(Marine Corps Times) Editorial: Dump the EFV now

[unhappycamper]

Dump the EFV now

After spending $1.2 billion in development, and six years after its original delivery date, the Marine Corps wants another $1 billion to re-engineer its Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle.

The EFV, conceived to skim the water at 30 mph, then hit the beach and do 60 on land, was to provide a transformational capability akin to what the MV-22 Osprey delivers in the air, blowing away the simple AAVs that belch exhaust into the troop compartment and were put into service when most Marines’ fathers were still in high school.

It was also supposed to hit the fleet six years ago. But delays, excuses and cost overruns have doomed it to perpetual-future status. In a milestone operational assessment in 2006, the EFV managed only three of 21 scheduled tests, and performed miserably in those.

How miserably? The gun turret broke off. Really.

It would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.


Rest of article at: http://marinecorpstimes.com/community/opinion/marine_editorial_efv_030209/%2e



uhc comment: Meet the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle:



General Dynamics Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV)


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EFV

Type Amphibious Assault Vehicle
Place of origin United States
Service history
In service 2015 (Planned).<1>
Used by United States Marine Corps
Production history
Manufacturer General Dynamics
Variants EFVP
EFVC

Specifications

Weight 34,473 kg. (38 tons)
Length 10.67 m (35 ft)
length 9.33 m (30.6 ft)
Width 3.66 m (12 ft)
Height 3.28 m (10.7 ft) (turret roof)
Crew 3+17
Armor ceramic/composite
Primary armament 1 x 30 mm/40 mm MK44 cannon
Secondary armament 1 x 7.62 mm Machinegun
Engine MTU MT 883 Ka-523 diesel engine 2,702 hp (water), 850 hp (land)
Power/weight 34.48 bhp/ton

Operational

range 523 km (325 miles) (land), 120 km (74 miles) (water)
Speed 72.41 km/h (44.99 mph) (road), 46 km/h (28.58 mph) (water)

[Sherman A1]

1. Another boondoggle weapon system

Thanks UHC for this post. I think the article is right in that we really have no enemy coasts to invade and the refurbished AAV's (when combined with LCAC's & helicopters) can do the job into the foreseeable future. This is simply a waste of time and precious money.

I would say, bring back the Higgins Boats, but that might be based upon a recent visit to the D-Day Museum in NOLA.


I just don't understand why we need to re-invent the wheel with every new weapon system. The thing is an APC that goes from ship to shore on it's own, we have done that before and could easily look at past designs to cover this "need" if there really is one at all.