sterling Heights, Michigan, and is a subsidiary of Gen ...

and used by the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

and the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

History

During the 1980s, the U.S. Marine Corps began looking for a light armored vehicle (LAV) to give their divisions greater mobility. In April 1981, the

United States Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and superv ...

opened submissions to the LAV program. Three contractors were downselected. * Alvis – A Scorpion 90 and three Scorpion APCs. * Cadillac Gage – A V-150S (a stretched V-150 Cadillac Gage Commando) and a V-300. * General Motors of Canada ( General Motors Diesel) – a license-built copy of the Mowag Piranha 8×8 The Marine Corps evaluated the three LAV submissions. In September 1982, the General Motors submission was selected. GM was awarded initial production contract for 969 LAVs. The Army type designated the 25 mm gun variant as the M1047. The Army sought 2,350 of the 12.7 mm (.50) caliber-armed light squad carrier variant, and at one point was expected to be the LAV's biggest buyer. Congress canceled funds for the LAV-25, causing the Army to drop out of the program. The Marine Corps managed to secure enough funding to buy 758 LAVs in six variants. The LAV entered service with the Marines in 1983. The Army borrowed at least a dozen LAV-25s for use by the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

, 3 squadron-73rd Armor for a scout

platoon A platoon is a Military organization, military unit typically composed of two to four squads, Section (military unit), sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the Military branch, branch, but a platoon can ...

during the

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. These LAV-25s were returned to the Marine Corps after the conflict. The USMC ordered 758 vehicles of all variants. LAVs first saw combat during the invasion of Panama in 1989 and continued service in the

Persian Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...

, and the

War in Afghanistan War in Afghanistan, Afghan war, or Afghan civil war may refer to: *Conquest of Afghanistan by Alexander the Great (330 BC – 327 BC), the conquest of Afghanistan by the Macedonian Empire * Muslim conquests of Afghanistan, a series of campaigns in ...

. As of 2023, the

table of organization and equipment A table of organization and equipment (TOE or TO&E) is the specified organization, staffing, and equipment of Military unit, military units. Also used in acronyms as 'T/O' and 'T/E'. It also provides information on the mission and capabilities of ...

for a U.S. Marine Corps light-armored reconnaissance (LAR) battalion includes 46 LAV-25s, 12 LAV-ATs, 12 LAV-C2s, 18 LAV-Ls, 6 LAV-Ms, 6 LAV-Rs, and 4 LAV-MEWSS vehicles.

Replacement

The LAV platform is planned to remain in service with the Marine Corps until 2035. The Marines aimed to have prototypes for the LAV's replacement, dubbed the Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle (ARV), by 2023. The ARV was initially planned to be a networked family of wheeled vehicles capable of performing various mission sets, with 500 to be procured. In April 2021, the Marines revealed they had shifted focus to new capabilities for performing reconnaissance rather than specific types of platforms, and that the LAV-25 replacement may not be a new armored vehicle. Nevertheless, proposals for Advanced Reconnaissance Vehicle prototypes were due in May 2021; requirements were for a vehicle with a

tethered A tether is a cord, fixture, or flexible attachment that characteristically anchors something movable to something fixed; it also may be used to connect two movable objects, such as an item being towed by its tow. Applications for tethers incl ...

unmanned aircraft system (UAS) and an open architecture approach allowing for integration of capabilities including battle management systems and communications suites, weighing less than 18.5 tons and being small enough to fit four on a Ship-to-Shore Connector. Vendors that submitted proposals include General Dynamics Land Systems,

Textron Textron Inc. is an American industrial Conglomerate (company), conglomerate based in Providence, Rhode Island. Textron's subsidiaries include Arctic Cat, Bell Textron, Kautex, Textron Aviation (which itself includes the Beechcraft and Cessna b ...

, and

BAE Systems BAE Systems plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational Aerospace industry, aerospace, military technology, military and information security company, based in London. It is the largest manufacturer in Britain as of 2017. It is ...

. The Marine Corps plans to make up to three awards for ARV prototypes for testing and evaluation, then choose up to two to continue into a competitive engineering and manufacturing development phase in 2024, after which a decision will be made as to whether production will be pursued. Textron and GDLS were awarded Other Transaction Authority (OTA) contracts in July 2021 for prototypes to be built and evaluated over the next two years. BAE Systems will also participate in a separate technical study to see if a variant of its Amphibious Combat Vehicle can meet ARV requirements. There are planned to be six ARV variants: command, control, communications and computers-unmanned aerial system (C4/UAS); organic precision fire-mounted; counter-UAS; 30 mm autocannon and ATGM; logistics; and recovery.

Design

Developed from the AVGP family built by General Dynamics Land Systems, the LAV-25 is powered by a 6V53T Detroit Diesel turbo-charged engine, they are

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

(rear wheels) transferable to

Eight-wheel drive Eight-wheel drive, often notated as 8WD or 8×8, is a drivetrain configuration that allows all eight wheels of an eight-wheeled vehicle to be drive wheels simultaneously. Unlike four-wheel drive drivetrains, the configuration is largely confin ...

. These vehicles are also amphibious, meaning they have the ability to "swim" but are limited to non-surf bodies of water (no oceans). While engaged in amphibious operations, the maximum speed is approximately using equipped propellers. The current Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) modifications will hinder or eliminate amphibious operations. Typical land speeds are approximately 100 km/h (62.5 mph) in either 4- or 8-wheel drive; however, fuel economy decreases in 8-wheel drive. The vehicles operate on

diesel fuel Diesel fuel, also called diesel oil, heavy oil (historically) or simply diesel, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a re ...

. They are equipped with a 25 mm

M242 Bushmaster The M242 Bushmaster chain gun is a 25 mm caliber, 25 mm (25×137mm) single-barrel chain-driven autocannon. It is used extensively by the United States Armed Forces, U.S. military, such as in the Bradley fighting vehicle, as well as by other NAT ...

autocannon, two 7.62 mm M240 machine guns, and two four-barrel smoke grenade launchers located on the forward left and right sides of the turret. The crew is three; vehicle commander, gunner, and driver; and four passengers (scouts) with combat gear. File:LAV power pack.jpg, The LAV-25's power plant File:Marines with 2nd Light Armored Vehicle Battalion float test Light Armored Vehicles 140326-M-SF718-007.jpg, An LAV-25 conducts swim test at

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune ( or ) is a United States Armed Forces, United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for Amphibious warfare, amphibious assault training, an ...

File:LAV-25 USMC.JPG, SLEP mods to a LAV-25 show new thermal shrouding over the exhaust File:LAV-25 Interior.jpg, The LAV-25's rear passenger compartment

Armor

The LAV-25 is a lightly armored vehicle. The base model is protected by light gauge high hardness steel armor (MIL-A-46100), varying in nominal thickness from 4.71 mm to 9.71 mm. This level of high-hardness steel armor is intended only to offer protection against small arms rounds such as the common 7.62x39mm M1943 ball used by Kalashnikov rifles such as the AKM, to achieve the lowest possible weight and cost.

Variants

LAV-25

The standard LAV is fitted with a turret with 360° traverse, armed with an M242 25 mm chain gun with 420 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, both M791 APDS-T (Armour Piercing Discarding Sabot-Tracer) and M792 HEI-T (High Explosive Incendiary-Tracer), of which half is ready for use. 150 rounds are ready for use from one stowage bin, 60 from another stowage bin, the other 210 rounds are stowed elsewhere in the vehicle. A coaxial M240C machine gun is mounted alongside the M242, and a pintle-mounted M240B/G machine gun, with 1,320 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition, is mounted on the turret roof. The

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

uses an upgraded version of this chassis for its

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans''), also known as the American jackal, prairie wolf, or brush wolf, is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the Wolf, gray wolf, and slightly smaller than the c ...

Armoured Reconnaissance Vehicle.

LAV-25A1

The vehicle has been through many changes through the late 1990s. The new modification or SLEP has changed the LAV-25 to the ''LAV-25A1'' standard and has been completely fielded.

LAV-25A2

Funding has been approved for continued upgrades to the LAV family to bring them up to the LAV-A2 standard. Phase I improvements include increased external and internal ballistic armor upgrades, improved fire suppression equipment, and upgrading the vehicle's suspension to the Generation II standard. Phase II upgrades include replacing the turret hydraulics with an electric drive system and replacing the thermal sight with an improved model incorporating a laser range finder for aircraft. To reflect the improved significant survivability and capability enhancements occurring today, the LAV is being renamed as the LAV-A2. The LAV-A2 project involved developing and installing an internal and external ballistic protection upgrade package, developed by Armatec Survivability, for the Light Armored Vehicles, an automatic fire suppression system for the interior of the vehicle and a Generation II suspension upgrade to support the added weight of the new armor. The suspension upgrade includes new struts/steering knuckles, torsion bars, shocks and mounts and driveshaft. The three-kit armor system provides the LAV with additional survivability against

improvised explosive device An improvised explosive device (IED) is a bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional warfare, conventional military action. It may be constructed of conventional military explosives, such as an artillery shell, attached t ...

s (IED) and direct-fire kinetic energy weapons. The LAV-25A2 includes the Improved Thermal Sight System (ITSS) developed by

Raytheon Raytheon is a business unit of RTX Corporation and is a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with manufacturing concentrations in weapons and military and commercial electronics. Founded in 1922, it merged in 2020 with Unite ...

. The ITSS provides the gunner and commander with thermal images, an eye-safe

laser range finder A laser rangefinder, also known as a laser telemeter or laser distance meter, is a rangefinder that uses a laser beam to determine the distance to an object. The most common form of laser rangefinder operates on the time of flight principle by ...

, a fire-control solution and far-target location target grid information. The new armor will provide protection from 14.5 mm armor-piercing rounds, and include an anti-spall lining on the inside to further protect crew members. It will be similar to the protection found on the U.S. Army's LAV III "

Stryker The Stryker is a family of Eight-wheel drive, eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III. Stryker vehicles are produced by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-C) for the United States Army in a plant in L ...

" variant. Tests by the U.S. Army's Operational Test Command (OTC), Airborne and Special Operations Test Directorate at

Fort Bragg Fort Bragg (formerly Fort Liberty from 2023–2025) is a United States Army, U.S. Army Military base, military installation located in North Carolina. It ranks among the largest military bases in the world by population, with more than 52,000 m ...

demonstrated that the LAV-25A2 could be

airdrop An airdrop is a type of airlift in which items including weapons, equipment, humanitarian aid or leaflets are delivered by military or civilian aircraft without their landing. Developed during World War II to resupply otherwise inaccessible tr ...

ped from transport aircraft, a capability of interest to Army airborne units. In October 2018, Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team of the

was activated and equipped with ex-USMC LAV-25A2s for test and evaluation; the unit was deactivated in September 2020 differing to wait for the creation of the U.S. Army's Mobile Protected Firepower units planned for 2025/2026. File:US Army Airdrop Test of LAV-25A2-Deploy.jpg, A C-17 airdropping an LAV-25A2 File:US Army Airdrop Test of LAV-25A2-Drop.jpg, An LAV-25A2 being airdropped File:US Army Airdrop Test of LAV-25A2-Recovery.jpg, Recovery of an airdropped LAV-25A2 File:US Army Airdrop Test of LAV-25A2-Fire.jpg, Rapid setup and test fire of the LAV-25A2 after an

LAV-25A3

In January 2019, General Dynamics was awarded a $37.2 million contract to upgrade the Marine Corps' LAV fleet. Designated the LAV A3, upgrades include improvements to the powerpack to improve reliability, cooling capacity, diagnostics, and fuel economy, a new drivetrain for improved towing capability, a steering dampener to improve road feel and usability, and a digitized drivers' instrument panel. The initial contract was for 60 hardware kits which are planned for installation by 2021.

Derivatives

Five variants of the LAV-25 were originally envisioned. Only six were initially production ready. Other than the LAV-25, these were: *LAV-AT (Anti-Tank) :LAV fitted with an Emerson 901A1 TOW-2

anti-tank guided missile An anti-tank guided missile (ATGM), anti-tank missile, anti-tank guided weapon (ATGW) or anti-armor guided weapon is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy heavily armored military vehicles. ATGMs range in size from shoulde ...

launcher, the same turret that was fitted on the

M901 ITV The M901 ITV (improved TOW vehicle) is an American armored vehicle introduced into service in 1979, and designed to carry a dual M220 TOW launcher. It is based on the M113 armored personnel carrier chassis. The M901 ITV is no longer in service ...

. It is also armed with a pintle-mounted M240E1 or M240B general-purpose machine gun. It carries a total of 16 TOW missiles and 1,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. :* LAV-ATM (Modernization) replaces the Emerson turret with the modified target acquisition system turret. Improvements include always being in the up position to scan and track while moving and a more reliable digital design. The turret is also unmanned, can fire both wire-guided and radio frequency TOW missiles, has an improved thermal sight, far target location system, new commander/gunner video sight displays, and an electric elevation and azimuth drive system to rotate the system onto target. The LAV-ATM delivers accurate and destructive fire from

defilade Enfilade and defilade are concepts in military tactics used to describe a military formation's exposure to enemy fire. A formation or position is "in enfilade" if weapon fire can be directed along its longest axis. A unit or position is "in de ...

positions against tanks and armored vehicles. It carries a crew of four (driver, commander, gunner, and loader). Each LAV-ATM can carry two missiles ready to fire and has 14 missiles stowed, for a total of 16. Each LAR company has four LAV-ATMs. * LAV-M (Mortar) :LAV fitted with opening doors on the top, inside it is fitted with an 81 mm M252 mortar, with 360° traverse, and a pintle-mounted M240E1 machine gun. It carries 90 81 mm mortar shells, and 1,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. It carries a crew of five (driver, commander, gunner, loader, and ammo handler). Each LAR company has two LAV-Ms. :In June 2021, the Marine Corps selected the UVision Hero-120

loitering munition A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a weapon with a warhead that is typically designed to Loiter (aeronautics), loiter until a target is designated, then crash into it.LAR company has one LAV-R, except for H&S company, which has 3 to support the battalion. * LAV-C2 (Command & Control) :LAV with a raised roof to accommodate several VHF, UHF and HF radios. It is armed with a pintle-mounted M240E1/G machine gun, and carries 1,000 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition. The vehicle carries a suite of radios, a portable shelter, and an auxiliary power unit (also referred to as APU) to substitute for vehicle power when needed. The LAV-C2A2 has the capability to effectively command and control the battalion, company, or combat team. Each LAR company has two LAV-C2s, except for H&S company, which has 6 to support the battalion. Generally referred to as the C² ("C-square" or "C-two"). * LAV-L (Logistics) :LAV variant that provides transportation for personnel, communications equipment, limited CASEVAC (2 litters), ammunition, fuel, and other supplies. It is armed with a pintle-mounted machine gun, 7.62 mm, M240B and has a cargo capacity of . It carries a crew of three (driver, commander, and logistics crewmember). Each LAR company has four LAV-Ls, except for H&S company, which has 6 to support the battalion File:LAV-AT.jpg, LAV-AT with the 901A1 TOW-2 in 1997 File:LAV-ATM firing TOW missile.jpg, LAV-ATM firing TOW missile File:LAV-M (Mortar).jpg, LAV-M Development continued with two other variants: LAV-AD 1999 firing DM-SD-00-02951

* LAV-AD (Air Defense) :LAV fitted with an electric turret mounting a General Dynamics GAU-12 Equalizer 25 mm (0.984 in) 5-barreled Gatling cannon, and two missile pods each with 4

FIM-92 Stinger The FIM-92 Stinger is an American man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) that operates as an infrared homing surface-to-air missile (SAM). It can be adapted to fire from a wide variety of ground vehicles, and from helicopters and drones as th ...

missiles for short range air defense duties. Manned by a crew of 3 and with a capacity for 990 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, and 16 (including 8 reload rounds) FIM-92 Stinger missiles. A variant using the Mistral missile in place of Stingers was developed for the export market. The LAV-AD can also mount a pod of 70mm Hydra-70 rockets, replacing the one Stinger pod mounted above the GAU-12, to counter

attack helicopters An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive (military), offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their ...

operating beyond the

Stinger A stinger (or sting) is a sharp organ found in various animals (typically insects and other arthropods) capable of injecting venom, usually by piercing the epidermis of another animal. An insect sting is complicated by its introduction of ve ...

’s range, but their effectiveness against moving targets was debated. Originally intended as a near-term solution, the Hydra-70’s ability to reliably hit standoff threats was controversial. *LAV-AG (Assault Gun) In 1987, General Motors tested an EX35 105 mm gun on a LAV chassis. In June 1990, the Marine Corps awarded Cadillac Gage Textron a contract to provide three LAVs, designated the LAV-105, with the EX35 gun. This project was canceled in 1991 due to a lack of funds. However, funding was restored by Congress under the stipulation that the Army and Marine Corps integrate the

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Optical microscope#Objective turret (revolver or revolving nose piece), Objective turre ...

and gun of the LAV-105 with the Armored Gun System chassis. Amid concerns about the potential mismatch between the two components, Congress later nixed this requirement. The Marine Corps revived the LAV-105 in 1993. None were ultimately ordered, though the vehicle did perform well during testing. Other variants: * LAV-MEWSS (Mobile Electronic Warfare Support System) :LAV modified to intercept, collect, and disrupt enemy communications via a vast array of electronic warfare equipment. Each LAR battalion has four LAV-MEWSS vehicles. * LAV-EFSS (Expeditionary Fire Support System) :Proposed replacement for LAV-M, LAV fitted with provisions to use Dragon Fire, a 120 mm recoil mortar system. File:LAV-MEWSS (Mobile Electronic Warfare Support System).jpg, LAV-MEWSS File:Dragon Fire II LAV-M front view.jpg, LAV-EFSS An unknown variant is used by at least one civilian law enforcement agency.

Operators

* Saudi Arabian National Guard * United States Army used by

**Estimated 14 LAV-25 as of January 2025 * United States Marine Corps * Kuwait National Guard

References

External links

Light Armored Vehicles on Navy.mil

LAV-25 page on Militaryfactory.com

USMC Light Armored Vehicle (LAV) page on Olive-drab.com

USMC LAV-25 on Discovermilitary.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lav-25 Reconnaissance vehicles of the United States Wheeled reconnaissance vehicles Wheeled armoured fighting vehicles General Dynamics land vehicles Eight-wheeled vehicles Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s Mowag Piranha