Re: Manouverability of AIFVs

>OO said:
>The LAV is a lot lighter than the Bradley and has rather less internal
>volume, but most of that reduction comes from its the lesser *width*
>(the LAV III is only about 2.5 meters wide, compared to the 3.2+ meters
>of the Bradley and BMP-3) rather than lesser *height* (it is nearly as
>high over the *hull* as the BMP-3 is over the *turret roof*). (The
>Bradley, of course, is both tall *and* wide!) While narrow width is
>important for maneuverability, especially in cramped places, low height
>is a far more important dimension for not being seen by the enemy...
and
>also for how big the vehicle looks when you stand next to it :-/
>
>[Tomb] Oerjan, correct me if I'm wrong, but about 36 hours ago I read a
>comparison of MTVL (think I got the order right), M113 ACAV (or an
>uprated version of same), M2 and LAV-III. In a few categories
>(resistance to mines, self deployability), the LAV-III won. In terms of
>air transportability (with anything approaching an actual combat
loadout
>of ammo and fuel....), it lost. In terms of bang for the buck, it lost.
>In terms of ability to be effectively fitted with reactive armour, it
>lost.

Sounds like one the comparisons posted to StrategyPage.com over the past

few months. I know the LAV lost the armour protection contest to the M2 
(which is even harder to air deploy), but did it lose to the MTLV and
M113 
as well?

>  In terms of manouverability, it lost because the tracklayers can
>spin in place and the LAV has a 53 foot turning circle....

Sorry, I should have been clearer. The "narrow width is important for 
maneuverability" was intended as a generic bit, not specific to a 
comparison between the wheeled LAV and the tracked BMP and M2; it was
most 
definitely *not* intended to imply that the LAV is more maneuverable
than 
the tracks! If your vehicle is too wide to move between the 
houses/boulders/whatever, it doesn't matter much if you can turn 
in  place... you're stuck anyway <g>

Later,

Oerjan
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."