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APRIL 1, 2015 – Defense News Daily is reporting that the US Dept. of Defense has made a stunning announcement that they will be replacing the entire fleet of tracked vehicles with a new family of vehicles. The “Ground Armored Vehicle Information Networked” (GAVIN) is being touted as the most technologically advanced armored vehicle in the world. At a Pentagon press conference, General Michael Sparks stated that “the GAVIN maximizes the lethality and effectiveness of the US Army war fighter by providing an unprecedented level of information awareness of the battlefield environment in 360 degrees real time. GAVIN features an electronic system architecture supporting advanced applications, a necessary step toward fully digitized Land Combat Vehicles that will be fielded as part of the follow-on Phase. This advanced weapons platform promises to be a revolutionary force multiplier, giving American heroes in uniform unrivaled capabilities in target acquisition and the delivery of freedom any place on the globe.”

GAVIN will be based on the existing M113 APC chassis, first introduced in the 1960’s. When asked why use the M113 as the basis of the vehicle, General Sparks stated “All these systems need to fit inside a large box. And since the M113 is essentially a box on tracks, it was the ideal candidate. Also, we think we can slap some wings on it and make it fly.” Production of the GAVIN will be undertaken by BDC (Blacktail Defense Corporation) who were awarded the contract after creating a series of persuasive videos consisting of still images and over-sized yellow text.

However, GAVIN has come under fire from critics who claim it is too expensive and will not live up to expectations. The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) released a statement calling GAVIN an “overpriced boondoggle that will “put cash into the pockets of greedy defense contractors at the expense of the US tax payer and the American soldier.” “Rather than throwing money at these weapons systems that will not work, the government should be focusing on battle tested and cost effective systems such as the M3 Halftrack or the Horse Cavalry.

The US Airforce also announced that they will be suspending production and development of the F-22 and F-35 aircraft in favor of an airborne version of the GAVIN. The US Navy has made a similar decision to adopt the “aero-GAVIN” and has announced they will be bringing the Missouri battleship back into service after modifying it with flight decks for the launching of Aero-GAVINS.