Design
The EFV, designed by General Dynamics Land Systems, is 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 is the first heavy tactical vehicle with a space frame structure.
The hull has a hydraulically actuated bow flap to aid planing with a maximum waterborne speed of 46 kilometres per hour (29 mph; 25 kn). Shrouded Honeywell waterjet propulsors are integrated into each side of the hull, which create over 2,800 horsepower. It is also outfitted with hydraulically actuated chines to cover the tracks while in seafaring mode. The rear loading ramp is not able to open while the vehicle is afloat, typical of other swimming military ground vehicles.
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.
Read more about this topic: Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle
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