At the end of September, the U.S. Marine Corps held a farewell ceremony for its old AAV-7A1 amphibious assault vehicles, marking the end of more than five decades of service in the institution. This platform is already being gradually replaced by the new 8×8 ACV-30 models, developed by BAE Systems, whose first unit was delivered in early 2024. The recently retired vehicles may end up in the hands of the Armed Forces of Greece and Romania.
The event took place at the Assault Amphibian School in Camp Pendleton, California. During the ceremony, a small parade of AAV-7A1 vehicles was held, which also featured a Marine dressed as an “alligator,” a nickname the tracked vehicles earned during their years of service. “Amtrac” was another common name used to refer to these types of vehicles.
In his speech, Colonel Lynn W. Berendsen, commander of the Assault Amphibian School, stated: “The AAV-P7 has been many things: a ship-to-shore connector, an armored combat vehicle, a troop transport, a logistics platform, and at times, even a rescue craft. Most importantly, it was present wherever Marines left their mark in combat, in service, and in sacrifice (…) The AAV provided Marines with mobility and armored protection, allowing them to close in on the enemy and seize objectives quickly. In the desert, just as on the Pacific beaches decades earlier, it proved to be more than just a connector—it was an essential combat vehicle for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.”
It should be recalled that the vehicle entered service in 1972 under the original designation LVTP-7, as a smaller and longer-range successor to the LVTP-5 models used since the 1950s. At the time, the model was innovative for incorporating a rear-mounted jet propulsion system that allowed it to move through water using powerful water jets—something that previously depended solely on the tracks. It was also equipped with an M85 .50-caliber machine gun mounted atop the hull, and several variants were developed for command-and-control and vehicle recovery roles.
By the early 1980s, the Marine Corps’ LVTP-7 fleet underwent major modernization upgrades, including a new engine, transmission, and improvements to the water-jet system. It was then redesignated as the AAVP-7. Later on, the original machine gun was replaced with M2 variants and 40mm Mk.19 grenade launchers. In the 1990s, the vehicles received Enhanced Appliqué Armor Kits (EAAK), which increased protection against small arms fire and shrapnel, along with further propulsion system upgrades.
The AAV also has an extensive operational record both within the USMC and in foreign forces. Among its deployments were multinational peacekeeping operations in Lebanon in the early 1980s, the U.S. intervention in Grenada in 1983, and, in its export version, service with Argentine forces during the 1982 Malvinas War. The vehicle also saw action in the 1991 Gulf War, in U.S. operations in Somalia, and again in Iraq in 2003, where it was involved in a friendly-fire incident with A-10 Warthog aircraft.
The vehicle’s retirement, now formally completed, had been expected since the previous decade following several failed (and costly) attempts to replace it with the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV). In 2018, the Marine Corps decided to procure the aforementioned ACV-30 instead. By 2020, a tragic accident that claimed the lives of nine Marines led to the AAVP-7 losing its authorization for seaborne operations, except for emergency response missions. Meanwhile, the ACV-30 began to assume a greater role in international deployments, as seen in Japan during 2024.
Looking ahead, the retired AAVP-7s may continue to serve in allied nations, notably Greece and Romania. In 2023, the U.S. Department of State authorized the sale of up to 63 units to Greece in a deal valued at approximately USD 268 million. Romania also received authorization that same year for the purchase of 16 vehicles, at an estimated cost of USD 120.5 million.
Images used for illustrative purposes.
You may also like: As production continues for other countries, RTX has completed the delivery of 500 ESSM Block 2 missiles to the U.S. Navy
