54 AAV7 ARMORED LANDING VEHICLES TO BE COMMISSIONED
ROC Central News Agency
2006-03-27 14:48:29
Taipei, March 27 (CNA) A total of 54 AAV7 advanced amphibious assault vehicles purchased from the United States are scheduled to be commissioned Tuesday to serve at Army bases in northern and southern Taiwan, military sources said Monday.
The highly mobile, armored full-tracked AAV7s will replace the older LVTP5s which have been used by the ROC Army for decades.
The AAV7 Amtrack, currently in use in eight countries, provides protected transport for up to 25 combat-equipped Marines or 4.5 tons of supplies through all types of terrain, according to the sources.
The landing vehicle has a maximum speed of 13km/h in the water and 73km/h on land, enabling it to achieve effective ship to shore transporting operations in a variety of adverse sea/land conditions. It mounts an MK19 40 mm grenade launcher and an M2 HB 0.50 caliber machine gun.
Half of the 54 AAV7 assault amphibious vehicles will be used in the Kaohsiung-Pingtung area in southern Taiwan, while the remaining 27 will be deployed in Linko, northern Taiwan.
Those deployed in Linko will take on "anti-decapitation" and "strategic preparedness" missions, carrying Marines or troops in water operations from the Tamshui River directly to the Taipei basin in the event of war, the sources said.
(By Deborah Kuo)
ENDITEM/Li
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