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![The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV)]()
The Marine Corps have rolled out a prototype of its planned 21st century armored amphibious vehicle, a day after Defense Secretary Robert Gates publicly questioned anew the need for such a means of storming beaches amid fast-developing high-tech coastal defenses.![Up_the_Beach]()
The Marines parked the nearly 40-ton, 11-foot tall, desert-sand-colored prototype against a backdrop of a museum here whose design evokes the iconic shot of the U.S. flag-raising on Iwo Jima after a World War 2 landing.![Camoflauged]()
It would send 17 combat-ready Marines and a three-strong crew from sea to shore in the tradition of amphibious battles the Corps has fought for more than 200 years. The average EFV is projected to cost $16 million, not including development costs.![Attack Mode]()
Gates first called into question the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, or EFV, program last April, prompting speculation he might try to kill it or cap it. Since then, he has sealed the fate of other big-ticket programs such as Lockheed Martin Corp's F-22 fighter jet and an $87 billion Army ground vehicle effort led by Boeing Co.![One Big Gun]()
The EFV is designed to hit up to 25 knots at sea, three times the existing amphibious speed using twin waterjets, and 42 miles on land using its tracks, a General Dynamics brochure said.![Attack Mode]()
Marines Corps brass at a rollout ceremony adjacent to their Quantico base referred to the storied amphibious operations from Iwo Jima to Inchon to Desert Storm after the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait in August 1990.![In the Water]()
The craft would roll off a Navy amphibious assault ship, disperse across landing sites, cross the beach and punch inland. Typically, it would be launched 25 miles off shore, permitting the fleet to operate "over the horizon," where it theoretically would be less vulnerable to enemy fire, although some suggest the 25-mile stand-off will not be enough to escape cruise missiles in coming years.![Making a Splash]()
There are two variants of the vehicle. The EFVP1 with a 3-man crew will conduct expeditionary warfare from seabases by initiating amphibious operations from 20-25 miles, transporting 17 combat-equipped Marines to inland objectives.![Motor_Boating]()
The command variant, the EFVC1, provides the same survival and mobility capabilities found in the EFVP1, but it will be employed as a tactical command post for maneuver unit commanders at the battalion and regimental level.Marines Unveil New Amphibious Vehicle
The age-old battle cry "Send in the Marines" is summoning a hulking new amphibious vehicle. But to go into production, the $13.2 billion program must climb a tough hill in Washington.
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- Marines Unveil New Amphibious Vehicle
