U.S. Marines Add All-Weather Vision to Next-Generation ACVs Amphibious Vehicles With Thales Minerva.

The U.S. Marine Corps is upgrading its Amphibious Combat Vehicle fleet with more than 400 Thales Minerva dual-band cameras for ACV-P personnel carriers and ACV-C command vehicles. The upgrade will give Marines sharper thermal and visible imagery while maneuvering at night or through dust, smoke, glare and severe weather, improving situational awareness without exposing crews outside the vehicle.

Thales Defense & Security received the order for more than 400 SharpView Dual Camera Minerva imagers as the Marine Corps replaces legacy camera equipment aboard the two ACV variants. The compact sensors combine visible and thermal imaging in a single unit designed for armored vehicles, providing crews with real-time imagery when conventional cameras can lose effectiveness. The technology is particularly relevant to an ACV force expected to move Marines between amphibious ships and contested shorelines while keeping drivers and commanders protected behind armor. Minerva's dual-band architecture is intended to improve obstacle detection, navigation, and battlefield awareness under degraded visual conditions.

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U.S. Marine Corps Amphibious Combat Vehicles assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit conduct surf passage training at Shoalwater Bay Training Area in Queensland, Australia, in July 2025. (Picture source: US DoD)

The ACV-P is the personnel transport variant of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle family developed by BAE Systems with Iveco Defence Vehicles from the Italian SuperAV design. The 8x8 amphibious armored vehicle carries three crew members and thirteen combat-equipped Marines, together with supplies for two days of operations. Its six-cylinder engine develops around 690 hp and allows the vehicle to exceed 88 km/h on roads, while the hull design and propulsion system support movement at sea between amphibious ships and the coastline. The baseline version can be fitted with a remotely operated weapon station armed with an M2 12.7 mm heavy machine gun or a Mk 19 40 mm automatic grenade launcher, providing direct fire support to embarked infantry during and after landing operations.

Thales confirmed the order in its original announcement published on August 11, 2026, stating that its US subsidiary Thales Defense & Security Inc. had received an order for more than 400 Minerva cameras for the Marine Corps. The equipment is to be installed on ACV-P and ACV-C vehicles to replace existing imaging systems and is therefore not limited to newly produced vehicles. Thales Defense & Security already markets Minerva within its sensor portfolio for US land forces, alongside the Catherine thermal imaging system and other electro-optical solutions intended for tactical vehicles.

The wider ACV program provides the industrial and operational context for this modernization. BAE Systems was selected for low-rate initial production in June 2018, with an initial batch of 30 vehicles, before the Marine Corps declared initial operational capability in November 2020. Full-rate production began in December of the same year with an initial $184 million contract for 36 vehicles, including options intended to increase production volumes progressively. The current acquisition objective stands at 632 ACVs, down from an earlier plan for 1,122 vehicles as part of the force restructuring conducted under Force Design. Production remains underway. On February 3, 2026, BAE Systems announced a further $195 million contract for 30 additional ACVs, while continuing work on the ACV-P, ACV-C, ACV-30 and ACV-R variants.

The ACV-C uses the same automotive and amphibious platform but replaces the troop compartment with command-and-control equipment and operator workstations. Its role is to allow Marine commanders and staffs to maintain communications and situational awareness while moving with maneuver elements rather than operating exclusively from fixed command posts. BAE Systems delivered the first production-standard ACV-C in early 2024, adding a mobile command vehicle to a family that also includes the ACV-30 fire support variant and the ACV-R recovery vehicle. This common-chassis approach enables transport, command, fire support, and maintenance elements to operate with broadly comparable levels of mobility and protection.

Designed and produced by Thales in Canada, Minerva combines an uncooled long-wave infrared detector with a visible-light channel in a compact dual-band unit. Its thermal sensor uses a 12-micron pixel pitch and provides a 1280 x 1024 HD image, while the visible channel reaches a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The system delivers digital video at 60 Hz and incorporates automatic image-processing functions. For ACV crews, the main objective is to improve driving and external awareness from inside the vehicle, particularly at night or when visibility is reduced by sea spray, dust, smoke or weather conditions.

The order also builds on an existing relationship between Thales electro-optical systems and US Marine Corps ground vehicles. Company representatives previously stated that the cooled SharpView thermal camera had been integrated into the Marine Air Defense Integrated System, or MADIS, while the Catherine thermal imaging family has been associated with the ACV-30 turret and its detection architecture. Minerva therefore expands an existing industrial presence in US vehicle programs rather than establishing a completely new position for Thales. The same camera has also been selected for US Army evaluation activities related to future armored vehicles, while the XM30 program, intended to replace the Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle, places emphasis on modern sensors, open architectures and improved crew situational awareness.

At the tactical level, improved vision directly affects how an ACV formation can maneuver. Amphibious operations require crews to cross surf zones, beaches and narrow coastal terrain before potentially moving into urban or heavily vegetated areas, often with restricted external visibility. More detailed thermal imagery can help drivers detect obstacles earlier and maintain spacing between vehicles at night, while commanders gain a clearer view of their immediate surroundings without exposing themselves above the hull. For the ACV-C, this additional visibility can also support the movement of a command post operating alongside maneuver units.

The timing of the modernization is also notable because the ACV is no longer operating alongside the AAV while awaiting its eventual replacement. On June 14, 2026, Marines from the 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion conducted the final operational employment of the AAV-P7/A1 during Exercise Sea Breeze 26 in Romania, ending more than five decades of service for a platform introduced in 1972. The ACV family now assumes the protected amphibious mobility role, although the Marine Corps continues to adjust training, maintenance, and operational procedures for difficult sea conditions. Since 2024, the platform has been used increasingly in exercises and forward deployments involving US and allied forces.

ACVs are intended in particular to support Marine amphibious and littoral operations from US Navy ships toward coastal positions, with particular attention to the Indo-Pacific. Their use during exercises in the Philippines, Japan and South Korea illustrates the role these vehicles are taking in the mobility of US forces deployed across the region.

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.