Photo: BAE Systems
It's been more than a year now since Russia invaded Ukraine and kickstarted the deadliest conflict on the Old Continent since the end of the Second World War, and things don't seem to be letting up. If anything, they kind of appear to move in the other direction.
Knowing that in the absence of some sort of agreement the conflict could spill over Ukraine's borders any day now, Europe's militaries are doing their best to get ready for the worst-case scenario. And one way to do that is by attending specialized defense shows and see what's new in terms of weaponry.
There's one such show taking place as we speak in Madrid, Spain. Called FEINDEF, it's the go-to venue for the latest in defense and security. And it's also where the BAE Systems-made Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), currently in use at the hands of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), is being shown for the first time outside the United States.
ACV is actually an umbrella term for a family of vehicles built on an 8x8 platform and capable of moving both over land and on water. At the time of writing there are four versions of it available (ACV-P, ACV-C, ACV-30, and ACV-R), each tailored to a different and specific job, from providing situational awareness and troop transport to field and combat support (the ACV-30 version packs a stabilized, medium caliber Remote Turret System).
Generally speaking, though, such a vehicle weighs up to 35 tons and, depending on configuration, can carry a crew of up to 16 people. The things have a range of up to 325 miles (523 km), and can move at speeds of 65 mph (105 kph) on paved roads and at seven mph (11 kph) in the water.
The variant shown in Spain these days is the ACV-P, the one that serves as basis for all the others. In this configuration the vehicle can carry 13 fully equipped soldiers plus an operating crew of three people.
It is, according to its maker, "the only truly amphibious combat vehicle in full-rate production today," and that's also a hint as to why the vehicle was shipped all the way to Europe.
And that reason would be that BAE plans to make customers of several other nations on the war-fearing European continent. It'll start with the Infanteria de Marina Espanola, but plans are to go much deeper, as the ACV can be customized to pretty much any specification desired by European nations.
It's not clear at this point how many nations outside the U.S. have expressed interest in this family of vehicles, but given the current situation on the continent don't be surprised if you see the ACV deployed by more and more nations there soon.
There's one such show taking place as we speak in Madrid, Spain. Called FEINDEF, it's the go-to venue for the latest in defense and security. And it's also where the BAE Systems-made Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), currently in use at the hands of the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC), is being shown for the first time outside the United States.
ACV is actually an umbrella term for a family of vehicles built on an 8x8 platform and capable of moving both over land and on water. At the time of writing there are four versions of it available (ACV-P, ACV-C, ACV-30, and ACV-R), each tailored to a different and specific job, from providing situational awareness and troop transport to field and combat support (the ACV-30 version packs a stabilized, medium caliber Remote Turret System).
Generally speaking, though, such a vehicle weighs up to 35 tons and, depending on configuration, can carry a crew of up to 16 people. The things have a range of up to 325 miles (523 km), and can move at speeds of 65 mph (105 kph) on paved roads and at seven mph (11 kph) in the water.
The variant shown in Spain these days is the ACV-P, the one that serves as basis for all the others. In this configuration the vehicle can carry 13 fully equipped soldiers plus an operating crew of three people.
It is, according to its maker, "the only truly amphibious combat vehicle in full-rate production today," and that's also a hint as to why the vehicle was shipped all the way to Europe.
And that reason would be that BAE plans to make customers of several other nations on the war-fearing European continent. It'll start with the Infanteria de Marina Espanola, but plans are to go much deeper, as the ACV can be customized to pretty much any specification desired by European nations.
It's not clear at this point how many nations outside the U.S. have expressed interest in this family of vehicles, but given the current situation on the continent don't be surprised if you see the ACV deployed by more and more nations there soon.
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