The Chenowth Advanced Light Strike Vehicle (ALSV) is an all-terrain light military vehicle developed by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is the successor to the Chenowth

Light Strike Vehicle The Light Strike Vehicle (LSV) is an improved version of the Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) it replaced. Although the conventional US military replaced its DPVs with Humvees, special operation groups adopted the LSV for its small size and high mobi ...

and the

Desert Patrol Vehicle The Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV), formerly called the Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV), is a high-speed, lightly armored sandrail-like vehicle first used in combat during the Gulf War in 1991. Due to their dash speed and Off-roading, off-road mobility, t ...

, and features improved performance and armament. The

sandrail A sandrail, also called a sand rail, rail, or sand car, is a lightweight off-road motor vehicle specifically built for traveling in sandy terrain. Similar in some respects and often mistakenly referred to as a dune buggy or sand car, a sandrail i ...

vehicle is relatively small, and can be carried in a transport aircraft. Although it is mainly used by the US Navy SEALs and Marine Corps, several other countries have procured it.

Features

Chenowth Racing Products revealed in October 1996 that they had developed a "third-generation high-performance surveillance, light strike and reconnaissance vehicle", which they named the Advanced Light Strike Vehicle (ALSV). Based on its predecessor, the Chenowth

(LSV), the ALSV could carry two, three or four personnel. An all-terrain vehicle, the ALSV is powered by a 160-horsepower diesel engine produced by

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see #Pronunciation, below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany ...

, and is equipped with

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

functionality as well as

power steering A power steering is a mechanical device equipped on a motor vehicle that helps drivers steer the vehicle by reducing steering effort needed to turn the steering wheel, making it easier for the vehicle to turn or maneuver at lower speeds. Hydraul ...

. A version powered by a gasoline engine has also been produced. An ALSV can be transported in a CH-47 Chinook or CH-53 Sea Stallion transport helicopter. Three can be carried in a

C-130 Hercules The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 ...

transport, while two can be carried for para-dropping. The crew are covered only by an upper frame of tubular bars, although light armor can be added. The ALSV weighs , and has a length of and a width of . It is in height, and has a ride height of . The ALSV can accelerate from 0 to in 4 seconds, and is capable of negotiating up to 75% gradients and 50% side slopes.

Armament

The main weapons station, which is positioned to the rear of the vehicle, is capable of traversing 360 degrees and can accommodate either a

M2 Browning machine gun The M2 machine gun or Browning .50 caliber machine gun (informally, "Ma Deuce") is a heavy machine gun that was designed towards the end of World War I by John Browning. Its design is similar to Browning's earlier M1919 Browning machine gun, w ...

or a

Mk 19 grenade launcher The Mk 19 grenade launcher (pronounced Mark 19) is an American 40 mm belt-fed automatic grenade launcher that was first developed during the Vietnam War. Overview The Mk 19 is a belt-fed, blowback-operated, air-cooled, crew-serve ...

. Light machine guns and portable anti-tank weapons may be carried as secondary armament. The weapons platforms can be remote controlled and feature gun stabilizing, allowing accurate fire while on the move.

Users

The ALSV has been used by the

United States Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sma ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

. Prior to this, both the SEALs and the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

had used the vehicle during

Operation Desert Storm Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Man ...

. ALSVs have also been procured by

Jordan Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...

and the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

. According to Chenowth, they are also used by several Central American and Middle Eastern countries, as well as some member countries of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

References

{{Use dmy dates, date=June 2017

Features

Armament

Users

References

See Also