GAW LAV (Light Armored Vehicle) Family of Combat Vehicles

In the end of the Twentieth Century and Beginning of the twentieth century, a large number of different combat vehicles were designed using an eight wheeled Canadian design as its foundation. There were armored personnel carrier versions, mobile gun system, anti-aircraft versions, anti-tank versions, mortar armed versions, cargo versions, recovery versions, electronics warfare versions, and command and control versions. These vehicles were operated by the United States Marine Corp and were exported to many other countries. As well, many nations manufactured similar designs of their own. The LAV family of combat vehicle were fairly fast and were capable of limited travel on water. While these vehicles were long retired from active military service before the coming of the Rifts, some of these vehicles were retained in forgotten armories and others found their way into museums.

After the Rifts, some of these vehicles were found by adventures and some of these found their way into Golden Age Weaponsmiths to be refitted. Due to their relatively high speed and heavy weaponry, these vehicles were very popular and their construction made them far simpler to repair and manufacture than most treaded designs. The vehicles were so popular that the company could not find enough old LAV to refit. Due to this, Golden Age decided to manufacture copies of this vehicle. There were no perceived large scale markets for either the electronics warfare version and command and control version so there were none produced. Few of them have found their way to Golden Age to be refitted. The job of mortar armed vehicles has mostly been taken over by missile launching vehicles so they were not manufactured by Golden Age either. Golden Age will still refit any LAV that find their way to their facilities and sell for slightly less than newly manufactured versions. Iron Armory produces a vehicle similar to the LAV known as the LAV-800 Mountain Lion. Interestingly, the Mountain Lion has an Electronics Warfare version and a Command and Control version.

The newly manufactured versions of the LAV are slightly stronger than those which are refitted from pre-Rifts designs. They use a diesel engine which is similar to other engines used in truck designs built by Golden Age instead of the GM Detroit Diesel 6V-54T engine used in the original LAV. The new engine produces similar power but the internal design of the vehicle had to be modified slightly to incorporate the new engine. The vehicle gets better mileage with the new engine than the original engine but as a result of the engine's shape, the pre-rifts models cannot accept the new engine. One interesting feature is that the nuclear fusion engine from the Mountaineer ATV can be fitted to the new manufacture versions of the LAV. Golden Age will refit the nuclear engine into their combat vehicle at purchaser's options and is the first design from Golden Age, other than refitted large naval vessels, that is available with a nuclear reactor.

All versions of the LAV carry smoke grenade launchers. Most versions of the vehicle carry either a top mounted machine-gun of 7.62 mm or .50 caliber. These mounts are often replaced by rail guns or Wellington automatic grenade launchers. One additional weapon system can be added to these vehicles with mini-missile launchers being the most common addition by crews.

By far the most popular version of the LAV is the LAV-25 model. It is both the most commonly refitted and the most common LAV to come off of Golden Age's manufacturing facilities. In this role, it serves as an armored personnel carrier with six troops and the weaponry carried by the vehicle is quite effective at supporting troops in the field. The main weapon is a 25-mm chain gun which is capable, with the use of special Wellington ammunition, of inflicting heavy damage to targets. This is supported by a 7.62 mm machine-gun mounted coaxially with the main gun. Like the light weapons carried on top of other versions, the weapon is often replaced by a rail gun or an automatic grenade launcher.

The LAV-MGS is the second most popular version of the vehicle and many consider it to be practically a light tank. Its main weapon is a 105 mm cannon in a low profile mount. The ammunition is more limited than a true tank but has a long range and is powerful. The vehicle is armed with the secondary guns common to other designs but does not have space for additional troops.

The LAV-AD is the third most popular and is designed for air defense although the vehicle weapons are also effective against ground targets. It does not carry any troops and is not armed with a top mounted 7.62 or .50 caliber machine-gun. It is armed with a 25-mm Gatling cannon with a much higher rate of fire than the cannon carried on the LAV-25 version. It is also armed with eight stinger missile launchers which are adapted to fire short range missiles. The vehicle has eight short range missiles in the launcher with eight reloads carried on the vehicle.

The LAV-AT is the anti-tank version of the LAV class of vehicles which uses missiles as its main weaponry. The original models of the LAV-AT simply had the TOW missile launchers adapted to carry short range missiles but later models had the launcher completely replaced. The launcher is replaced by a medium range missile launcher which has four medium range missiles in the launcher and carries four medium missiles in the vehicle itself. These vehicles perform the role originally performed by mortar armed versions as well. Like the air defense version, the anti-tank version has no ability to carry troops but does retain a top mounted machine-gun.

The main other version of the vehicle is a cargo carrying versions with several other modifications on the design including a recovery vehicle. The cargo version can carry about 2.5 tons of cargo and the recovery version carries special recovery equipment.

In competition with Iron Armory, Northern Gun has been working on a number of upgrades for the newly manufactured versions of the LAV to make it more combat effective. Some of the upgrades include the addition of external armor, the replacement of the secondary weapons with more powerful weapons, and the upgrading of the main battery of the gun carrying versions of the vehicle. Another important feature is the addition of robot vehicle sensors and life support systems.

Model Type:	GAW LAV-25	Armored Personnel Vehicle
	GAW LAV-AD	Air Defense Vehicle
	GAW LAV-AT	Anti-Armor Vehicle
	GAW LAV-MGS	Mobile Gun System
	GAV LAV-L	Cargo Vehicle

Vehicle Type: Multi-Purpose Eight Wheeled Ground Combat Vehicle

Crew:	GAW LAV-25	3 (Driver, Gunner, and Commander)
	GAW LAV-AD	3 (Driver, Gunner, and Commander)
	GAW LAV-AT	4 (Driver, Gunner, Loader, and Commander)
	GAW LAV-MGS	3 (Driver, Gunner, and Commander)
	GAV LAV-L	3 (Driver, Commander, and Crew Member)
Troops:	GAW LAV-25	6
	GAW LAV-AD	None
	GAW LAV-AT	None
	GAW LAV-MGS	None
	GAV LAV-L	8 in Cargo Bay

M.D.C. By Location:

Refitted Version:

New Manufacture:

LAV-25 Armored Personnel Vehicle:

	25 mm Chain Gun (In Turret)	30	50
	7.62 Machine Gun (1, Coaxial):	10 each	10 each
	Weapon Turret:	60	100

LAV-AD Air Defense Vehicle:

	25 mm Gatling Gun (In Turret)	30	50
	Stinger Type Missile Launchers (2)	40 each	60 each
	Weapon Turret:	60	100

LAV-AT Anti-Armor Vehicle:

	Medium Range Missile Launchers (2)	40 each	60 each
	Weapon Turret:	60	100

LAV-MGS Mobile Gun System:

105 mm Cannon Mount:

70

120

	12.7 mm Machine-gun (Optional, not in LAV-AD):	20	20
	7.62 mm Machine-gun (Optional, not in LAV-AD):	10	10
	Smoke Dispensers (2):	5 each	10 each
	[1] Wheels (8):	35 each	35 each
	Headlights (2):	5 each	10 each
	Rear Hatch:	60	100
	Reinforced Crew Compartment:	60	100
	Reinforced Personnel/Equipment Bay:	60	100
	[2] Main Body:	180	250

Notes:
[1] Up to one tire can be destroyed on each side of the vehicle without any appreciable loss in mobility but top speeds with be reduced by 10%. If two tires on a side are destroyed, the vehicle is reduced in top speed by 20% and has a -25% to piloting rolls when being operated off-road.
[2] If all the M.D.C. of the main body is depleted, the vehicle is completely shut down and unsalvageable, but the crew may survive in their reinforced compartment.

Speed:
Ground: Cruising speed on land is 62.1 mph (100 kph) on roads and 48.7 mph (80.0 kph) off road maximum
Water Capabilities: Has two propellers that allows the vehicle to travel on the surface on the water like a boat. It is not designed for deep water use. Using the propellers, the LAV can travel on the surface of water at 6.0 mph (9.6 km/5.1 knots).
Maximum Range: Original version has a maximum range of 415 miles (668 kilometers). New versions with Diesel engines have a maximum range of 497 miles (800 km). Versions refitted with fusion reactors have effectively unlimited range.

Statistical Data:
Height: LAV-25: 8.8 feet (2.69 meters), LAV-AD: 10.5 feet (3.2 meters), LAV-AT: 10.3 feet (3.12 meters), LAV-MGS: 8.8 feet (2.69 meters) and LAV-L: 9.1 feet (2.77 meters)
Width: 8.2 feet (2.5 meters)
Length: 21.0 feet (6.39 meters)
Weight: LAV-25: Combat Weight: 28,200 pounds (12,802.8 kilograms), LAV-AD: Combat Weight: 27,200 pounds (12,337.7 kilograms), LAV-AT: Combat Weight: 27,650 pounds (12,533.1 kilograms), LAV-MGS: Combat Weight:41,300 pounds (18733.4 kilograms), and LAV-L: Combat Weight: 28,200 pounds (12,802 kilograms)
Power Source: Pre-Rifts models have 275 hp Detroit Diesel 6V53T Engine with a Allison MT653 Transmission, GAW Manufactured models carry a Golden Age Weaponsmiths Diesel GAW-D-8 with a GAW-TT-12 Transmission. The engine in the Golden Age Weaponsmith manufactured version can be replaced with a 10 year fusion reactor (same model as is carried in the Mountaineer ATV)
Cargo Capacity: LAV-25: Without troops, can carry up to 2200 pound (998 kilograms), LAV-L: 5,240 pounds (2378.96 kilograms), and All Others: Minimal, enough for equipment with crew.
Black Market Cost:
LAV-25 Armored Personnel: Upgraded Pre-Rifts model 85,000 credits, GAW Manufactured: 200,000 credits
LAV-AD Air Defense: Upgraded Pre-Rifts model 105,000 credits, GAW Manufactured: 250,000 credits.
LAV-AT Anti-Armor: Upgraded Pre-Rifts model 100,000 credits, GAW Manufactured: 225,000 credits.
LAV-MGS Mobile Gun System: Upgraded Pre-Rifts model 110,000 credits, GAW Manufactured: 275,000 credits.
LAV-L Cargo: Upgraded Pre-Rifts model 65,000 credits, GAW Manufactured: 180,000 credits.
Add 500,000 to GAW Manufactured versions for 10 year fusion reactor

Weapon Systems:

1. LAV-25 Armored Personnel Vehicle:
   1. 25 mm Chain Gun: Mounted as the main gun of the armored vehicle and is surprisingly capable when using new ammunition. The chain gun uses the same Wellington Ramjet ammunition that is used in the AV-8 Harrier conversions which are also refitted by Golden Age. The turret can traverse through 360 degrees and can be angled up to 60 degrees and down by 10 degrees. Changing belts of ammunition (200 rounds reach) requires about three minutes for a trained crew
      Maximum Effective Range: 5,000 feet (1,524 meters)
      Mega-Damage: 2D4x10 for a burst of 20 round, 3D4 for each round.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to the gunner's hand to hand attacks; each burst counts as one melee action.
      Payload: 200 rounds (10 bursts) of 25 mm ammunition in ready magazine and 400 rounds in additional 25 mm ammunition in the body of the vehicle.
      
   2. 7.62 Machine Gun (1): The weapon is mounted Coaxial (on the side of the turret) and is designed to protect the vehicle from infantry attacks. Uses WI-10 Ramjet rounds to increase the weapons damage. While the weapon has been refitted using Wellington ammunition, it is still considered underpowered by most crews. As a result, the weapon is commonly replaced by a rail gun or a Wellington automatic grenade launcher.
      Maximum Effective Range: 2,000 feet (609.6 m)
      Mega Damage: One round does 1 M.D.C. to M.D.C. targets or 3D6x10 S.D.C. to soft targets. Twenty round bursts do 2D4 M.D.C.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner
      Payload: 400 rounds (20 bursts) of 7.62 mm ammunition in ready magazine and 1,200 rounds in additional 7.62 mm ammunition in the body of the vehicle.
2. LAV-AD Air Defense Vehicle:
   1. 25 mm GAU-12 Gatling Cannon: Mounted as the main gun of the armored vehicle and is surprisingly capable when using new ammunition. While mainly designed to be used against aircraft, it is also useful against heavily protected ground targets. The Gatling cannon is identical to the weapon mounted in the AV-8B Harrier and uses the same Wellington Ramjet ammunition as is used in the attack aircraft. The turret can traverse through 360 degrees and can be angled up to 60 degrees and down by 10 degrees. Changing belts of ammunition requires about three minutes for a trained crew
      Maximum Effective Range: 5,000 feet (1,524 meters)
      Mega-Damage: 2D4x10 for a burst of 20 round, 3D4 for each round.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to the gunner's hand to hand attacks; each burst counts as one melee action.
      Payload: 380 rounds (19 bursts) of 25 mm ammunition in ready magazine and 600 rounds in additional 25 mm ammunition in the body of the vehicle.
   2. Short Range Stringer Style Missile Launchers (2): Mounted to either side of the Gatling Cannon on the main turret. The weapon system has been adapted to carry Rifts style short range missiles in the place of stingers. It is considered useful against ground targets as well as aircraft but the short range reduces the weapon's effectiveness when used for bombardment. The turret can traverse through 360 degrees. Additional missiles need to be hand loaded from inside the vehicle.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, short range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, short range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Rate of fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2, 4, or 8 (Reloads are hand loaded and require 1 minute per missile).
      Payload: Each launcher carries 4 short range missiles for a total of 8 ready short range missiles. Carries 8 additional short range missiles as reloads inside vehicle.
3. LAV-AT Anti-Armor Vehicle:
   1. Medium Range Missile Launchers (2): Launchers replace TOW missile launchers with medium range missile launchers in the original anti-tank versions and are useful in a variety of roles. The weapons are useful in the anti-armor role as well as against aircraft and as missile style artillery. The turret can traverse through 360 degrees. Additional missiles need to be hand loaded from inside the vehicle.
      Maximum Effective Range: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Mega-Damage: Varies with missile types, medium range missiles only (Go to Revised bomb and missile table).
      Rate of fire: One at a time or in volleys of 2 or 4 (Reloads are hand loaded and require 1 minute per missile).
      Payload: each launcher carries 2 medium range missiles for a total of 4 medium range missiles. Carries 4 medium range missiles as reloads inside vehicle.
4. LAV-MGS Mobile Gun System:
   1. M68A1 105 mm Cannon: Very similar to the cannon carried on the M-1 Abrams but is of a smaller caliber. Weapon is designed to use against heavily armored targets. It can fire a variety of loads, including high-explosive (HE), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), armor-piercing explosive (AP),and armor piercing sabot-discarding solids (APSD). The mount / turret is designed to be low profile so that when the rest of the vehicle is hiding behind cover, it is hard to detect. The turret can rotate 360 degrees and the gun can elevate 55 degrees. Fired by the main gunner and has an automatic loading system.
      Maximum Effective Range: 6,000 feet (1828 meters) for direct fire.
      Mega-Damage: High Explosive (HE): 1D4x10+10 with a blast radius of 15 feet (4.6 feet), High Explosive Anti-Tank (HEAT): 2D4x10+10 with a blast radius of 8 feet (2.4 meters), Armor Piercing (AP): 6D6 with no blast radius, and Armor Piercing Sabot-Discarding (APSD): 1D6x10+10 with no blast radius
      Rate of Fire: A Maximum of four (4) attacks per melee.
      Payload: 18 rounds.
      Bonuses: Has a special fire control computer that helps to aim the cannon. Gives +1 to strike with cannon and vehicle does not have minuses to fire when tank is moving.
5. Optional Top Mounted Machine-Gun (1): Except for the LAV-AD Air Defense Vehicle, all versions of the LAV can carry a top mounted weapon system. These weapons primary purpose is for use against aircraft but are often used against infantry as well. They uses Wellington Ramjet rounds to increase the weapons damage. While the weapons have been refitted using Wellington ammunition, it is still considered underpowered by most crews. As a result, the weapons are commonly replaced by a rail gun or a Wellington automatic grenade launcher.
   1. 12.7 millimeter Machine-Gun: More powerful of the two possible weapon systems but still quite underpowered compared to most rail guns. The weapon does not use the same ammunition as the co-axial mounted machine-gun in the LAV-25.
      Maximum Effective Range: 3,000 feet (914.4 m)
      Mega Damage: Single shot does 1D4 and 40 round burst does 5D6.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner
      Payload: 400 rounds (10 bursts).
   2. 7.62 millimeter Machine-Gun: Has a higher payload than the 12.7 mm heavy machine-gun and uses the same ammunition as the co-axial mounted machine-gun in the LAV-25. It is considered very underpowered compared to most rail gun designs.
      Maximum Effective Range: 2,000 feet (609.6 m)
      Mega Damage: One round does 1 M.D.C. to M.D.C. targets or 3D6x10 S.D.C. to soft targets. Twenty round bursts do 2D4 M.D.C.
      Rate of Fire: Equal to combined hand to hand attacks of gunner
      Payload: Carries 800 rounds (40 bursts) total. On the LAV-25, can use ammunition in the main body of the vehicle.
6. Smoke Dispenser (2): Mounted on either side of the Light Armored Vehicle and launches smoke grenades.
   Effect: Creates a cloud of smoke 40 ft (12 m) in diameter:
   Rate of Fire: Two per melee
   Range: 1,200 feet (365 m)
   Payload: Carries 4 smoke grenades per launcher with 8 more stored inside vehicle.

Sensory Equipment::

• NPC Protection: While not full life support, the Armored vehicle is equipped with protection for the crew from most gas, radiation, and biological attacks
• Thermo-Imager: Range: 2,000 feet (609 meters). Finds the infra-red radiations of things that are warm. Also enables pilot to see in smoke, shadows and darkness.
• Visual Magnification: Gives magnification of up to 12 times normal
• Periscopes: Enables the crew to see over most terrain

[Golden Age Weaponsmiths TM, Wellington Industries TM, and Iron Heart Industries TM are trademarks owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc. ]
[ Rifts® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda and Palladium Books Inc.]

By Kitsune (E-Mail Kitsune ).

Copyright © 2002, Kitsune. All rights reserved.