The Interim Fast Attack Vehicle (IFAV) is a reconnaissance vehicle deployed and used by the
United States Marine Force Recon and
Marine Expeditionary Unit
A Marine expeditionary unit (MEU, pronounced as one syllable "" IPA: ) is the smallest air-ground task force (MAGTF) in the United States Fleet Marine Force.[Force Recon
Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) is one of the United States Marine Corps' special operations capable forces (SOC) which supplies military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance compa ...]
used to operate a fleet of
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 ...
s (formerly known as Fast Attack Vehicles or FAVs for short), popularized by the
Navy SEALs
The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy, U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command, Naval Special Wa ...
as the "black
dune buggy." However, this vehicle lacked cargo capacity and firepower, so Force Recon moved to a militarized
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class, sometimes colloquially called the G-Wagen (as an abbreviation of Geländewagen) is a four-wheel drive automobile manufactured by Magna Steyr (formerly Steyr-Daimler-Puch) in Austria and sold by Mercedes-Benz. Originall ...
, also known as a G-wagen, 290 GDT diesel 4×4, a much more traditional "
Jeep
Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...
" type truck. The vehicle has only minimal armor, but numerous defensive weapons, including a
Mk 19 automatic 40 mm
grenade launcher
A grenade launcher is a weapon that fires a specially-designed large-caliber projectile, often with an explosive, smoke or gas warhead. Today, the term generally refers to a class of dedicated firearms firing unitary grenade cartridges. The mos ...
. This vehicle is manufactured by
Magna Steyr
Magna Steyr AG & Co KG is an automobile manufacturer based in Graz, Austria, where its primary manufacturing plant is also located. It is a subsidiary of Canadian-based Magna International and was previously part of the Steyr-Daimler-Puch congl ...
(
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
) for
Mercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to as Mercedes and sometimes as Benz, is a German luxury and commercial vehicle automotive brand established in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a Mercedes-Benz Group subsidiary established in 2019) is headquartere ...
(
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
).
The IFAV has since been replaced by the
Internally Transportable Light Strike Vehicle (ITV-LSV).
Overview
The
USMC
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 co ...
Interim Fast Attack Vehicle (IFAV) is a modified version of the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen 290. It replaces the modified
M151A2 1/4 ton truck jeep used by the Marines as a FAV in the 1990s. The U.S.
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
acquired 157 of the IFAVs distributed as follows:
::*
Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)
Camp Pendleton
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by Oc ...
, CA (33);
::*MEF
Camp Lejeune
Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune () is a United States military training facility in Jacksonville, North Carolina. Its of beaches make the base a major area for amphibious assault training, and its location between two deep-water ports ( Wilmingt ...
, NC (25);
::*MEF on
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
, Japan (27);
::*17th Force Recon, Afghanistan (22);
::*3rd Force Recon Bn, Iraq (23);
::*1st Provisional DMZ Police Company, Korea (15);
::*various miscellaneous (12).
See also
*
United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance
Force Reconnaissance (FORECON) is one of the United States Marine Corps' special operations capable forces (SOC) which supplies military intelligence to the command element of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). Force Reconnaissance comp ...
*
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class, sometimes colloquially called the G-Wagen (as an abbreviation of Geländewagen) is a four-wheel drive automobile manufactured by Magna Steyr (formerly Steyr-Daimler-Puch) in Austria and sold by Mercedes-Benz. Originall ...
*
Willys FAMAE Corvo
The Willys FAMAE Corvo was an off-road multipurpose vehicle intended for use with the Chilean Armed Forces. Its chassis was originally from a Willys MB and was capable of carrying various types of mounted weapons such as a 106mm recoilless anti-t ...
*
Humvee
The High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV; colloquial: Humvee) is a family of light, four-wheel drive, military trucks and utility vehicles produced by AM General. It has largely supplanted the roles previously performed by the ori ...
*
FN Herstal AS 24
The AS 24, also known as ''Véhicule Aeroporte'' or ''Tricar Parachutable'' was a military motorized tricycle produced by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal during the 1960s. A single vehicle was evaluated by the US Army in 1963. 460 were produced, ...
*
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 ...
*
FMC XR311
The XR311 was a prototype military vehicle of US origin that was procured in limited numbers during the 1970s. It was originally developed as the ''High Mobility Combat Vehicle'', or HMCV (not to be confused with the JGSDF MCV, which was also ...
*
Technical
Technical may refer to:
* Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle
* Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data
* Technical drawing, showing how something is co ...
*
M151
*
Ranger Special Operations Vehicle (RSOV)
External links
{{commons category, Interim Fast Attack Vehicle
* GlobalSecurity.org
LKW gl leicht Wolf: Interim Fast Attack Vehicles (IFAV)* Popular Mechanics
All the Combat Vehicles of the U.S. Military in One Giant Poster IFAV listed in Special Operations
Military light utility vehicles
Mercedes-Benz G-Class
Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s