Posted in Beijing 2024-01-29 09:51
General Chris Mahoney, assistant commander of the U.S. Marine Corps, said the Marine Corps' first new amphibious combat vehicle in more than 50 years is ready for deployment.
According to General Mahoney, the first amphibious combat vehicles (ACVs) to enter service are replacements for the long-awaited 1970s A** and will be aboard three ships of the Boxer Amphibious Readiness Group in early spring with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Force.
The ACV will be deployed together with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Force, and we have already begun protected water operations. We have very detailed checklists and criteria to get the platform back into unprotected waters, and we're working to address that," Mahoney said, "There's still a lot to do, but I'm confident we'll be trained to bring the procedures and methods to the level we need to have confidence in rough seas." ”
There are no concerns about the material conditions in which ACVs can be deployed, with a focus on certifying staff to operate the vehicle safely.
Until training is complete, the ACV will be deployed aboard the U.S. Navy USS Boxer (LHD-4) and the amphibious warship USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49) as part of the 15th Expeditionary Expeditionary Expedition Pacific deployment. The third ship in the Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG), HMS Somerset (LPD-25), is scheduled to perform a partial floating mission separately from two other ships in support of the Malabar exercise with the Indian and Thai navies later this year.
The ACV was originally scheduled to be deployed last year with the 26th Expeditionary Group on the East Coast on the Bataan ARG, which is currently stationed in the eastern Mediterranean, but was delayed after the Marine Corps completely rewrote the training regime for the new eight-wheeled landing craft and recertified it.
In 2022, an ACV training course was rebuilt after an incident occurred when two ACVs broke down and partially overturned on the coast of California, USA.
Plans for the U.S. Marine Corps to transition from A** to ACV were shelved after an accident off the coast of California in 2020 that killed eight Marines and one sailor. A** unexpectedly left the fleet, prompting the Marine Corps to re-equip its deployed equipment while waiting for the ACV to go live.
The 26th Expedition added 11-meter rigid inflatable boats and Navy SEALs to enhance the expedition's visit, boarding, search and special operations capabilities. According to reports, the Bataan ARG also sent a special team of sailors and marines, trained to provide protection for merchant ships transiting through the Middle East.