U.S. Army Reveals First Production Maneuver Support Vessel Light for Abrams Tank Operations.

The U.S. Army has presented USAV Craney Island, its first production Maneuver Support Vessel Light, at Vigor Marine Fabrication in Vancouver, Washington. The new landing craft will move tanks, armored vehicles, and supplies through shallow coastal waters and unimproved beaches, expanding Army logistics options for distributed operations in the Indo-Pacific.

Craney Island is the second vessel completed under the MSV(L) program, following the SSG Elroy F. Wells prototype launched in 2022, and is expected to be delivered to the Army in fall 2026. The 117-foot landing craft is designed to replace the aging Landing Craft Mechanized 8 fleet while giving Army units the ability to move heavy combat equipment between established ports, austere shorelines, and inland waterways without depending on major port infrastructure. The Army has identified the MSV(L) as a key part of its watercraft modernization effort. A Government Accountability Office report said the first production vessel is planned for assignment to U.S. Army Pacific, underscoring the service's focus on improving logistics across the Indo-Pacific.

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Vigor Marine Group unveiled USAV Craney Island, the second Maneuver Support Vessel (Light) built to support the modernization of the U.S. Army’s watercraft fleet. (Picture source: US DoD)

Measuring 35.6 meters in length and 8.6 meters in width, the MSV(L) has a maximum payload capacity of 82 tons and a cargo deck of nearly 158 square meters. It can reach 21 knots while loaded and more than 30 knots when empty, with an announced range of more than 360 nautical miles. Propulsion is provided by three 2,600-hp engines connected to three waterjets, while its draft at full load remains at around 1.2 meters. This configuration allows the vessel to approach beaches and coastal areas that are inaccessible to larger logistics ships. It is also fitted with a folding bow ramp and a drive-through arrangement that allows vehicles to move from the stern toward the bow.

In a statement published on August 11, 2026, Vigor Marine Group announced that its Vigor Marine Fabrication shipyard in Vancouver had presented USAV Craney Island, the first production MSV(L) intended for the U.S. Army. The company said the facility is now in full-rate production of MSV(L) hulls. The design, developed with BMT, is based on a so-called tribow monohull intended to improve seakeeping and stability in littoral environments and inland waterways. More than 300 Vigor employees contributed to the construction of the vessel, alongside more than 40 companies based in Washington State and other U.S. suppliers.

The initial contract dates to September 28, 2017. The U.S. Army awarded Vigor Works a firm-fixed-price IDIQ contract with a ceiling value of $979.79 million covering development and production of the MSV(L), with the contractual period running through September 28, 2027. This does not represent a firm order worth nearly $1 billion, but rather the maximum value that can be used through individual orders. The contract initially allowed for the production of up to 36 vessels. In 2022, however, the Army stated that its Army Acquisition Objective had been set at 13 MSV(L)s.

The payload allows the vessel to carry one M1A2 Abrams main battle tank, two Bradley Fighting Vehicles, two Strykers or four Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, depending on configuration. For the U.S. Army, the main difference compared with the LCM-8 it is replacing lies in payload and speed. The older craft is limited to around 60 short tons and a speed of roughly 10 knots. The MSV(L) can therefore move heavier loads while operating at about twice the transit speed, reducing the time required to shift a unit between points in an archipelago or to recover a system after a mission.

This type of capability is not new across U.S. naval forces. The U.S. Navy already operates LCU 1610 Landing Craft Utility vessels capable of carrying around 140 short tons, including one M1A1 tank, with a range of about 1,200 nautical miles at 8 knots. Its future LCU 1700 is expected to increase payload to about 170 short tons and carry up to two M1A1 tanks. These vessels are, however, slower, at around 11 knots, and remain closely tied to Navy and Marine Corps amphibious operations. The MSV(L) therefore gives the Army an organic option that is faster, lighter, and more suited to frequent movements between beaches, secondary ports, and dispersed littoral positions.

The distinction was demonstrated in Hawaii on February 24 and 25, 2026, when SSG Elroy F. Wells transported a HIMARS launcher to an unimproved beach during a littoral rapid infiltration operation. The concept involves landing the launcher, conducting or simulating a fire mission, then re-embarking the system so it can be moved to another island or coastal sector before it can be located and engaged. The same vessel later hosted a surgical unit installed in a CONEX container in March, showing that the platform can also support medical evacuation and treatment between different points in an island chain.

The MSV(L) can therefore be used to move HIMARS launchers, armored vehicles, ammunition, fuel, or medical modules without relying exclusively on deep-water ports. In a scenario where fixed facilities such as Guam, Okinawa, or other forward bases are under surveillance or threatened by ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and reconnaissance drones, the vessel can redirect logistics flows toward secondary landing sites. A HIMARS detachment, for example, could be transported to an austere beach, move to a firing position, engage a maritime or land target, then re-embark before an adversary completes its targeting cycle. Ammunition and fuel stocks could likewise be distributed across several islands instead of being concentrated at a single port, reducing the exposure of logistics networks supporting U.S. land operations in the Pacific.

For Washington, the MSV(L) mainly gives the U.S. Army more options for moving heavy units rapidly between dispersed coastal positions without relying on major ports. In the Pacific, it can support the repositioning of HIMARS launchers, air defense systems, and logistics stocks between islands or secondary beaches. Against China, this increases the number of locations from which U.S. forces can operate and redeploy, complicating efforts to identify and target fixed patterns of movement.

Written By Erwan Halna du Fretay - Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Erwan Halna du Fretay holds a Master’s degree in International Relations and has experience studying conflicts and global arms transfers. His research interests lie in Security and strategic studies, particularly the dynamics of the defense industry, the evolution of military technologies, and the strategic transformation of armed forces.