Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle ( EFV ) ( formerly known as the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle ) was an amphibious assault vehicle that was being developed for the U . S . Marine Corps . It would have been launched at sea , from an amphibious assault ship beyond the horizon , able to transport a full marine rifle squad to shore . It would maneuver cross country with an agility and mobility equal to or greater than the M1 Abrams . The EFV was designed to replace the aging AAV - 7A1 Assault Amphibious Vehicle ( AAV ) , which entered service in 1972 , and was the marine corps ' number one priority ground weapon system acquisition . It was to have had three times the speed in water and about twice the armor of the AAV , as well as superior firepower . The vehicle was to be deployed in 2015 ; however , on 6 January 2011 , Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that he recommends the EFV program be canceled . The program , which was projected to cost $ 15 billion , had already cost $ 3 billion . The marines asked for the EFV to be canceled in favor of the Assault Amphibian Vehicle Service Life Extension Program , the Marine Personnel Carrier and the Amphibious Combat Vehicle . History . In the 1980s the marine corps developed an " over the horizon " strategy for ocean based assaults . The intention was to protect naval ships from enemy mine s and shore defenses . It included the MV - 22 Osprey , the Landing Craft Air Cushion ( LCAC ) , and the EFV . Development for the AAAV began in August 1974 with Landing Vehicle Assault ( LVA ) prototypes that continued in the early 1980s at the command at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton . The AAAV ' s predecessor , the LVTP7 , had its life expectancy extended in 1983 – 84 by use of a service life extension program , which modified and upgraded many of the key systems , creating the LVTP7A1 and re - designated it the AAVP7A1 . At the time these vehicles were released , the USMC had anticipated and communicated delivery of the AAAV by 1993 . As a result of delays , the AAVP7A1 has received another service life extension - type upgrade in the mid 1990s while the USMC still awaits final development and delivery of the AAAV , 14 years behind original projected time frames . In 1988 , defense officials authorized the concept exploration and definition phase . In 1995 , the program entered into the definition and risk reduction phase , where it won two DOD awards for successful cost and technology management . In June 1996 , a contract was awarded to General Dynamics Land Systems to begin full - scale engineering development of their design . Based on the aforementioned early success of the program , the Marine Corps awarded a cost - plus contract to General Dynamics in July 2001 for the systems development and demonstration phase of the program , expected to be completed by October 2003 . The AAAV was renamed to EFV in September 2003 . The Government Accountability Office would later state that the development phase of three years was insufficient , causing delays and prototype failures , particularly in reliability . After the 2006 Operational Assessment was plagued by reliability issues and maintenance burdens , the Corps began a redesign of the EFV , requiring a new contract for an additional in February 2007 . That June , a reset of the development phase delayed completion an additional four years . Instead of initiating production as planned , the corps asked for seven new prototypes , to address the current deficiencies , which have caused an average of one failure for every four and a half hours of operation . On 7 April 2009 , Defense Secretary Robert Gates said that the EFV program will " continue as - is " , pending an amphibious review in the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review . The vehicle has recently been called " exquisite " , which Gates has usually reserved for programs he intends to cancel . He later questioned the EFV as the proper ship - to - shore platform on 3 May 2010 , the day before the initial prototype was rolled out at a ceremony at Marine Corps Base Quantico . The USMC has reduced the number to be purchased from 1 , 013 to 573 AAAVs by 2015 due to escalation in unit cost estimated at $ 22 . 3 million in 2007 . The EFV might be a baseline vehicle for the Army ' s BCT Ground Combat Vehicle Program , however it is more likely that the army will start a new program . Low rate initial production ( LRIP ) was projected to begin in January 2012 . Projected total program development cost of the type until first quarter of 2010 has been estimated at 15 . 9 billion dollars . Controversy . Robert O . Work while Under Secretary of the Navy sketched out a future for amphibious warfare in which either the marines will land unopposed or it will take a major effort using all the long range weapons of the United States armed forces to clear out ship - killing missiles so that amphibious ships can safely approach the hostile beach and neither scenario sees much use for the EFV . New families of guided anti - ship weapons have extended target ranges of well past 75 miles and the precision to target non - state actor s , making the EFV ' s capabilities less of a game - changer than originally hoped for . In a joint report the U . S . Public Interest Research Group and the National Taxpayers Union called the EFV program wasteful spending and asked for its cancellation . The co - chairs of the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform have also supported the cancellation of the EFV . During a Pentagon briefing , on 6 January 2011 , revealing budget efficiencies and reinvestment possibilities , Secretary of Defense Gates announced his intention to cancel the EFV program . In a statement released after Gates ' press conference , USMC Commandant Amos said that he supports the cancellation of the EFV : Loren B . Thompson , of the Lexington Institute , said that Amos had been ordered to give this statement , which did not reflect his actual feelings on the issue . In an interview on 5 January 2011 with Bloomberg Businessweek , Duncan D . Hunter , a member of the House Armed Services Committee , anticipated the cancellation announcement by Gates . However , Hunter has predicted that his committee will reject the cancellation . According to Lieutenant General George J . Flynn of the Marine Corps Combat Development Command , the USMC will use funding from the cancelled EFV for other tactical ground vehicles over the next five years . The EFV program was cut from a 2012 proposed budget by the White House . General Dynamics is offering a cut down version of the EFV without the hydroplaning or weapons . Ray Mabus has said that new defensive systems will allow navy ships to close to within 12 miles off hostile shores so a 25 knot amphibious tracked vehicle is no longer needed . Deputy Commandant George Flynn has said that the analysis of alternatives to replace the EFV will be accelerated to complete in six to nine months . In the 2012 appropriations bill , Congress ordered that the EFV be one of the alternatives considered in the study . Design . The EFV , designed by General Dynamics Land Systems , was an amphibious armored tracked vehicle with an aluminum hull . The engine is a custom MTU Friedrichshafen diesel ( MT883 ) with two modes of operation ; a high power mode for planing over the sea , and a low power mode for land travel . It has a crew of three and can transport 17 marines and their equipment . The EFV would have been the first heavy tactical vehicle with a space frame structure . The hull had a hydraulically actuated bow flap to aid planing with a maximum waterborne speed of . Shrouded Honeywell waterjet propulsor s are integrated into each side of the hull , which create over 2 , 800 horsepower of thrust . It was also outfitted with hydraulically actuated chine s to cover the tracks while in seafaring mode . The vehicle uses an Ethernet network connected by the Tactical Switch Router , based on the COTS DuraMAR Mobile IP router for its internal and external communications . Armament . The electrically powered two - man MK46 turret on the personnel variant accommodated the commander on the right and gunner on the left , a fire control system , and the main and coaxial weapons . The standard version was to have had a Mk44 Bushmaster II 30 mm cannon , which fired up to 250 rounds per minute with single , burst , and fully automatic capabilities up to in all weather conditions . A general purpose M240 7 . 62 mm machine gun with 600 rounds of ready - to - use ammunition was to be mounted coaxially with the main gun . Countermeasures . The EFV was fitted with composite armor , mine - blast protection , and a nuclear , biological and chemical defense system . The aluminum hull caused some concern due to protection issues . However , aluminum hulls have been used for decades in military ground vehicles and watercraft . In June 2007 members of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Seapower and Expeditionary Forces sent a letter to the Commandant of the Marine Corps urging that the EFV be redesigned to give troops better protection against roadside bombs . The marines suggested that underbelly armor appliqué could be applied after the EFVs come ashore and before they encounter IEDs . The limited protection the EFV offers is an improvement on that offered by the AAV so the replacement is an advantage , given the current doctrine of using landing craft for land patrols . However , tests in January and February 2010 at Aberdeen Test Center demonstrated that the EFV offers blast protection equal to a category - 2 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle , including two simulated improvised explosive device s under its belly and tracks . Tests also show that it has superior protection ( Mofet Etzion ) from direct and indirect fire . The flat hull , which has endured persistent criticism for not being the more blast - resistant V - shape , was necessary for the EFV to plane across the surface of the water and reach its high speed , while dealing with sea state s of Category 4 . On 13 October 2010 the navy awarded M Cubed Technologies a contract to develop new armor for the EFV to offer better protection and lighter weight . Mobility . Given the increasing ranges of shore launched anti - ship missile s , the EFV ' s range for amphibious landing may no longer provide the anticipated protection predicted for an over the horizon launch . The U . S . Navy began reconsidering the over the horizon approach , and is considering 10 – 18 miles appropriate for amphibious launches . This shift in doctrine has made the EFV ' s high water speeds unnecessary . The EFV ' s need for high water speed has resulted in an engine that is 1 , 200 hp more powerful than the M1 Abrams , even though the EFV weighs far less . Variants . Personnel variant . The EFVP1 with a three - man crew would have conducted the signature mission of the United States Marine Corps , expeditionary maneuver warfare from seabases by initiating amphibious operations from 20 – 25 miles over - the - horizon and transporting 17 combat - equipped Marines to inland objectives . The fully armored , tracked combat vehicle would have provided lethal firepower to disembarked or mechanized infantry with its own fully stabilized MK46 weapon station with the 30 mm cannon and 7 . 62mm machine - gun . Command variant . The EFVC1 was to have provided the same survival and mobility capabilities found in the EFVP1 . The EFVC1 would have been employed as a tactical command post for maneuver unit commanders at the battalion and regimental level . The EFVC1 would have provided the supported commander and selected staff with the ability to communicate , via on - board communications , with senior , adjacent , and subordinate maneuver units . The EFVC1 was to be armed with only a 7 . 62mm machine gun .