Indonesia Receives First US Assault Amphibious Vehicles

The September 22 Arrival at Tanjung Priok

The initial delivery of 12 surplus vehicles touched down at Tanjung Priok Terminal in North Jakarta on September 22, according to official deployment details. Brig. Gen. TNI (Mar) Efhardian, the Marine Corps’ assistant for logistics, personally supervised the offloading procedure alongside fellow military officers. Once safely ashore, heavy-duty commercial haulers loaded the tracked platforms for a ground transit straight to the Marine Corps’ Hartono base located in Cilandak, South Jakarta. Photographs capturing the unloading sequence circulated widely, documenting the transfer of surplus hardware formerly operated by the United States Marine Corps.

Strategic Context and Fleet Modernization

This multibatch procurement addresses a long-standing capability gap for an archipelago spanning more than 17,000 islands. Marine Corps Commander Lt. Gen. TNI (Mar) Endi Supardi noted that the AAVs would improve the force’s mobility, armored protection and amphibious striking capabilities as Indonesia seeks to safeguard its maritime territory. Prior to this arrival, Jakarta’s primary tracked amphibious acquisition consisted of just 10 LVT-7A1 vehicles bought from South Korea back in December 2009. Bringing in up to 35 surplus American units dramatically expands the active inventory available for complex ship-to-shore assaults.

Vehicle Specifications and Operational Utility

Built by FMC Corporation and later managed through United Defense and BAE Systems, the AAV7A1 platform is engineered to bridge open ocean and inland terrain. Each machine measures 7.94 meters long, 3.27 meters wide, and 3.26 meters high, running on an aluminum armored hull that accommodates a three-person crew alongside 21 fully equipped infantry troops. Dual waterjet pumps drive the craft through surf zones, while the standard Up-Gunned Weapons Station mounts an M2HB 12.7mm heavy machine gun alongside a Mk19 40mm automatic grenade launcher. The incoming batch also features the Enhanced Appliqué Armor Kit (EAAK) to mitigate threats from medium-caliber fire and artillery fragments.

Regional Impact and Defense Ties

While the platform has served decades of global operations—including service in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Italy—the real test for Indonesia lies in crew training, logistical sustainment, and doctrine integration.