The Spanish Marine Infantry will receive 34 new amphibious combat vehicles

This week, plans for the acquisition of new armored vehicles for the Spanish Armed Forces became known.

ACV: this is the amphibious armored vehicle in which the Spanish Marine Infantry is interested
The Turkish FNSS Zaha and the Spanish Marines: can't Spain do something like this?

These plans have become known through a draft royal decree published by the Ministry of Industry establishing the rules governing the direct granting of loans for the industrial development of special modernization programs. The full text of the draft (see PDF) talks about several vehicle acquisition plans. I will focus on one of them here today.

The project, on page 2, lists the planned programs and, fourthly, talks about the "Efficient Comprehensive Amphibious Projection System, which consists of obtaining 34 Marine Infantry Amphibious Combat Vehicles (VACIM) on 8x8 wheels, in four different configurations." Page 14 of the document talks more about this project:

The Efficient Amphibious Projection System project, which will be developed through the VACIM program, aims to equip the Navy with a state-of-the-art amphibious armored vehicle on which the Amphibious Force's main surface projection vector will be based, due to a higher level of protection, versatility, and high level of mobility.

The project scope includes troop carrier (28 vehicles), command and control (2 vehicles), recovery (2 vehicles), and ambulance (2 vehicles) versions. In addition to these 34 vehicles, it will also include Initial Logistics Support, training programs, simulation systems, and associated infrastructure.

Below, the document indicates the following about the amphibious vehicle to be acquired, but without specifying which model it refers to:

The VACIM program system is at a superior level in terms of wheeled amphibious armored vehicles. Its cutting-edge engineering gives it an unparalleled capacity to support complex amphibious operations in open sea, capable of operating normally in sea state 3 conditions (heavy seas), and even operating in survival mode in sea state 4 (heavy seas), for hours until reaching the coast. This characteristic makes it unique, worldwide, being fundamental for the effective conduct of amphibious operations, guaranteeing the safe and rapid insertion of forces.

VACIM enables rapid and effective projection of the Landing Force from ships to objectives on land, thus providing the necessary continuity that would allow the subsequent deployment of maneuver elements in depth to execute operations on land with an adequate level of protection and fire support, after arriving at the landing beaches.

Currently, the Marine Infantry Brigade "Tercio de Armada" (TEAR) has 19 AAV-7 tracked amphibious vehicles in service: 16 in personnel carrier versions, two command versions, and one recovery version. These vehicles have been in service for many years (since 1972). Although they have been modernized, they are long overdue for replacement. Furthermore, the TEAR's MOWAG Pirahna IIICs (39 vehicles of various versions) will begin their life cycle in 2028.

Two years ago we saw here that the Spanish Navy is interested in the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), the 8x8 amphibious vehicle acquired by the US Marines to replace their AAV-7s. This vehicle is manufactured by Iveco and BAE Systems and was presented in Europe for the first time in May 2023, specifically at the FEINDEF defense fair in Madrid. The ACV can carry 13 equipped troops (more than the Piranha IIIC, Piranha V and Dragon VCR) and is faster than the AAV-7 (105 km/h versus 72 km/h for the tracked vehicle).

However, the figure announced by the Ministry of Industry (34 units) does not match the number of AAV-7s in service (19), and even less so if we add to the latter the 39 Piranha IIICs. In April 2004, the Spanish Navy, through the Naval Magazine, indicated that it would need between 60 and 65 new vehicles in different versions to replace the 19 AAV-7s and 39 Piranha IIICs it has in active service. Obviously, the figure of 34 vehicles published this week is insufficient.

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Photo: U.S. Marine Corps. A U.S. Marine Corps ACV.