The Marine Corps plan to modernize its amphibious invasion force has three parts : upgrade 390 AAVs ; buy 600 troop transports as part of ACV Phase 1 ; and do research for an ACV 2.0 " high-water-speed " option . Upgrades to the AAV will be added to around 392 vehicles ( carrying one Marine brigade ) out of the fleet of 1,062 , including " limited survivability upgrades " of blast-resistant seats , additional armor , and a new transmission . Having AAVs self-deploy directly from ships is quicker than loading vehicles onto a connector , but long-range anti-ship missiles will force future amphibious invasion forces to stay between from shore . A high-speed connector can make that trip in 1 – 3 hours , while an AAV on water would take 15 hours to travel that distance . The Phase 1 ACV will be 200 modified versions of an existing U.S. or foreign armored vehicle to enter service around 2020 . It will have limited amphibious capabilities to cross rivers and coastal inlets and be carried on a landing craft miles from shore , which will deploy it from the shoreline to swim the rest of the way . Seaborne requirements are likely for operation in sea state 3 , against modest winds and - high waves , taking about one hour . ACV 1.1 will likely have a higher swim standard than the previous MPC . ACV 1.2 is to buy an additional 400 amphibious vehicles in multiple variants including troop transport , command , and fire support . A Phase 1 ACV that can self-deploy without a landing craft would have an advantage , but that capability is not a requirement . ACV 2.0 is research for a new amphibious vehicle , a new fast landing craft for the ACV 1 , or some undecided alternative . Aside from wartime amphibious assaults , the Marine Corps has other needs for amphibious vehicles . In relief operations during the 2010 Haiti earthquake , there was no combat but ships could not dock in the country 's damaged ports , and helicopter could not move the amount of cargo necessary , so AAVs were relied upon to transport supplies ashore
2010 Haiti earthquake
2010 Haiti earthquake
Amphibious Combat Vehicle