Quote:
Originally Posted by Gun Grape
Because you loose landing areas. A LCU can beach at about 10% of the worlds coastline. An Amtrack around 35% and an LCAC around 70%.
So it is easier for the enemy to figure out where you can land and create a better defence, if you only have LCUs.
The thought going around the Corps at the time was "If it works then it changes the way we operate." An AAv really isn't much more than a big, covered WW2 LVT.
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As I see it, the considerations that go into designing an IFV for marines/naval infantry, many that they are, must in the forst instance ensure the ability of the infantry to at least get to the objective.
Given that the approach to the objective would often be a completely exposed piece of terrain, the job is already made difficult.
The LCACs as expensive and, as are LCU/Ms, are required the rest of the force's gear onto the beach (a logistic operation that would take 5 hours in itself).
Technological complexity is there for a reason, it saves lives. Saved lives ensure there is a preservation of combat power in the force to perform it's mission and achieve stated objectives.
The best way to deny the enemy the ability to engage the marine infantry force before they are ready, in other words to deny enemy the initiative, is to deny the nemy the knowledge about the assaulting force and it's objectives. What his means is the design is not made complex because it displays the skill and knowledge of the engineers, but because the military professionals have included the principles of force security and surprise into the very design of the 'tools of trade', the AAFV.
This would be a first in the history of AFV design.
Of course as I pointed out, this would also require the naval vessels to be redesigned to enable them to deploy the vehicles from concealed in-hull position such as a hull well.
There are other bonuses to having such vehicles.
Such vehicles can also tow their own supplies underwater, removing need for other surface delivery means such as the very expensive and large LCACs, and even more difficult to deploy LCMs. This would allow the average assault force to be increased from one infantry battalion to a reinforced unit where the vertical component can be configured independently (a company) and therefore not reducing the actual amphibious infantry component of the assault.