18 January 2001

Textron Marine & Land Systems developed the Cadillac Gage LAV-600 6 x 6 armoured car/reconnaissance vehicle specifically for the export market to complement other 4 x 4 light armoured vehicles manufactured by the company. The first prototype was completed in 1985.

The LAV-600 uses many components of the LAV-300 6 x 6 light armoured vehicle, which has been built for export to a number of countries and is fitted with the complete turret of the full-tracked Cadillac Gage Stingray light tank, which has been in service with Thailand for some years.

The power-operated turret sits at the rear of the hull and has a stabilised BAE Systems RO Defence 105mm Low Recoil Force gun that fires standard NATO ammunition. A computerised fire-control system is fitted, and commander and gunner have day/night sights; the gunner's sight also has a laser rangefinder. The power-operated winch is mounted at the front of the hull.

Optional equipment includes an NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection system, run flat tyres, central tyre-pressure regulation system and land navigation system.

Specifications

Crew: 4

Configuration: 6 x 6

Armament: 1x 105mm gun (main); 1x 7.62mm machine gun (co-axial); 1x 7.62mm machine gun (air defence)

Combat weight: 18,500kg

Power-to-weight ratio: 14.59hp/t

Power pack: Cummins 6CTA 8.3 turbocharged six-cylinder diesel developing 275hp coupled to an Allison fully-automatic transmission

Length: 6.3m (hull)

Width: 2.667m

Height: 2.74m

Max speed: 100km/h

Range: 600km

Airportable: C-130 Hercules

Status

Development complete. Ready for production.

Variants

None

Manufacturer

Textron Marine & Land Systems, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Cadillac Gage LAV-600 6 x 6 armoured car/reconnaissance vehicle (Source: Textron)