LAV III
| Light Armoured Vehicle III | |
|---|---|
A New Zealand Army LAV III in Afghanistan | |
| Type | Infantry fighting vehicle |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Service history | |
| Used by | See Operators |
| Wars | See Service history |
| Production history | |
| Developed from | LAV II |
| Developed into | |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 16.95 t |
| Length | 6.98 m (22 ft 11 in) |
| Width | 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) |
| Height | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Crew | 3 (+ 6 or 7 passengers) |
Main armament | 1 × M242 25 mm chain gun with TIS |
Secondary armament | 1 × C6 7.62 mm machine gun (coaxial) 1 × C9A2 5.56 mm or C6 7.62 mm machine gun (pintle mount) |
| Engine | Caterpillar 3126 diesel 260 kW (350 hp) |
| Suspension | Hydropneumatic |
Operational range | 450 km (280 mi) |
| Maximum speed | 100 km/h (62 mph) |
The LAV III is the third generation of the Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) family of armored personnel carriers built by General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C), a London, Ontario, based subsidiary of General Dynamics. It first entered service in 1999, succeeding the LAV II. It is the primary mechanized infantry vehicle of both the Canadian Army and the New Zealand Army. It also forms the basis of the Stryker vehicle used by the U.S. Army and other operators. The Canadian Army is upgrading its LAV IIIs to the LAV 6 standard. Early in its development history it was referred to as the 'Kodiak', but the name was never officially adopted.