Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle

The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, first called the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle, was a fast amphibious tracked assault vehicle developed by General Dynamics Land Systems for the United States Marine Corps, meant to replace the AAV-7A1. It was to be launched from an amphibious ship over the horizon and carry 17 marines and a crew of three to shore at up to 25 knots, planing on the water on an aluminium hull with waterjet propulsors, then travel cross-country with Abrams-like agility. A custom MTU Friedrichshafen diesel drove it, and its turret held a 30 mm Bushmaster II cannon and a 7.62 mm machine gun. Development began in the late 1980s and a full-scale engineering contract followed in June 1996, but reliability problems and rising costs led Defense Secretary Robert Gates to recommend cancellation on 6 January 2011, after about three billion dollars had been spent.