AAV7A1 Amphibious APC, USA

LVTP5A1 Amphibious APC

The Landing Vehicle, Tracked, Personnel 5A1, or LVTP5A1, dates from the early 1950s. It has been out of service with its original users, the US Marine Corps, since the mid-1970s, having been replaced by the LVTP7/AAV7 (see previous entry), The type still soldiers on with nations such as Chile, the Philippines and Taiwan, the latter still operating a fleet of over 350 LVTP5A1 vehicles by some accounts, The LVTP5A1 was a successor to the US Marines' amphibious assault vehicles from World War 2 era and is thus a bulky armoured steel box on a tracked chassis, powered by a fuel-thirsty V-12 petrol engine. The main troop compartment, or hold, has seating for up to 34 Marines; up to 45 standing personnel could be carried as an emergency measure. With the seating removed there is capacity to carry up to 5.4 tonnes of combat supplies for floating operations (over 8 tonnes when on land), a towed 105 mm howitzer and some ammunition, or small Jeeptype vehicles, all of which may be loaded through a large roof hatch. Once in the water the LVTP5A1 is propelled by its tracks which have special water grouseis to aid propulsion.

The usual armament carried is a 7.62 mm MG over a roof hatch, although there was a fire support model known as the LVTH6 with a two-man turret mounting a short-barrelled 105 mm howitzer.

Other variants included a command vehicle converted from the APC, a recovery vehicle, and a combat engineer model with a front-mounted dozer blade. A kit could convert the APC into an ambulance. How many of these variants remain in service is not known.

The Taiwanese have carried out their own update modifications to their LVTP5A1 fleet, including the replacement of the petrol engine by more fuelefficient 750 hp diesel packs and the installation of a revised fuel system.

LVTP5A1 Amphibious APC

Specification:

Crew: 3

Seating: 34 Weight: (combat) 30,144 kg Length: 9.042 m Width: 3.567 m Height: (hull top) 2.565 m Ground clearance: 0.457 m Track: approx 2.97 m Max speed: (road) 48 km/h Fuel capacity: 1,726 litres Range: 306 km Fording: amphibious

Vertical obstacle: 0.9 m

Engine: Continental LV-1790-1 V-12 petrol Power output: 810 hp Suspension: torsilastic Armament: 1 x 7.62 mm MG Variants: See text

Despite its design age the LVTP-5 amphibious APCis still operated by Taiwan and others.