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Marines Retire Assault Amphibious Vehicle After 53 Years at Camp Pendleton

The transition advances Force Design modernization with BAE’s eight‑wheeled Amphibious Combat Vehicle promising greater protection and speed for ship‑to‑shore operations.

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Overview

  • The Corps formally decommissioned the AAV during a Sept. 26 sundown ceremony at the Assault Amphibian School at Camp Pendleton, marking the end of the tracked vehicle’s service.
  • Introduced in 1972, the platform served as the Marines’ primary ship‑to‑shore connector across conflicts from Grenada to Iraq and supported humanitarian responses, including post‑Katrina operations.
  • The replacement ACV features a blast‑resistant hull, carries up to 16 Marines, and is built by BAE Systems with reported speeds of about 65 mph on roads and over 6 knots at sea.
  • Marine officials have stated an intention to procure more than 600 ACVs for assault amphibian battalions, with plans calling for about 400 personnel carriers complemented by recovery, command‑and‑control, and 30 mm cannon variants.
  • Following early ACV rollovers in 2022, the service codified training and safety standards, and units have recently conducted shipboard launches and exercises, even as some Reserve units retain a small number of AAVs for the next year or so.