Assault Amphibious Vehicle

AAV-7 First introduced in 1972, the tracked AAV-7 spent decades as the US Marine Corps' main way of carrying troops from ship to shore, the direct heir of the wartime amphibian tractors. Long service also exposed its limits. It is slow in the water and lightly armored, and in July 2020 an AAV sank during a training mission, killing eight Marines and a Navy sailor. The Marine Corps report pointed to mechanical problems, a lack of safety boats and rough water. The fleet stayed out of the water until spring 2021, and that December the Corps ended its water training and regular deployments, having already chosen the wheeled ACV to replace it. It belongs here for what it achieved and for what it shows about an aging amphibian.