Light Armoured Vehicles

In the 1991 Gulf war, the US marine force used Light Armoured Vehicles (LAV) for the first time.  The ‘Tip of the Spear’ by Greg.J.Michael, is one such book, which tries to give an insight into the use of LAV’s in fighting, and the people who managed these vehicles. It looks at the purpose and efficiency of these vehicles. The training required to drive these vehicles, the capability of the commissioned officers, for the whole component to be practical and flexible.
The much slower M-113 carriers were replaced by the eight wheeled LAV’s, which were used for inspection, tracking the weapons course and emergency missions. The LAV can carry more than 6 people at a time which may include a chief, driver, gunner and four other scouts. The LAV’s are fast and flexible but not at all heavy, and they can also manage a speed of more than 60mph. The LAV is a compact vehicle and it can be airlifted to any spot. The newly designed infrared sight-equipped LAV’s are also designed in such a manner that they can be operated even during the nights.
The LAV’s experience in the battlefield will control the upcoming use of the armoured vehicles in the US military. The LAV-25 which was used in the Gulf war, gave a very good service to the US military. The LAV’s come in different versions and the people driving them can be satisfied that the tyres are also made in such a material that even if they become flat, the vehicle keeps moving. Improvement in technology and access to better resources helped design the LAV’s, which are able to give such good quality of service and experience in war.

References
Frank Lopez, ‘Tip of the Spear’, Retrieved 22 October 2007, http://www.geocities.com/pmcmssr/lav.html