Defence industry

The first eighteen of the Marine Corps’ new Amphibious Combat Vehicle arrived at Twentynine Palms, a Marine Corps’ base in San Bernardino, California, the Marine Corps Times reported. The Amphibious Combat Vehicle, known as the ACV, will replace the Corps’ older and iconic Amphibious Assault Vehicle, which has been in service for nearly 40 years.

The new ACV, manufactured by BAE Systems, differs in several ways from the Marine's AAV. Unlike the legacy ship-to-shore troop transporter, the ACV opts for 8 large-diameter wheels rather than a tracked design. Though the USMC originally pushed against a wheeled design in favor of tracks, improvements to BAE’s design meant that the same level of off-road capability could be met via an 8-wheel drive design.

Surprisingly, the ACV appears to be slower in the water than the older AAV...MORE