LAV III
The LAV III armoured vehicle (AV) is the latest in the Generation III Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) series built by General Dynamics Land Systems, entering service in 1999.[1] It is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha IIIH 8x8.[2]
It was developed by Canada and is the primary mechanized infantry vehicle of the Canadian Army and the New Zealand Army (whose variant is the NZLAV.[3])[1] The United States Army uses a very similar, more lightly armed vehicle named the Stryker. The LAV III and the Stryker have also been referred to as Land Assault Vehicles.
The LAV III is an 8×8 wheeled armored vehicle with a 25mm M242 Bushmaster[4] cannon (the same as mounted on the LAV-25) and can reach speeds of 100 kilometres per hour.[5] It is transportable by C-130 Hercules cargo plane.
Development
In 1985 the Conservative government of Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney wanted a new vehicle able to go anywhere with a sufficient firepower comparable to the LAV-IIIs. The vehicles was designed and developed by Thyssen-Henschel know has the TH-495 Infantry Combat Vehicle (ICV).[6] [7] [8] [9] Jean Chrétien put an end to the project in mid-1995, and in 1999 the LAV-III was selected for the replacement of the M113s and other vehicles.
==Canadian Forces Land Force Command== According to Lieutenant-General Andrew Leslie, 33 percent of the army's light-armoured vehicles (LAVs) were out of service. He said Ottawa needs to get rid of the red tape and ensure that broken equipment gets fixed.[10]
The Government of Canada recently awarded EODC Engineering, Developing and Licencing Inc. C$81.5 million worth of contracts to provide for add-on-armour kits, modules and spares for its LAV III wheeled armored personnel carriers.[11]
In 2008, Peter MacKay had announced a possible replacement by a vehicle similar to the TH-495. The German Puma (IFV) and Swedish Combat Vehicle 90 were both proposed for the LAVs replacement. The Royal Canadian Military Institute has recommended a heavy version of the LAV-III with V-hull know "LAV-H".[12] [13]
The Defence Department wants $5 billion dollars worth of new armoured vehicles for the Canadian Forces Land Force Command to replace the broken LAV-III due to the War in Afghanistan (2001–present) and upgrade of the existing LAV-III armoured vehicle fleet. [14]
Variants
- Infantry Section Carrier (ISC)
- Command Post Vehicle (CPV)
- TOW Under Armour (TUA) anti-tank
- Observation Post Vehicle (OPV) for artillery forward observation officer (FOO)
- Combat Engineer Vehicle (ELAV)
Combat history
Operators
- Vorlage:Flagicon Land Force Command - 651
- Vorlage:Flagicon U.S. Army - 2,131 Stryker
- Vorlage:Flagicon Saudi Arabian National Guard- 1,950
- Vorlage:Flagicon New Zealand Army - 105 NZLAV
See also
- MOWAG Piranha family tree
- NZLAV
- Mobile Gun System
- ASLAV
- Stryker
- BTR-90
References
External links
- Canadian Army LAV III specifications
- http://www.gdlscanada.com/pdf/LAVspec.pdf
- Prime Portal - LAV III walk-around (1)
- Prime Portal - LAV III walk-around (2)
- Prime Portal - LAV III C2 walk-around
- Prime Portal - LAV III TUA walk-around
- Prime Portal - ELAV walk-around
- ↑ a b [1], Deagel Web site. Accessed 15 February 2008.
- ↑ [2], Army-Technology Web site. Accessed 15 February 2008.
- ↑ [3]
- ↑ [4]
- ↑ The Canadian Army - Equipment
- ↑ Thyssen Henschel TH 495
- ↑ NATO TH-495
- ↑ Image of a TH495
- ↑ BEAR HEAD INDUSTRIES LTD
- ↑ LAV-III out of service
- ↑ Canada Up-Armoring its LAV-IIIs
- ↑ [http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/defencewatch/archive/2008/11/17/canadian-forces-looks-at-cv90-for-new-close-combat-vehicle.aspx CANADIAN FORCES LOOKS AT CV90 FOR NEW CLOSE COMBAT VEHICLE ]
- ↑ Rebuild or Replacement for the LAV III ‘Platform’?
- ↑ Rebuild the LAV III ‘Platform’
