August 16, 2007: Canada is
buying 33 more LAV III 8x8 wheeled armored vehicles. Over the last seven years,
Canada has been replacing its 1980s era MOWAG vehicles with the locally built
LAV III. Canada donated 105 of the older wheeled armored vehicles (mostly 11
ton Grizzly personnel carriers) to the Sudan peacekeeping force. The LAV III is
a 17 ton vehicle mounting a 25mm autocannon, plus two machine-guns. It has a
crew of three and can carry seven passengers. The LAV III design was the model
for the American Stryker. Canada has nearly 700 LAV IIIs, and has exported them
to New Zealand and Rumania. Although
Canada is seeking more heavily protected trucks, for troops in Afghanistan
threatened by roadside bombs, the LAV IIIs are still seen as suitable for most
combat missions.