Marines Ground All New Amphibious Vehicles
Tow-hook problem suspends all 54 ACVs.
By Caitlin M. Kenney
Staff Reporter
September 3, 2021 05:55 PM ET
Marine Corps
The Marine Corps has suspended waterborne operations for all their new amphibious combat vehicles, after Marines found a problem with the vehicle’s sea tow quick release mechanism.
The suspension was made “out of an abundance of caution,” and the service is trying to find and fix the cause of the problem with the mechanism, Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Jim Stenger said in a statement Friday.
“In operations of the ACV, Marines reported they either could not actuate the quick release or the tow rope detached unexpectedly,” Stenger said in an email response to questions from Defense One.
This is the first suspension for the ACVs, which were built to replace the aging Amphibious Assault Vehicles. An AAV sank in July 2020 during a pre-deployment training exercise off the California coast, killing eight Marines and a sailor. AAVs were suspended from water training for about nine months after that accident.
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2021/09/tow-hook-problem-grounds-marines-new-amphibious-vehicle/185130/
