LAV-AD
Contents
Description
The LAV-AD is a rank VII American SPAA with a battle rating of 9.7 (AB) and 10.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Wind of Change".
General info
Survivability and armour
Describe armour protection. Note the most well protected and key weak areas. Appreciate the layout of modules as well as the number and location of crew members. Is the level of armour protection sufficient, is the placement of modules helpful for survival in combat? If necessary use a visual template to indicate the most secure and weak zones of the armour.
Armour type:
| Armour | Front (Slope angle) | Sides | Rear | Roof |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hull | ___ mm | ___ mm Top ___ mm Bottom |
___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Turret | ___ - ___ mm Turret front ___ mm Gun mantlet |
___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm | ___ - ___ mm |
| Cupola | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm | ___ mm |
Notes:
Mobility
The LAV-AD's mobility is rather superb. As a wheeled vehicle, it has good speed on roads. Despite being similar in appearance and having a weaker engine than the M1128, the LAV-AD accelerates much faster due to its lighter weight, resulting in a higher power-to-weight ratio, and it also has a slightly faster reverse speed. The engine is also relatively quiet, allowing for stealthy movements and ambushes.
| Game Mode | Max Speed (km/h) | Weight (tons) | Engine power (horsepower) | Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | Reverse | Stock | Upgraded | Stock | Upgraded | ||
| Arcade | 109 | 20 | 13.4 | 391 | 525 | 29.18 | 39.18 |
| Realistic | 100 | 18 | 243 | 275 | 18.13 | 20.52 | |
Modifications and economy
| Mobility | Protection | Firepower | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Armaments
Main armament
The main armament of the LAV-AD is the 25 mm GAU-12U rotary autocannon. It functions similarly to the 20 mm M168 Vulcan found on the M163 earlier on in the tech tree, but with a reduced ammo capacity of only 1,000 rounds total (500 ready, 500 reserve instead of 1,100 ready, 1,100 reserve) and fire rate (1,800 rpm instead of 3,000 rpm) due to the limited room in the vehicle and larger calibre ammunition. The gun is also fully stabilized, with handling akin to that of the HSTV-L; slower than the M163 and M247 Sergeant York but still fast enough to react to most aerial targets at close range, particularly helicopters and slow, low-flying jets. Like most other AAs, it comes with a Default, AP, and HE belt. The Default belt has a 1:1 AP to HE ratio and is the only belt the vehicle has access to when stock. The HE belt has a 3:1 HE to AP ratio while the AP belt has a 3:1 AP to HE ratio. The former is more effective against aircraft while the latter is more effective against armoured vehicles. The AP round is the same across all belts, and can penetrate 91 mm of armour at point blank range. Combined with the relatively high fire rate, it can easily destroy barrels, tracks, and machine guns with ease as well as being able to shred light vehicles.
| 25 mm GAU-12U | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Fire rate | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 1,155 (385) | 1,800 | -8°/+60° | ±180° | Two-plane | 50.2 | 69.5 | 84.4 | 93.3 | 99.2 | 26.00 | 23.00 | 21.20 | 20.00 |
| Realistic | 33.9 | 39.9 | 48.5 | 53.6 | 57.0 | |||||||||
Ammunition
- Default: HVAP-T · HEI-T*
- PGU-25/U: HEI-T* · HEI-T* · HEI-T* · HVAP-T
- PGU-20/U: HVAP-T · HVAP-T · HVAP-T · HEI-T*
| Penetration statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | |
| Default | 91 | 85 | 64 | 45 | 32 | 22 |
| PGU-25/U | 91 | 85 | 64 | 45 | 32 | 22 |
| PGU-20/U | 91 | 85 | 64 | 45 | 32 | 22 |
| Shell details | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | ||||||
| HVAP-T | 1,036 | 0.21 | N/A | N/A | N/A | 66° | 70° | 72° |
| HEI-T | 1,065 | 0.19 | 0 | 0.1 | 54.4 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Additional armament
The LAV-AD also has access to Hydra 70 M247 rockets with a researchable modification. This modification gives the vehicle an additional weapon set-up, replacing the Stinger pod above the main gun with a Hydra 70 rocket pod with 19 rockets, similar to those found on AH-1 Cobras and AH-64 Apaches. The Hydras are fired as a secondary weapon.
| Hydra 70 rocket | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Capacity (Belt) | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer |
| 19 (19) | N/A | N/A | N/A |
Ammunition
| Penetration statistics | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm) | |||||
| 10 m | 100 m | 500 m | 1,000 m | 1,500 m | 2,000 m | |
| M247 | 290 | 290 | 290 | 290 | 290 | 290 |
| Belt details | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belt | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||
| M247 | HEATS | 739 | 10.16 | 0 | 0.01 | 1,190 | 65° | 72° | 77° |
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Additional armament
The LAV-AD also comes with FIM-92 Stinger missiles. The missiles are IR guided, meaning they require a lock-on before firing. The vehicle has FIM-92Es by default and can unlock FIM-92Ks as a later modification. These are the same Stinger missiles used by the Ozelot in the German tech tree and function the same way. The missiles are launched as special weapons.
| FIM-92 Stinger missile | Turret rotation speed (°/s) | Reloading rate (seconds) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mode | Capacity (Belt) | Vertical | Horizontal | Stabilizer | Stock | Upgraded | Full | Expert | Aced | Stock | Full | Expert | Aced |
| Arcade | 16 (4) (12 with Hydra 70s) |
-8°/+65° | ±180° | Two-plane | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Realistic | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||||||||
Ammunition
| Shell details | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammunition | Type of warhead |
Velocity (m/s) |
Range (m) |
Projectile Mass (kg) |
Fuse delay (m) |
Fuse sensitivity (mm) |
Trigger radius (m) |
Explosive Mass (TNT equivalent) (g) |
Ricochet | ||
| 0% | 50% | 100% | |||||||||
| FIM-92E | SAM | 1,000 | 6,000 | 10.1 | 1 | 0.1 | N/A | 540 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
| FIM-92K | SAM | 1,000 | 6,000 | 10.1 | 1 | 0.1 | 1 | 540 | 79° | 80° | 81° |
The FIM-92E detonates on impact while the FIM-92K has a proximity fuse.
Ammo racks
| Full ammo |
1st rack empty |
2nd rack empty |
3rd rack empty |
4th rack empty |
5th rack empty |
6th rack empty |
Visual discrepancy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ (+__) | __ |
Usage in battles
In battles, the player can either use the LAV-AD as an AA or in an anti-tank role. By using the LAV's fast speed, the player can easily reach deep into enemy territory where enemies are less vigilant compared to when they're near the frontline. The player can use this advantage by either hiding and waiting for planes to be distracted on friendly tanks and shooting them down or used to attack unsuspecting SPAAs and IFVs/light tanks from mid range and then closing up close to killing MBTs, having the rocket pod unlocked makes quick work of enemy armour if you can get on their flanks additionally the LAV can be used a very good bait against the enemy to lure their concentration while you teammates may shoot the said tank.
Against Aircraft
The LAV's stingers are decent but they are easy to notice and evade with their smoke trail, leading to the use of 2-3 Stingers to get a hit. While the gun has a fast rate of fire, it has a terrible drop over distance, meaning it is a bit harder to hit but you have a lead indicator upon locking on the aircraft. The best option is to lure the plane into thinking it is safe and engage it with the 25 mm gun under 3 km range to minimize the chance of survival and launch a Stinger at the plane if you did not fully kill it with the 25 mm.
Against Tanks
The LAV is mobile, outpacing most light tanks at its BR, and can use this to its advantage by reaching the enemy territory and flanking SPAAs and light tanks. Against MBTs, the LAV's 25 mm can penetrate the side armour of most MBTs, but the post-penetration damage is very weak. However, against Soviet armour, the LAVs struggles to penetrate the side armour. In such cases, bringing the 70 mm Hydra pod is a good choice. The LAV-AD can knock out most MBTs with 2 HEAT grenades. Combined with its good mobility, the 70 mm Hydra make the LAV a beast if given a solid flank.
Threats
In the LAV-AD, anything above a 12.7 mm calibre poses a big threat to the player. In such cases, it is recommended to knock out the enemy vehicle with autocannons first as they can shred the LAV, Large calibre tank shells can overpenetrate the tank without detonating and therefore do minimal damage.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Has access to Hydra 70 rockets
- The 25 mm GAU-12U cannon shreds any air vehicles in its range
- The 25mm GAU-12U has no tracers making enemy planes/tanks harder to notice your location when firing
- Highly mobile thanks to its light weight and is also amphibious
- Can carry up to 16 SAMs if you choose to not have Hydras
- Has access to 2nd generation thermal sights for the gunner
- Has optical tracking meaning air targets will not receive RWR pings when locked onto
- Comes with smoke grenades stock
- Laser rangefinder automatically adjusts the sights
- Not equipping Hydras enables the Stingers to be fired in relatively quick succession with no reload
- Can fire Stingers while on the move
Cons:
- The SAM has only a maximum overload of 10G which may prove difficult against planes with high manoeuvrability
- Long reload for the 25 mm gun
- Bringing the Hydra rocket pod reduces the number of available Stingers and gives them a lengthy reload time after 4 have been launched
- Penetrable by heavy machine gun fire and is prone to overpressure damage
- Shorter missile range and lacks a search radar when compared to its contemporaries like the Roland 1, FlaRakPz 1, and XM975 at the same BR
- MAW detects missile launches and Stingers are prone to being diverted by flares
- No proximity-fused ammunition
- Hydra rockets are hard to aim due to their low velocity and do not work properly with the laser rangefinder
- Low sight FOV and relatively high zoom levels makes it hard to use against multiple targets up close
- 25 mm gun is inaccurate at longer ranges
History
Devblog
Development of the LAV-AD began in 1987 after a contract was signed with both the FMC Corporation and General Electric to design a SPAA variant for the LAV-25 for the USMC. Both companies began developing a system based on the USMC requirements that it had to be armed with a 25 mm cannon and possess provisions for mounting Stinger missiles and Hydra-70 rockets. While the FMC company opted to outfit their design with the same M242 cannon used on the base model of the LAV-25, General Electric decided to go for the GAU-12 'Equalizer' Gatling style rotary cannon.
Having reviewed both prototypes, the USMC decided to procure General Electric's design, placing an initial order for 125 vehicles to be produced. By 1996, the LAV-AD had formally been adopted into service. Despite the initial plans to produce over 100 vehicles, only 17 were actually manufactured due to funding issues. In 1998, the final unit was delivered to the USMC and further development of the vehicle was discontinued due to high maintenance costs. Among other operations, the LAV-AD was used in combat action in Iraq.
Media
- Videos
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the vehicles;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
| USA anti-aircraft vehicles | |
|---|---|
| M3 Half-track derivatives | M13 MGMC · M15 CGMC · M16 MGMC |
| M24 derivative | M19A1 |
| M41 derivative | M42 |
| Radar SPAAG | M163 · M247 |
| Missile SPAA | ADATS · Imp.Chaparral · LAV-AD · XM975 |
