NZLAV
Encyclopedia
The NZLAV armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is a variant of the General Dynamics
General Dynamics
General Dynamics Corporation is a U.S. defense conglomerate formed by mergers and divestitures, and as of 2008 it is the fifth largest defense contractor in the world. Its headquarters are in West Falls Church , unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in the Falls Church area.The company has...

 LAV III
LAV III
The LAV III armoured vehicle is the latest in the Generation III Light Armoured Vehicle series built by General Dynamics Land Systems, entering service in 1999. It is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha IIIH 8x8....

 which itself is a variant of the MOWAG
MOWAG
MOWAG is a Swiss company which develops, designs and produces armoured vehicles for military applications in both land-only and amphibious configurations. These vehicles have gross vehicle weights ranging from 9t to 30t. More than 12,000 armoured wheeled vehicles of the type Piranha, Eagle and DURO...

 Piranha IIIH 8x8
Mowag Piranha
The MOWAG Piranha is a family of armoured fighting vehicles designed by the Swiss MOWAG , corporation....

. The New Zealand army purchased 105 vehicles in 2003. It was developed by Canada and is the primary armoured vehicle of the New Zealand military
New Zealand Army
The New Zealand Army , is the land component of the New Zealand Defence Force and comprises around 4,500 Regular Force personnel, 2,000 Territorial Force personnel and 500 civilians. Formerly the New Zealand Military Forces, the current name was adopted around 1946...

. The United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...

 uses a very similar, more lightly armed vehicle, the Stryker
Stryker
The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled, 4-wheel-drive , armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III and produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. The vehicle is named for two American servicemen who posthumously received the Medal of Honor:...

, while the USMC has the visually similar and identically armed LAV-25. The NZLAV is an 8×8 wheeled armored vehicle with a 25 mm cannon, and can reach speeds of 109 kilometres per hour. The NZLAV - like the LAV III - is C-130
C-130 Hercules
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport...

 transportable.

Operational history

The vehicle is currently used by:
  • 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
    Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
    The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the main combat unit in the regular New Zealand Army. It was formed 9 January 1947 as the New Zealand Regiment with a single infantry battalion as part of the newly created infantry corps....

    ,
  • Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
    Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
    Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles is an armoured squadron of the New Zealand Army and forms part of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. The squadron was formed in 1864 and is currently an armoured cavalry unit equipped with NZLAV.- History :...

    ,
  • 16 Field Regiment, and
  • 2 Engineer Regiment.


The Combat School in Waiouru
Waiouru Army Camp
The Waiouru Army Camp is a base of the New Zealand Army in the central North Island near Waiouru.Waiouru is often referred to by soldiers as the home of the army as it houses the army marae and is the base where all New Zealand Army soldiers complete their initial basic training called All Arms...

 conducts all crewman courses, and tradesman courses are conducted by the Trade Training School in Trentham.

As at 13 August 2007, vehicles were issued to the units and schools in the quantities below:
  • 16 Field Regiment: 3
  • Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
    Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles
    Queen Alexandra's Mounted Rifles is an armoured squadron of the New Zealand Army and forms part of the Royal New Zealand Armoured Corps. The squadron was formed in 1864 and is currently an armoured cavalry unit equipped with NZLAV.- History :...

    : 19
  • 1 RNZIR
    Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
    The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the main combat unit in the regular New Zealand Army. It was formed 9 January 1947 as the New Zealand Regiment with a single infantry battalion as part of the newly created infantry corps....

    : 46
  • 2 Engineer Regiment
    Corps of Royal New Zealand Engineers
    The 2nd Engineer Regiment is housed in Linton Military Camp that is situated approximately 10 km South of the City of Palmerston North. Raised on the 1st of July 1993 the Regiment is the only major military engineer Unit in the New Zealand Army. Linton Camp has been known throughout the Army...

    : 6
  • Combat School: 22
  • Logistics Executive: 1
  • Trade Training School: 3


Four vehicles are assigned to a maintenance pool, and one vehicle is held in Canada for testing.

In May 2009 two NZLAVs were deployed to support police during the 2009 Napier shootings
2009 Napier shootings
Jan Molenaar, 51, was born of Ngāti Kahungunu extraction grew up in Napier where he went to Nelson Park Primary School, Napier Intermediate School and William Colenso College. In the 1980s he spent six years in the territorial armoured corps of the Hawke's Bay and Wellington Regiment...

.
They defended police while they retrieved a fallen officer's body.

In November 2009 it was announced that three NZLAVs would be deployed to assist NZSAS operations in Afghanistan, and they were up-armoured. In 2011 these three LAVs were moved to Bamyan to support the provincial reconstruction team there as they were no longer needed in Kabul due to reduced SAS numbers. Five additional LAVs were also flown to Bamyan. One has since been damaged by a road side bomb.

Twenty-eight NZLAVs were deployed in the aftermath of the 2011 Canterbury earthquake, primarily in security operations around the central business district and in relief operations across the city where they have been used for their night vision equipment and their mobility on the badly damaged roads.

Variants

There are currently 3 variants in service with the NZ Army:
  • 95 x Infantry Mobility Vehicle (IMV) - The standard vehicle used in cavalry, reconnaissance, and forward observer roles.
  • 7 x Light Obstacle Blade (LOB) - An IMV fitted with a small blade for minor earth works and clearing of obstacles.
  • 3 x Recovery (LAV-R) - Vehicle fitted with a TR200 winch and earth anchor for recovery operations.


A number of vehicles are fitted with laser warning receivers and TR80 self-recovery winches.

See also

  • MOWAG Piranha family of vehicles
  • LAV III
    LAV III
    The LAV III armoured vehicle is the latest in the Generation III Light Armoured Vehicle series built by General Dynamics Land Systems, entering service in 1999. It is based on the Swiss MOWAG Piranha IIIH 8x8....

    : Similar vehicle used by the Canadian military
  • LAV-25: Similar vehicle used by the United States Marine Corps
  • Stryker
    Stryker
    The IAV Stryker is a family of eight-wheeled, 4-wheel-drive , armored fighting vehicles derived from the Canadian LAV III and produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, in use by the United States Army. The vehicle is named for two American servicemen who posthumously received the Medal of Honor:...

    : Similar vehicle family used by the United States Army as its Interim Armoured Vehicle
  • Stryker Brigade Combat Team: The US Stryker brigades are intended to model C4ISTAR
    C4ISTAR
    In military usage, a number of abbreviations in the format C followed by additional letters are used, based on expanded versions of the abbreviation C2 - command and control.C2I stands for command, control, and intelligence....

     doctrines of Network-centric warfare
    Network-centric warfare
    Network-centric warfare, also called network-centric operations, is a military doctrine or theory of war pioneered by the United States Department of Defense in the 1990's....


External links

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