Military Vehicle Technology Foundation

Rare Military Vehicles with Tour Guides, Blank Gun Firings, Staged Mock Battles Planned

The Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) will be showing three of its iconic military vehicles at the Pacific Coast Dream Machines Show, April 27-28 at Half Moon Bay Airport.

The MVTF display will feature a pair of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (above) and an Israeli M5 half-track (below)

The MVTF owns the largest private collection of military vehicles in the world at its museum in nearby Portola Valley and is a longtime Dream Machines fan favorite.

Members of the MVTF's Re-enactor Volunteer Program will be on hand to talk about their rare vehicles. The MVTF "tour guides" will be dressed in military uniforms and provide excellent photo opportunities for the public.

MVTF staged mock battles (below)

The MVTF plans to enhance its presentation by conducting periodic blank firings of the vehicle mounted machine guns which promises to be an exciting attraction for event patrons.

With display military aircraft and MVTF vehicles in the background, the re-enactors from the West Coast Armor Association also plan to perform a "mock-battle" entitled, "Rescue of a Downed Pilot" during the show. All of the re-enactors are trained in "presentation stunt combat" and are regularly used in feature movies, as well as TV programs on HBO, The History Channel, and Discovery Channel. These staged battles promise to be fascinating entertainment and great chance for kids to talk and have their picture taken with a "soldier".

The MVTF display feature a pair of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, brand new to the MVTF collection making their first public appearance, and an Israeli M5 half-track equipped with de-milled machine guns. The public will be able to actually get into the half-track, "play soldier" and have their photo taken.

The Joint Light Tactical Vehicles (JLTVs) are currently being tested as as replacement for the Humvee in both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps. Available in four and six man versions, JLTVs can be equipped with a variety of machine guns or grenade launchers.

The Israeli M5 was built in 1944 by International Harvester and was exported to France that same year. During the 1950's, it was sold to the Israelis who replaced the original IHC RED-450 gasoline engine with a Cummins diesel.

This vehicle was knocked out on the Sinai Peninsula during the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and abandoned for 20+ years. It was recovered in the mid-1990's and brought to the U.S. and repaired to its present state.

For more information about the MVTF, please visit their website: www.mvtf.org.

The Military Vehicle Technology Foundation (MVTF) oversees one of the largest and most significant collections of historical military vehicles in the world. MVTF's goal is to acquire, restore, and interpret the historical significance  of 20th and 21st century military vehicles. Domestic and foreign combat vehicles such as tanks, armored cars, self-propelled artillery, and other technically interesting mobile platforms are the focus of the collection.  MVTF maintains an extensive technical library that describes many vehicles down to the part level. Aside from the vehicles, there are towed artillery, antitank, and antiaircraft guns. Military support equipment, inert ordnance and accessories round out the collection. The Foundation President, Bill Boller, oversees the current operations, promotes the MVTF and provides the overall vision for the collection and organization. The first two tanks arrived on site in 1983. The collection comprised a total of five armored vehicles by 1988. Over time other military vehicles and associated equipment were acquired from dealers, collectors, or in trade with various museums or government agencies in the United States and abroad. By the middle of the 1990's the collection included examples from almost all historically significant land battles of the last half-century. The oldest armored military vehicle in the collection is a World War I era M1917 light tank. The Foundation was established in 1998 to serve the interests of authors, historians, educators,  the defense industry, veteran groups, model makers, as well as the entertainment industry.

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