Marine Corps News, news from Iraq - Marine Corps Times

First LVSR truck arrives in Afghanistan

The Marine Corps’ next-generation 10-wheel heavy hauler has arrived in Afghanistan, and nearly 100 could be delivered there by the end of the year.

The first Logistics Vehicle System Replacement was delivered to deployed forces from Combat Logistics Regiment 2, of Camp Lejeune, N.C., in September, Marine officials said. The Corps expects to receive 1,592 through a $740.2 million contract signed in June 2006.

The trucks are used to carry everything from supplies to bulldozers, and can haul 22½ tons on highways. The first LVSR was sent to Camp Leatherneck, and the Corps expects to have about 95 in Afghanistan by the end of the year, said Dave Branham, a spokesman with Program Executive Office Land Systems, based at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

The 36-foot trucks will replace existing Logistics Vehicle Systems, fielded in the 1980s. While the older models hauled similar weights, the new trucks will have beefed-up armor, an improved gun turret that rotates using a battery-powered motorized kit and other upgrades.

The LVSR is designed so the front two and back two axles can be steered, reducing the turning radius to 83 feet, said Tom Merckx, director of Marine Corps programs for Oshkosh.

“Without that, it would be 90 to 100 feet,” he said. “For getting around the terrain they're going to be experiencing in Afghanistan, it’s going to be a huge step forward.”

The new trucks are fitted with the TAK-4 suspension system, another move to improve its off-road ability, company officials said. Now in use on 7-ton Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements and some Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles, the TAK-4 will help compensate for the weight of communications gear and the wraparound gun turret kit added to many Marine vehicles to better protect gunners.

For safety, the new trucks will include energy-absorbing seats and the ability to install an add-on armor “B” kit that includes armored doors, blast-proof windshields and armor panels, Branham said.