The LAV-25 is used primarily by the USMC as an amphibious armored personal carrier, also known as an APC. Built by General Dynamic Land Systems in Canada, it is based on Switzerland’s MOWAG Piranha I. The LAV-25 has eight weels and is run by a 6V53T Detroit Diesel turbo-charged engine. While the LAV-25 is capable of floating and moving in water, it is limited in its ability to only travel in non-ocean bodies of water. While the LAV-25 can travel 12 km/h in water, it can travel 100 km/h on land. The Service Life Extension Program (SLEP) which is currently in place, however, will most likely dissolve the LAV-25′s ability to travel on anything other than land.

The LAV-25 is accomodated with a M242 Bushmaster 25 mm cannon, two M240 7.62 mm machine guns, and two 4-barrel grenade launchers which are usually only loaded with smoke bombs and are located on the front left and right sides of the turret. The LAV-25 can hold combat gear and four passengers in addition to its three man crew: the Vehicle Commander, the Gunner, and the Driver.

Since the late 90s, the vehicle has seen many changes and modifications while funding has been approved for even further upgrades. The new improvements will include more of both internal and external ballastic armor, improved fire suppression equipment, increased suspension, an electric drive system for the turret hydraulics, and replacing the old thermal sight with a new one that uses a laser range finder.

The LAV-25 is equipped with a 360 degree turret and armed with an M242 25 mm chain gun with 420 rounds of 25 mm ammunition, with both armor piercing capabilities and high explosives. In addition to the M242, both an M240c machine gun and a M240 G/B machine gun are mounted to the main turret.

A similar tank, known as the LAV-AT, is designed for anti-tank warfare and can easily demonstrate such abilities with its Emerson 901A1 TOW II ATGM launcher. It’s also mounted by an M240E1 machine gun.

The LAV-M is a mortar tank, manufactured with an opening roof and an 81 mm M252 mortar that has 360 degrees of destruction and a M240E1 machine gun.

The LAV-AD is designed with air defense in mind and is equipped with an electric turret that has a 25 mm GAU-12 Equalizer gattling cannon mounted on top, alongside two four-missile pods, which hold FIM-92 Stinger Surface To Air Missiles. While this model of the LAV is no longer in use, a variant of it has been created for foreign trade.

The LAV-R is a recovery vehicle that has a boom crane and a recovery winch in order to retrieve damaged vehicles: LAVs in particular. It is also armed with a M240 E1/G machine gun and carries a sufficient ammount of ammunition.

The LAV-C2 is a mobile command center and sports a raised roof in order to fit several VHF, UHF and HF radios. It has a M240 E1/G machine gun and is usually referred to as the “C-Square”.

The LAV is also modified in various ways to introduce the LAV-Log (a logistics vehicle), the LAV-MEWSS (an eletronic warfare specialist), and a future replacement of the LAV-M has been suggested, called the LAV-EFSS (which is adapted with provisions in the use of Dragon Fire, a 120 mm recoil mortar system).