One of the largest—and most visible—displays of federal assistance in the area stricken by Hurricane Harvey is a 30-ton, 27-foot armored vehicle. The Amphibious Assault Vehicle, or AAV, is designed to take Marines from ships to the beachhead and beyond, but this month it's been trying to help out rain-soaked Texas.
The AAV is the latest in a long line of amphibious vehicles first developed for the island-hopping campaigns of World War II. The first vehicles were known as Buffaloes during World War II and Korea, then amtracs ("amphibious tractors") during the Vietnam War. Such vehicles are tracked, fully amphibious, lightly armed and armored, and capable of taking a reinforced squad of marines from a ship to the beachhead and beyond if necessary.
Here's a video of AAVs in the Hurricane-affected area:
AAVs have high, boat-shaped hulls, meaning they can drive on their tracks through relatively high water. If the water gets really high, the vehicles are naturally buoyant and can travel at speeds of up to 8 miles an hour via a pair of rear-mounted water jets. At 60,000 lbs., the AAV is impervious to high winds, rain, or virtually anything a weather disaster can throw at it, with the possible exception of a direct hit from a hurricane or tornado.
AAVs can perform rescue missions in flooded areas if necessary, with a spacious passenger area designed to accommodate up to 21 combat-ready Marines. Where they might be more useful, however, is bringing relief supplies from one part of Houston to the other, as flooded areas are no obstacle.
According to Defensetech, 56 Marines of Charlie Company, 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion based out of Galveston, Texas are currently in involved in the relief effort. The battalion is in turn part of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve's 4th Marine Division based in New Orleans. An assault amphibian battalion typically has 233 AAVs, and a company like Charlie Company would typically operate a quarter of those vehicles.
The AAV was first fielded in 1972 and despite a number of upgrades over the lifetime of the fleet a new vehicle is needed. The Marine Corps plans to replace the AAV with the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, or ACV.
Kyle Mizokami is a writer on defense and security issues and has been at Popular Mechanics since 2015. If it involves explosions or projectiles, he's generally in favor of it. Kyle’s articles have appeared at The Daily Beast, U.S. Naval Institute News, The Diplomat, Foreign Policy, Combat Aircraft Monthly, VICE News, and others. He lives in San Francisco.
