February 18, 2012: The U.S. Marine Corps has ordered another 143 of its new LVSR (Logistic Vehicle System Replacement) trucks. This makes nearly 2,000 LVSRs in service or on order. The first LVSRs were ordered six years ago and the first ones arrived in Afghanistan three years ago. The LVSRs have been very effective in Afghanistan, where they often have to operate in combat zones. A tractor version of LVSR can pull a trailer that increases the load to over 50 tons.
The LVSR was selected by the marines as a replacement for their MTVR (Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement) heavy truck (that can carry 15 tons of stuff on a road, half that cross country). Both vehicles weigh about 15 tons, but LVSR can carry 20 tons on the road and 11.5 tons while moving cross country. The 10x10 LVSR has numerous improvements over the similar MTVR, like a better suspension, some built in armor, and the kind of electronics (diagnostics and control) that are common with current cars and heavy trucks. The LVSR can ford 1.5 meters (five feet) of water and move at up to 105 kilometers an hour on roads and go for 480 kilometers on a tank of fuel. These vehicles are often equipped with a ring mount and a machine-gun when operating in combat zones. The LVSRs cost about $388,000 each. The MTVRs have been in service since the late 1980s and are being phased out as quickly as LVSRs are delivered to replace them.
