--- title: "Army To Get Marine LAVs For The First Time" date: "2017-05-01" modified: "2017-05-01" authors: - name: "James Clark" job_title: "Editor-in-Chief" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/james-clark.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/army-gets-marine-lavs-for-first-time/" categories: - "Army" - "Around the World" - "Marine Corps" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Tech & Tactics" - "United States" - "Vehicles" --- # Army To Get Marine LAVs For The First Time ![]() As the military’s smallest service, the Marine Corps is often the last to receive new gear — [getting M4s]() and upgraded .50-cal machine guns years after the Army’s already had them in spades — leading to a sense that Marines get the other branches’ hand-me-downs. Well, looks like it’s the Army’s turn. For what’s probably the first time in its history, the Army is looking to acquire modified Marine Light Armored Vehicles for air drop operations with the 82nd Airborne Division, [according to Military Times.]() The LAV popped up on the Army’s radar due to its potential for airborne operations. Compared to the Army’s Stryker infantry vehicle, the eight-wheeled LAV is lighter — between 31,000 to 38,000 pounds depending on the variant — and roughly four LAVs can fit into a C-17, compared to three Strykers. The LAV-25s being eyed by the Army require a three-person crew, carry six additional passengers, and boast a 25 mm gun. ![]() Light Armored Vehicle-25s from Bravo Troop, 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, line up in a tactical formation during a live fire training exercise.U.S. Army photo by Liem H Huynh To get acquainted with the amphibious reconnaissance vehicle, soldiers with the 82nd’s 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, have conducted simulator training alongside Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; driver training at Camp Pendleton in California; and maintenance training at Fort Lee, Virginia. The Corps also sent four LAVs for testing and training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where soldiers are familiarizing themselves with the vehicles. Related: The Marines Are Eyeing A Badass Speedboat That Transforms Into A Spy Sub » General Dynamics, which produces the LAVs, is currently modifying three of them to be air dropped, according to Military Times. Though the company successfully air dropped both Strykers and LAVs in the early 2000s, this is the first time any military client has asked for LAVs to be modified — the chassis need parachute-rigging attachments installed — for that mission. The Army has shown interest in obtaining up to 60 LAV-25s from the Marine Corps, Barb Hamby, a spokesperson for Marine Corps Systems Command told Military Times. With the Army poised to receive Marine Corps hand-me-downs — while the Corps scopes out a hybrid spy sub — this news sounds too good to be true. But, if the Army does decide to take a bunch of LAVs off the Marines’ hands, the soldiers with the 82nd may want to set aside some time to repaint the interior. There’s no telling how many dick drawings grace the inside of a Marine LAV. ## Author James Clark is the editor-in-chief of Task & Purpose. He is a Marine veteran and former combat correspondent. He deployed twice to Afghanistan with 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, first to Marjah in 2010, and then to Kajaki and Sangin in 2011. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]() ## More - [For Once, The Army Is Getting The Marine Corps’ Old Crap]() - [This amphibious recon vehicle might end up replacing the Marine Corps’ decades-old LAV fleet]() - [Here’s why the Marine Corps strapped a rare electronic warfare LAV to the deck of a warship]() - [The Marine Corps’ first new amphibious vehicle since Vietnam is getting a 30mm cannon]() - [Here are the first Army and Marine Corps units heading to the border]() - [This is the Marine Corps’ wish list for its next high-tech recon vehicle]() - [The Army doesn’t want the M10 Booker. Do the Marines need it?]() - [Soldier killed in vehicle rollover in Syria was ‘adored by everyone who knew him’]()