Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle

Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV)
General Dynamics Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV)
Type	Amphibious assault vehicle
Place of origin	United States of America
Service history
In service	Canceled
Used by	United States Marine Corps
Production history
Manufacturer	General Dynamics
Unit cost	US$22.3 million
Variants	EFVP EFVC
Specifications
Weight	Gross vehicle weight fully loaded 79,300 pounds (35.97 metric ton)
Length	10.67 m (35 ft)
Width	3.66 m (12 ft)
Height	3.28 m (10.7 ft) (turret roof)
Crew	3 crew
Passengers	17 fully equipped Marines (EFVP) 7 command crew (EFVPC)
Armor	armor panels made of ceramic, S-2 fiberglass, and a Kevlar-like woven fabric in three separate layers, armor offers protection against machine gun and artillery fragments weighs 20 pounds per square foot, 14.5 mm AP at 300 Meters, 155/152 mm fragments at 15 Meters
Main armament	fully stabilized and digitally controlled Mk44 Bushmaster II Mod 0 30 mm cannon (EFVP) M240 Machine Gun, 7.62 mm Coax (EFVPC)
Engine	MTU Friedrichshafen MT 883 Ka-524 diesel engine 2,702 hp (2,016 kW) (water), 850 hp (635 kW) (land)
Power/weight	34.48 bhp/ton
Transmission	Allison X4560 six speed transmission; water propulsion through two 23-inch-diameter water jets
Suspension	14 retractable independent Hydraulic Suspension Units (HSU’s) with two nitrogen gas charges
Fuel capacity	325 gallons
Operational range	land: 523 km (325 miles) water: 120 km (74 miles)
Speed	road: 72.41 km/h (45 mph) water: 46 km/h (28.6 mph)

The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) (formerly known as the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle) was an amphibious assault vehicle developed by General Dynamics for use by the U.S. Marine Corps. It would have been launched at sea, from an amphibious assault ship beyond the horizon, able to transport a full Marine rifle squad to shore. It would maneuver cross country with an agility and mobility equal to or greater than the M1 Abrams.

The EFV was designed to replace the aging AAV-7A1 Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV), which entered service in 1972, and was the Marine Corps' number one priority ground weapon system acquisition. It was to have had three times the speed in water and about twice the armor of the AAV, as well as superior firepower. The vehicle was to be deployed in 2015; however, on 6 January 2011, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended the EFV program be canceled. The program, which was projected to cost $15 billion, had already cost $3 billion.

The Marines asked for the EFV to be canceled in favor of the Assault Amphibian Vehicle Service Life Extension Program and the Marine Personnel Carrier, which itself became phase one of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle.

In the 1980s, the US Marine Corps developed an "over the horizon" strategy for ocean based assaults. The intention was to protect naval ships from enemy mines and shore defenses. It included the MV-22 Osprey, the Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), and the EFV.

Development for the AAAV began in August 1974 with Landing Vehicle Assault (LVA) prototypes that continued in the early 1980s at the command at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The AAAV's predecessor, the LVTP7, had its life expectancy extended in 1983–84 by use of a service life extension program, which modified and upgraded many of the key systems, creating the LVTP7A1 and re-designated it the AAVP7A1. At the time these vehicles were released, the USMC had anticipated and communicated delivery of the AAAV by 1993. As a result of delays, the AAVP7A1 has received another service life extension-type upgrade in the mid 1990s while the USMC still awaits final development and delivery of the AAAV, 14 years behind original projected time frames.