Interim Fast Attack Vehicle
The Interim Fast Attack Vehicle is a vehicle deployed and used by the United States Marine Force Recon and Marine Expeditionary Units. Force Recon used to operate a fleet of Desert Patrol Vehicles, popularized by the Navy SEALs as the "black dune buggy." However, this vehicle lacked cargo capacity and firepower, so Force Recon moved to a militarized Mercedes-Benz G-Class, also known as a G-wagen, 290 GDT diesel 4×4, a much more traditional "Jeep" type truck. The vehicle has only minimal armor, but numerous defensive weapons, including a Mk 19 automatic 40 mm grenade launcher. This vehicle is manufactured by Magna Steyr for Mercedes-Benz.
. In the background are the remains of an Mi-18 Hip-H Soviet helicopter.
The IFAV has since been replaced by the Internally Transportable Light Strike Vehicle.Overview
The USMC Interim Fast Attack Vehicle used by the Marines as a FAV in the 1990s. The U.S. Marine Corps acquired 157 of the IFAVs distributed as follows: