GenDyn EVF a Bargain at $150 Million?

Big, ugly, cumbersome, expensive....and just what the U.S. Marine Corps needs right now? The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle; an 80,000 pound war machine which, if it can deliver on its promises, would deliver a crew of 3 and a contingent of 17 armed Marines to the shores of even the most hotly contested beach in the world in the air-conditioned comfort of a heavily armored fighting vehicle. Equipped with two massive waterjet propulsion nozzles, a retractable hydropneumatic suspension and hydraulically actuated bow, the EFV would be launched from U.S. Navy ships miles offshore (and presumably out of range of land-based cannons and missiles) in order to secure a hostile, well-defended beachhead.

Also mounting a Mark 44 Bushmaster II 30mm cannon (capable of firing up to 250 rounds per minute at a range of 2,200 yards) in a rotating, armored turret, the EFV could take out enemy firing positions before disgorging its squad of heavily armed Marines. Reminiscent of LVTs (Landing Vehicles, Tank) used in U.S. island hopping campaigns of World War II and the LVTP 5 used in Korea and Vietnam as well as the AAVP used in Kuwait (and still stocked in the Marines' inventory), the EVP may well be the priciest armored vesicle on the world market at $150 million for seven prototypes.

General Dynamics Land Systems and Marine Commandment James Conway believe "The EFV is essential to the Marine Corps mission. There are programs that are absolutely and vitally important. One of those is our EFV." GenDyn and General Conway have not yet explained why the Marin Corps mission cannot be accomplished with existing technologies such as teh Osprey VTOL aircraft and the even more massive LCAC. Also, no one has yet explained to the public what beach landings against hostile forces are anticipated within the roughly 30 year lifespan of the EFV program.

I am one of the loudest proponents of new, technologically advanced warfare systems (if they make military and economic sense) and fully support U.S. armed forces, but even I have to question the wisdom of such ridiculous expenditures when U.S. military action of the next thirty years is likely to be waged against (1) low level insurgents such as in Iraq and Afghanistan, or (2) superpowers such as Communist China. If nothing else, the program and the systems need to be publicly vetted before additional funds are committed to the EFV.

[Images are courtersy of The Orange County Register and copyrighted 2010]

David Baker

The Airsoft Lawyer