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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Fast Attack Vehical project
Message-ID: <1991Mar7.015316.3511@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 7 Mar 91 01:53:16 GMT
References: <1991Mar4.213344.10308@cbnews.att.com>
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From: bcstec!shuksan!major@uunet.UU.NET (Mike Schmitt)

> From: v059l49z@ubvmsd.cc.buffalo.edu (Paul C Stacy)
> 
> Back a few years ago the Army was developing the FAV (Fast Attack Vehical).
> Basically it was a dune buggy with a missile launcher mounted on it.
> 
> Does anyone know how the work went and what eventually happened to the 
> project?

  The 9th Infantry Division (Motorized) was the "High-Tech Testbed" unit
  to test all these exotic weaponry and vehicles trying to carve a nich between
  pure "light" infantry and "heavy" infantry/armor.  The FAV was tested
  within an infantry "Light Attack Battalion" together with "Light Armor
  Battalions" with light armored vehicles (wheeled APC with small gun in 
  a turret).   I believe you'll see some of these with the 82d Airborne
  Scout (Cav) units.  They can mount a machine gun, or a TOW launcher or
  an automatic grenade launcher.

  The High-Tech Test Bed (HTTB) concept was not well thought of in the 
  mainstream army.  There was really no place for this kind of motorized
  concept in the AirLand Battle theories.  The powers-that-be wanted only
  Armor, Mech, Light, Airmobile, and Airborne - and any conceptual conflict
  deployment could be taken care of with these capabilities.  

  Well, there's your 'A' answer.  The 9th Inf Div has now phased down and
  in fact, the colors have been furled and cased, with only a small brigade
  size force that remains.  In fact, I heard recently that, what remains has
  been redesignated the 199th Light Infantry Brigade.  (I'm going to the
  PX and commissary tomorrow - I'll let you know what I see). 

  This makes way for the move of the 7th Light Infantry Division to move
  up from Ft Ord ("Planet Ord"), California - to Fort Lewis - where the
  garrison is larger, more modern, and has better training ranges.

  mike schmitt

              "7th Infantry Division - The Spirit of the Bayonet"