Iraq Army Buys LAV 25

Iraq is buying 392 LAV (Light Armor Vehicle) 25s. These are the same eight wheeled vehicles used by the U.S. Marine Corps. The LAV series are a licensed version of the Swiss MOWAG Piranha. This model is in use by many other countries. The Canadian version, the LAV III, was the basis of the U.S. Stryker armored vehicle, which has been used heavily in Iraq, and apparently has impressed the Iraqis.

The LAV 25 is a 13 ton vehicle equipped with a turret mounted 25mm automatic cannon and a coaxial 7.62mm machine-gun. On top of the turret is another machine-gun. The 25mm cannon has a range of 3,000 meters, and has proved very useful in combat. Some of the Iraqi LAV-25s will be the turretless command or ambulance models, but 90 percent will be the infantry carrier version (crew of three, plus seats for six passengers). Top speed is 100 kilometers an hour. These vehicles cost about a million dollars each.