An amphibious combat vehicle attached to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit splashes off the amphibious dock landing ship USS Harpers Ferry during a Balikatan drill in Oyster Bay, Philippines, May 4, 2024. (Peyton Kahle/U.S. Marine Corps)
The Marine Corps deployed its new amphibious combat vehicle overseas for the first time for the annual Balikatan training in the Philippines, according to a news release Tuesday.
ACVs from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit performed live-fire exercises Saturday at a waterborne range in Oyster Bay, on the island of Palawan, said the release by 15th MEU spokesman Capt. Brian Tuthill.
A platoon of combat vehicles launched from the amphibious landing ship USS Harpers Ferry in a simulated assault on shore targets, according to the release. They use remote controlled, externally mounted Mark 19 40 mm grenade machine guns.
The crews fired training rounds that mark targets with orange chalk upon impact, instead of using high explosives, according to the Marines.
“The hard work and dedication of our Marines is what made today’s training successful,” 15th MEU commander Col. Sean Dynan said in the release. “Today’s training is a proof of concept across the Marine Corps for successful ACV employment in its intended environment.”
Marines in amphibious combat vehicles assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit wrap up Balikatan live-fire training in Oyster Bay, Philippines, May 4, 2024. (Aidan Hekker/U.S. Marine Corps)
The ACV training took place during the Balikatan exercise, a training event involving 16,000 U.S. and Philippine troops that began April 22 and concludes Friday.
This year’s exercise plays out following escalating attempts by Chinese coast guard vessels to interfere with the Philippines’ resupply of an outpost on Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, west of Palawan.
The mock assault marks the first operational use overseas of the ACV, which replaced the Corps’ amphibious assault vehicles after the accidental deaths of nine Marines off the Southern California coast in July 2020.
BAE Systems of York, Pa., developed the ACV under a $67 million contract in June 2019. The following year, the company received a $184 million contract for the vehicle’s full production.
The Marine Corps announced in 2021 it would replace its aging amphibious vehicles.
The eight-wheeled ACVs move troops from ship to shore and are designed to ride the surf close to shore during assaults. They fit into the Marines’ force redesign, which turns the Marine Corps into a distributed, light strike force equipped to fight across Pacific islands.
Marines in amphibious combat vehicles assigned to the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit take part in Balikatan live-fire training in Oyster Bay, Philippines, May 4, 2024. (Aidan Hekker/U.S. Marine Corps)
The 15th MEU’s vehicles will deploy to Okinawa, then-acting commandant Gen. Christopher Mahoney said in January.
The ACV platoon and other elements of the 15th MEU deployed from Camp Pendleton, Calif., on March 19 aboard the Harpers Ferry.
The vessel is part of the Boxer Amphibious Group, whose lead ship, the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer, turned back to San Diego less than two weeks after it left port on April 1 for repairs to its starboard rudder.
