Cadillac Gage LAV-300 Mk.II FSV - The Filipino Cadillac

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Introducing

Cadillac Gage LAV-300 Mk.II FSV
Philippine Marine Corps’ Venerable FSV



Philippine Marine Corps LAV-300 Mk.II FSV at the AFP 79th Founding Anniversary Parade, 2014
(The APC version can be seen behind it)

OVERVIEW

The LAV-300 6x6 amphibious AFV series was developed by Cadillac-Gage (now Textron Marine and Land Systems) as a private initiative to complement their V-150 Commando 4x4 line. Although not adopted by the US military, it was marketed to foreign clients with Kuwait, Panama, and Philippines having bought the type while Iraq captured some during the Kuwait Invasion and the US capturing Panama’s during Operation Just Cause. The 6x6 configuration offers enhanced troop and weapon capacity, along with superior cross-country mobility compared to the V-150. The vehicle’s hull is constructed from ballistic steel plating, providing protection against 7.62 mm rounds, and is available in multiple configurations.

The Philippine Marine Corps operates two variants of the LAV-300: an armored personnel carrier equipped with a one-man turret armed with a .50 caliber and a 7.62 mm machine gun, capable of carrying nine troops; and a fire-support variant fitted with a 90 mm Cockerill gun. Twelve units of each variant were supplied to the Philippine Marines.

Initially, the Marine Corps sought the US-built LVTP-7 (now AAVP-7) amphibious landing vehicle, with 36 units offered in the 1980s. However, the deal was blocked due to political and financial disputes. As an alternative, V-150s were procured through Foreign Military Sales (FMS). In 1991, the LAV-300 was proposed as part of the US bases compensation package. The Marine Corps accepted the offer but requested modifications to align with operational requirements.


There is no water jets in the Mk.I variant of the LAV-300, which is now available in the Mk.II variant

Key adjustments included (which has become known as the Mk.II upgrade) the addition of waterjets for amphibious propulsion (original models relied on wheel-driven water movement) and a rear ramp for quicker troop deployment (replacing two rear hatches). A trim vane was installed for water operations, while smoke grenade launchers and a winch were omitted to reduce costs. The Mk II also swapped out the original Cummins V6 supercharged diesel engine for an improved aftercooled type, also produced by Cummins which was smaller than the original, and an improved transmission with 6 forward and 2 rear gear ratios as opposed to the Mk Is 4 forward speeds, as well as improved tires and a larger fuel tank were also fitted.


Cockerill Mk. III gun compared to the newer Cockerill Mk. III M-A1 gun of the LAV-300 Mk.II
Huge thanks to the guys at the V-300 proposal on the old-forums especially to @Mercedes4321 who pointed it out.

The gun was also changed from the older Cockerill Mk. III to a Cockerill Mk.III M-A1 gun which allowed for the use of the 90mm APFSDS round (previous version can only fire HEAT and HESH rounds) with the notable difference being in the muzzlebreak. It is however unclear if the PMC ever bought APSFDS ammunition for the type although it is safe to assume that it did not considering the role of the vehicle as an FSV. In 2015, a modernization upgrade was done on the LAV-300 as part of the larger Horizon 1 phase of the revitalized AFP Modernization Program with the LAV-300’s turrets being replaced with an all-electric drive for its traverse and elevation to enhance target acquisition. In 2018, a Service Life Extension Upgrade was done to both V-150 and LAV-300 stocks of the Philippine Navy and Air Force which included an overhaul in mobility for the LAV-300 which was done by Larsen & Toubro Group.

SPECIFICATIONS

Characteristic Details
Type Fire Support Vehicle
Mass 32,000 lb.
Length 21 ft
Width 8 ft 4 in
Height 6 ft 6 in
Crew 3 (commander, gunner, driver) +9-10 troops
Max speed 105 km/h (3 km/h on water)
Propulsion Cummins QSC 8.3 turbocharged and after-cooled diesel engine (208 kW)
Armament Cockerill Mk.3 M-A1

Possible Ammo:

image image
Taken from a CSE 90LP Turret brochure armed with the same Mk.3 M-A1 gun


Screengrab from a PMC Assault Armor Battalion Video showing the insides of an LAV-300 with what seems to be HE rounds on the ready rack

IN-GAME

The biggest contention for this vehicle is if Gaijin decides to allow this vehicle to be equipped with APFSDS round or will it be stuck with HEAT. As per the ASEAN subtree proposal, this would be very similar to Malaysia’s SIBMAS AFSV-90 which is equipped with the older Cockerill Mk.3 gun, so personally to differentiate this type, the use of the APFSDS round should make this vehicles stand out better against the crowd of 90mm FSVs in the ASEAN subtree.

While I dont have figures on how fast the traverse rate is, with it now being fully electrically powered, it should be safe to say that this would have significantly faster traverse due to its upgrade in 2015 and be slightly more mobile due to its mobility overhaul in 2018. The lack of smoke dischargers and rangefinder (which ironically is present in the APC version) would make this not a very viable vehicle in higher BRs but not that bad as it does have a 8x optic sight for the gunner.

MORE PHOTOS

Spoiler


V300ALLAS (1)


Note the ramp instead of the twin doors of the Mk.I variant

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The infamous LAV-300 of the PMC that survived an RPG shot from the turret during the 2016 Siege of Marawi with its improvised applique armor



Contrary to popular belief, wood was not the only improvised armor fitted on the AFP’s armored vehicles during the Siege of Marawi, but what was readily available. This LAV-300 made use of metal sheets found in water barrels instead

SOURCES

Spoiler

Opus224's Unofficial Philippine Defense Page
https://kalasagnglahi.angelfire.com/main.html
http://www.army-guide.com/eng/product590.html
LAV-300
LAV-300 For Phillipine, Panama, and Kuwait - Militer Review

Upgrades:
Light Armor Systems Upgrade Joint Project of the Philippine Navy and Philippine Air Force ~ MaxDefense Philippines
DEFENSE STUDIES: Navy Armored Unit Turrets to be Upgraded
https://armyrecognition.com/news/army-news/2023/philippine-marine-corps-conducted-road-testing-of-upgraded-v-150-and-v-300-commando-armored-vehicles

Gun & Turret:
V-300 / LAV - 300 AFV - Passed for Consideration - War Thunder - Official Forum
Cockerill Weapon systems - Which ones, what weapons and what ammunitions

Photos:
Philippine Marine Corps Assault Armor Batallion FB Page
WarWheels.Net - LAV 300 AFV Photos.
TOADMAN'S TANK PICTURES V300

4 Likes

This one is very cool! The Mk. III M-A1 gun would be a fantastic addition. Especially considering the APFSDS round for this gun is already in the files.

+1 from me

Some ammunition that can be used by this gun

Spoiler
Designation Gun Caliber Type Velocity Weight Penetration Notes Fire rate
M616 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HE 700 m/s 5,1 kg (1,02 charge) 18 mm Comp B filler
NR 501 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HE 700 m/s 5,1 kg TNT filler
M617 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HEAT 730 m/s 5,07 kg 350 mm
M618 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm SMK 695 m/s 5,3 kg / In-game
M620 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HEAT 900 m/s 4,15 kg 250 mm In-game
M624 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HE* 338 m/s 6,6 kg (0,95 charge) 13 mm Long range, TNT filler
M625 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HESH 800 m/s 4,3 kg 102 mm In-game
NR 478 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HEAT 890 m/s 4,1 kg 300 mm The in-game M620A1 has the same weight and velocity, strange
NR 220 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm HEAT 700 m/s 5,1 kg 330 mm Interesting tradeoff in velocity for some pen, but M617 better
NR 232 Cockerill Mk 3 90 mm APFSDS ? ? ? ?
M652 Cockerill Mk 3MA-1 90 mm APFSDS 1210 m/s 2,5 kg At least 200 mm Found in the files, 360 mm of penetration (!)
2 Likes

MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS, Jokes aside, this would be pretty cool to see as a sub-tree vehicle or event vehicle in maybe Japan or America

2 Likes

Thank you for the info on the rounds, really do hope they add it with the APFSDS round, its funni to have a 90mm APFSDS lol

2 Likes

It confuses me, the gun looks too short to be able to launch APFSDS at any adequate speed

1 Like

Voted yes. Would love to see some stuff from the Philippines.

1 Like

Which is why it has a relatively low pen performance compared to other similar guns (like the MECAR 90 which can pen 50mm more at the same range) and it does not help that its a low velocity gun:

image image

It is the same gun as could be found on similar FSVs which use the APFSDS ammunition:

Pindad Badak (Indonesia):
image
BTR-3E CSE-90LP (In service with Thailand):
grafik
Doosan Black Fox CSE-90 (South Korea):
Doosan Black Fox

A similar upgraded gun can be found on the Mowag Piranha (in this case its now a Mk. 8 variant):

You can check it out more on Cockerill’s own brochure:

Or in this machinery of war discussions page:

Addendum:

Technically speaking, smoke dischargers can be fitted on the turret of the LAV-300 as it uses basically the same turret as found on the V-150 90mm FSV that can be found in Thai service:

ve_sct_commando_v3

CGC_M706-LAV-150-90mm

image

Now, it will be up to Gaijin whether or not to add smoke dischargers to the vehicle but if Gaijin was to add the Thai V-150 first then it wouldnt really be too much to just slap the same turret onto the LAV-300 (which is basically what it is).

Having the Mk. III gun with the darts makes this a really fun addition. +1

1 Like

first light tank looks like a child had drawn it, perfect meme vehicle

1 Like