The Light Armoured Vehicle (LAV) is a series of armoured vehicles built by General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada (GDLS-C), a London, Ontario-based subsidiary of General Dynamics. It is a license-produced version of the Mowag Piranha. The first generation of LAV was created by Mowag for the Armoured Vehicle General Purpose (AVGP) requirement of the Canadian Army. This was a 6x6 variant of the Piranha I produced by General Motors Diesel in London, Ontario. Since entering service in 1976, it has undergone a number of upgrades. The LAV II introduced the now-familiar 8x8 configuration. The LAV continues to form the backbone of the Canadian Army's combat vehicle fleet. The LAV series of vehicles exist in a number of different variants and are used in a number of different roles such as armoured personnel carriers, engineering vehicles, command posts, ambulances and armoured recovery vehicles.
A surplus Cougar seen in a militaria event in the UK.
American LAV-25s in 2006
A New Zealand Army LAV III in Afghanistan
Canadian infantry dismounting from a LAV III at CFB Gagetown
The Mowag Piranha is a family of armoured fighting vehicles designed by the Swiss company Mowag.
Irish Army Piranha IIIH MRV armed with a 30 mm autocannon
MOWAG Piranha IB 4×4
MOWAG Piranha IB 6×6 Swiss Army
MOWAG Piranha IIIC 10×10 at Military Museum Full