LAV-M

The LAV-M is a mortar carrier variant of the LAV-25 armored vehicle, designed to provide indirect fire support to ground units. It is equipped with an 81mm M252 mortar system and carries a significant number of mortar rounds.

Developed in the early 1980s to equip the U.S. Marine Corps with a highly mobile, rapid-deployment indirect fire capability, the LAV-M officially entered service in 1986. The vehicle first saw combat during Operation Just Cause in Panama in 1989, followed by extensive deployment in the 1991 Gulf War. It subsequently provided critical fire support during the post-9/11 conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, proving its reliability in harsh desert environments. Today, the LAV-M remains in active service with Marine Light Armored Reconnaissance battalions, having undergone several Service Life Extension Programs to modernize its survivability and communication systems.