Here is the LAV-25 RECCE, called in Canadian service , the Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle brought into service in late 1996. There are 3 distinct versions.
Fitted with mast-mounted surveillance variants are equipped with a mast-mounted surveillance system that can be raised to 10 meters above the ground. This system includes the AN/PPS-5C MSTAR Version 3 surface surveillance radar and an electro-optical/infrared surveillance system with a long-range video camera and laser rangefinder. The remote surveillance variant consists of two tripod-mounted systems capable of being deployed up to 200 meters away from the vehicle. The surveillance systems can detect tank-sized targets at up to 12 kilometres away, and large truck-sized targets at up to 24 kilometres. In good conditions the visual surveillance system can detect personnel up to 20 kilometres away.
The only kit available right now is a conversion kit from REALMODELS.CZ, used on a Trumpeter LAV -25 kit.
Wikipedia has some very good information and photos on the LAV-25A2 and its variants in addition to a partial photo of the other side of the interior compartment that I neglected to take a photo of.
Pre production vehicles were in MERDC. The second pic is not MERDC. During DS the vehicles were in NATO tri color. Most were painted over all sand but some just had the green painted over as in this example. They were not fielded in Forest Green. They came from the factory in NATO tri color. Those in the 3rd pic are more than likely repaints that had been in sand.
Great news, I wanted to do a SLEP version with wide wheels, I love it, but not wanting to buy a new kit or AM set this project I have always left aside,I have the Trumpeter set of wheels in my stash, but not the exhaust cover, the fact that you claim its absence would take my project to a new level, what other differences are present on the SLEP version compared to the one used in Desert Storm?
Lucio
Off the top of my head, you need a Platt mount for the 240G, an M240G (the M60 was still the machine gun during ODS),fluted barrel for the 25mm, and I believe the sight covers are also different; I would also recommend that you visit Prime Portal and look at the photos by Jason Taylor to be sure, he was my platoon commander until he moved up to Company XO just before the unit returned Stateside in 03. BTW, I do not âclaimâ that the exhaust shroud is absent, the pictures of the vehicles which have gone through the SLEP with the original mufflers and no exhaust shroud speak for themselves; I donât recall the exact reason why the mech said the shrouds were removed (itâs been 18 years and Iâm not getting any youngerâŚwish I was)
No worries, caffeine hasnât kicked in yet. The -25âs in MAJ Taylorâs photos should have what you need for your project. Feel free to pick my brain, also thereâs a Light Armored Reconnaissance Group on Facebook that you might find interesting/helpful.
It wasnât forest green green by then, it would be NATO green CARC. In Iraq during Spring Break 03 there were LAVâs in sand and NATO pattern - 1st, 2nd, and 4th LAR Bnâs were in NATO; 3rd were sand.
Itâs hard to say what the color is definitively for me. If youâre looking to do something thatâs been through the SLEP, you wonât be needing to worry about forest green paint. They would have been repainted as part of the process if they hadnât already been - it can be any color you want as long as itâs NATOflage or sand.
Always great info, thanks, but on the contrary I would like to reproduce an initial LAV, and as it would appear from the pic, without the cable cutter and observing the crew it would really seem a very early LAV, just my opinion
