New Thermal Sights for the USMC AAVP7

thatguy96 · #1 April 9th, 2008, 10:53 AM

That was my job heh. To put everything in the past tense essentially. My uncle also works on the thing and has talked vaguely about a number of issues remaining on it, mostly centering on the reliability issues cited in the GAO report.

Marek_Tucan · #2 April 9th, 2008, 10:55 AM

2015? Why do I suspect we'll see Starship Troopers sooner than EFV?

thatguy96 · #3 April 9th, 2008, 10:56 AM

Heh, Don, at this rate would a WinSPMBT-Future with a timeline from 2020-? not be more appropriate

Suhiir · #4 April 9th, 2008, 11:21 AM

I'm guessing 2015 myself.

As to the AAVE7, yeah it's just a matter of hanging a mine rake off the bow and sticking a line-charge in the back of any AAVP7 rather then a custom built variant.
But that's the whole point - not needing a custom built variant.

As to actual use, yeah we used them in Gulf War I when breaching the minefields.
I remember some Iraqi's on the other side watching us while they were waiting to surrender and a couple running over to see what we'd fired across the mine field when the engineers cut loose with the line-charge and it didn't go off immediately ... the engineers tried to wave them off but ...

thatguy96 · #5 April 9th, 2008, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Suhiir said:
As to the AAVE7, yeah it's just a matter of hanging a mine rake off the bow and sticking a line-charge in the back of any AAVP7 rather then a custom built variant.
But that's the whole point - not needing a custom built variant.

Is there actually a mine plow for the AAVP series? I've never seen a picture of one with it fitted. Also a google search turns up these forums as the only hits for a the AAVE designation. It would appear that this is an informal designation applied to AAVPs with the MICLIC pallet.

Suhiir · #6 April 9th, 2008, 01:22 PM

I just looked thru my photo's from Gulf I, unfortunately I was a bit busy during the minefield breaching and didn't have time to take any pictures.

It's entirely possible, and in fact probable, the one I recall seeing (and as I recall there was only one with a rake) was a jury-rig.

Always remember, "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome" is the unofficial USMC Motto *chuckles*.

thatguy96 · #7 April 9th, 2008, 01:55 PM

Well it would also seem extremely reasonable since that capability was essentially lost with the retirement of the LVTE1 (do you know when that happened?). Did it resemble the one on the LVTE1? That would seem like a logical choice in my mind, to simply strip them off older vehicles and apply them to new ones.