[Webstral]

111th Brigade out of Ft. Huachuca uses the LAV-75A/LAV-105 much as anyone else uses anything with a gun and armor throughout most of CONUS—as an MBT. Obviously, a Ridgway cannot fill the shoes of an MBT anywhere opposing MBT and/or heavy AT weapons are available in numbers. But in many locations throughout the American Southwest the relative paucity of fighting vehicles and ATGM gives the Ridgway an opportunity to fill a variety of roles. In Arizona, the Samadi never face what tanks the Mexican Army possesses, as these are sent to the primary fronts in California and Texas. Ridgways based out of Huachuca face Mexican Lynxes and VAB, against which the 105mm gun is gratuitously overpowered. Of course, the 90mm gun of the Lynx is gratuitously overpowered against the armor of the Ridgway. Given that one of the hallmarks of the MBT is (supposedly) its ability to play the role of the assault gun, and given that assault guns were supposed to be better armored than MBT, there’s justification for identifying the Ridgway (and the Lynx) as cum-light tanks/tank destroyers.