By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Pew PatriotsPew PatriotsPew Patriots
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Reading: Marines want to add counter-drone weapon to amphibious vehicle
Share
Font ResizerAa
Pew PatriotsPew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Search
  • Home
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Guns and Gear
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
Tactical

Marines want to add counter-drone weapon to amphibious vehicle

Jimmie Dempsey
Last updated: April 29, 2025 10:09 pm
Jimmie Dempsey Published April 29, 2025
Share
SHARE

As final tests get underway for Amphibious Combat Vehicle variants sporting 30mm cannons and crane hooks, the Marine Corps is exploring how to incorporate another add-on: a counter-unmanned aerial systems capability.

Col. Tim Hough, the Corps’ program manager for advanced amphibious assault, speaking Tuesday at the Modern Day Marine expo in Washington, said the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has propelled counter-unmanned aerial systems, or counter-UAS, weaponry onto a priority list of add-on capabilities for the vehicle.

“What’s kind of growing as everybody’s been watching the fight in Ukraine over the past four years is that counter-UAS threat,” Hough said. “It’s no secret, and armored vehicles are a juicy target on the battlefield. And I don’t think the ACV would be any different.”

The form that counter-UAS capability might take hasn’t yet been determined. Hough said the Corps was in the “market research” phase of evaluating the need, and still developing a sense of “what’s in the realm of the possible.”

“Unlike any other armored platform on the battlefield, we have a unique requirement, and that’s, we’ve got to push a 72,000-pound brick through the water upwards of 12 nautical miles,” he said. “Every time we bolt on another capability, we’ve got to make sure we’re not getting ahead of ourselves with the amount of weight we can put on the vehicle before we start limiting that water mobility.”

Among possibilities under evaluation include a counter-UAS radar that’s integrated with the vehicle’s turret, Hough said, but “it’s wide open at this point.”

RELATED

The ACV is the Corps’ first new amphibious vehicle in half a century, fielded to replace what Hough described as the service’s “armored Winnebago,” the Assault Amphibious Vehicle. But the ACV has already notched a unique Marine Corps milestone, Hough said, conducting a waterborne gunnery mission with its onboard Mk 19 40mm grenade machine guns last year during its first Pacific deployment.

More armament is on the way. The ACV-30, with an integrated 30mm cannon that will allow the vehicle to destroy enemy armored vehicles, is set to reach initial operational capability, signifying readiness for combat, in 2026. The final ACV variant, one with an attached crane for repair and recovery missions, is set to follow in 2027.

Operational testing for the ACV-30 kicked off earlier this year at the U.S. Army Aberdeen Test Center in Maryland and Camp Pendleton, California; the vehicle is now undergoing cyber vulnerability testing, Hough said.

As the ACV, following early mishaps including a 2020 vehicle sinking that caused the deaths of nine service members, now charts a more stable course, Hough said a number of market research requests will be published later this year into additional capabilities — like the counter-UAS weapon — that will help to modernize and add new capabilities.

Other items on Hough’s wish list include improvements to water maneuverability, responsiveness and speed; greater task automation for drivers; noise reduction; and improvements to situational awareness.

Read the full article here

You Might Also Like

House Dems offer bill to keep transgender troops in the ranks

Missing Norfolk sailor found dead; sailor in pretrial confinement

First Look: 1911 Operator AOS Threaded Pistols

Review: The Safariland Solis Holster

Hegseth vows US will ‘take back’ Panama canal from Chinese influence

Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Email Print
Leave a Comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

We Recommend
War Department pushes back on ‘false’ narrative of internal strategy split
News

War Department pushes back on ‘false’ narrative of internal strategy split

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey October 2, 2025
Drunk 13-year-old crashes stolen vehicle with 11-year-old passenger inside in Arizona
Portland police seek public’s help after ‘safe space’ officer loses track of assault suspect near ICE facility
How Mikie Sherrill’s family made millions after she was elected to Congress
Cavelle Yeah: New Prototype for We Knife Co.
Kim Kardashian says someone ‘extremely close’ to her put out a hit on her life
STOP Wasting Money – These 10 Rounds Are CHEAPER Than Ever!
TacticalVideos

STOP Wasting Money – These 10 Rounds Are CHEAPER Than Ever!

Line45 Line45 October 1, 2025
Teen charged with murder after allegedly killing two girls in deadly hit-and-run crash: prosecutor
News

Teen charged with murder after allegedly killing two girls in deadly hit-and-run crash: prosecutor

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey October 1, 2025
Afghanistan Goes Dark: Taliban Pull Plug on 40 Million People
Prepping & Survival

Afghanistan Goes Dark: Taliban Pull Plug on 40 Million People

Jimmie Dempsey Jimmie Dempsey October 1, 2025
Pew Patriots
  • News
  • Tactical
  • Prepping & Survival
  • Videos
  • Guns and Gear
2024 © Pew Patriots. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?