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The M113 is an armored personnel carrier family of vehicles in use with the US military and many other nations.

It is a tracked vehicle capable of limited amphibious operation in lakes and streams, extended cross-country travel over rough terrain, and high speed operation on improved roads. The M113 family has many variants and modifications that are used in a variety of combat and combat support roles. Approximately 80,000 units of all types have been produced worldwide making it the most widely used armored fighting vehicle of all time. Although not a tank, or even designed as a fighting vehicle, the M113 was the most effective armored vehicle of the Vietnam war, and remains in service and production in the 2000s.

History

The M113 was first introduced in 1960, developed from the M59 and M75 which were designed by Ford Motor Company and Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical Co. in the late 1950s. The M113 was originally developed and manufactured by FMC of San Jose, California to fulfil the requirement to be an "Airborne Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Family" (AAM-PVF) Simon Dunstan, The M113 Series, page 5, Osprey Publishing, London, 1983 of all-purpose, all-terrain armored fighting vehicles as outlined by General James M. Gavin who was the Army's Chief of Research & Development at the time.

Design

The M113 was the first American modern "battle taxi", developed to transport airborne troops by C-130 and larger fixed-wing aircraft as well as heavier infantry forces on the mechanized battlefield. It requires a crew of two and can carry an additional eleven infantry. Its main armament is a single .50 cal (12.7 mm) M2 machine gun, with secondary armament depending on the vehicle's role.

The M113 was designed to simply transport troops, protected against light shrapnel, to the front line where they would disembark. During the Vietnam War, when Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) troops were pinned down by fire, they found that they could simply return fire from within and overwhelm opposing forces which didn't have the firepower to stop their lightly armoured M113s. They soon fitted makeshift shields for the vulnerable main gun. The US Army, after berating the Vietnamese for flouting battle doctrine, came out with their own ACAV or armoured cavalry version. The ACAV assault vehicle modification adds a front and circular shield for the main .50 cal gun, and side shields for 2 .30 cal guns, one on each side of the top hatch. This transformed the M113 into a fighting vehicle, and may have inspired heavily armed Soviet carriers. These were instrumental for escorting convoys through contested territory, and are commonly seen in combat photos, sometimes with M-48 or M-551 tanks for backup firepower, a situation similar to Iraq in the 2000s. Some M113s with improved ACAV main gun shields have been deployed to Iraq. Compared to tanks, the M113 had sufficient firepower, armour, and had mobility superior even to the smaller M114 scout vehicle, which was quickly withdrawn. The M113 was deployed just as the RPG was adopted, but an RPG hit would not always destroy the vehicle if not the contents behind the penetration hole.

The M113 is built of aircraft quality aluminium which gives it some of the same strength as steel at a slightly reduced weight (the vehicle weighs approximately 10.5 tons), as the greater thickness allows structural stiffness. Its weight allows the use of a relatively small engine to power the vehicle, a Detroit 2-stroke six cylinder diesel, as well as allowing the vehicle to carry a large payload cross-country and to be transported by fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. It can also swim without deploying any flotation curtains, powered by tracks, which was of tactical importance in battlefields like Vietnam which required crossing rice paddies.

The current M113A3 has a 480 km range and a maximum speed of 64 km/h. The upgraded M113A3 has added spall suppression liners, armored external fuel tanks, a more powerful engine and transmission, and mounting plates for the option of bolt-on titanium, aluminum, ceramic, or high-hardness steel applique' armor. Band tracks and hybrid-electric drive features can make the M113 stealthy and travel faster than 60 mph on roads while doubling range from 300 to 600 miles on one load of fuel.

Variants

M113 ACAV

Armoured calvary variant introduced in Vietnam war for convoy escort and combat, effectively the best light tank of the Vietnam war. Shields and circular turret for .50 and 2 .30 guns. Armour strong enough to ward off small arms, cyclone fence used against RPGs, vulnerable to mines. Improved circular shield turret deployed to Iraq without 2 rear stations. Inspired M2 Bradley, possibly Soviet armed carriers as well.

M113A1

M113A2

  • 1979, cooling and suspension improvements

M113A3

  • 1987, further improvements for "enhanced (battlefield) survival"

M113A2 Ultra

Originally M113A1, upgraded to A2 standard and modernised by Singapore with 40mm AGL/.5in HMG or 25 mm Overhead Weapon System Bushmaster guns and improved armour.

M58 Wolf Smoke Generator Carrier

Smoke generator carrier. Can produce 90 minutes of visual and 30 minutes of infrared screens.

M106 Self-propelled 107mm Mortar Carrier

Mortar carrier with 107-mm (4.2-inch) mortar firing through large, circular roof hatch in hull rear.

M113 Fire Support Vehicle

Australian variant fitted with turret from Alvis Saladin armoured car.

M113 Fitter

Armoured recovery vehicle with HIAB (Hydrauliska Industri AB) crane on hull roof.

M113 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle

A standard M113 with a turret carrying two machine guns; initially used as an armoured personnel carrier.

M113 Medium Reconnaissance Vehicle

Australian variant similar to the M113 Fire Support Vehicle, but using the turret from the FV101 Scorpion light tank.

M113 AMEV

Armored Medical Evacuation Vehicle.

M113-1/2 Command and Reconnaissance (Lynx)

Smaller command and reconnaissance vehicle built by FMC using M113A1 components, with four drive wheels on each side and engine in the rear. Lost out in US competition to the M114, but was employed by the Netherlands and Canada (where it was known as the Lynx).

M125 Self-propelled 81mm Mortar Carrier

Mortar carrier similar to M106, but with 81-mm mortar. This variant was developed by the Soltam Arms Corporation of Israel for use in the occupied territories.

M132 Full Tracked Self-propelled Flame Thrower

Flamethrower carrier, with small turret carrying flamethrower and coaxial machine gun, plus fuel and pressure tanks in rear of hull.

M163 Vulcan Air Defense System

The Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS) is a M168 anti-aircraft gun mounted on the M741 carrier.

M474 Missile Carrier (Pershing)

Carrier used as Pershing 1 nuclear missile Transporter erector launcher (TEL) and as Warhead Carrier, Programmer Test Station/Power Station carrier and Radio Terminal Set carrier.

M548 Tracked Cargo Carrier

Unarmored cargo carrier.

M577 Light Tracked Command Post Carrier

This variant is used as a command vehicle, generally as a tactical operations center (TOC). The passenger compartment is raised to 74.75 in (189.9 cm). The compartment has a commander's hatch with no weapons mount or vision blocks. A tent is carried on the top rear and attaches directly to the rear of the track to provide greater work space. Multiple M577s can be connected via the tents forming a larger operations center. An additional fuel tank is mounted in the right rear of the compartment. Long-range communications is expedited by the use of a hand-cranked extendible antenna system. A 4.2 kW auxiliary power unit (APU) is mounted on the right front of the vehicle to provide 120 volt power. The APU can be dismounted and sandbagged for noise supression. The compartment includes features such as map boards, folding tables, radio, computer terminals and other command and control equipment.

M667 Missile Equipment Carrier

MGM-52 Lance missile carrier.

M727 Guided Missile Equipment Carrier

Unarmored carrier/launcher for the MIM-23 Hawk surface-to-air missiles.

M730 Guided Missile Equipment Carrier

Unarmored carrier/launcher for the MIM-72 Chaparral surface-to-air missiles.

M806

Armoured recovery vehicle variant with winch in rear compartment.

M901 Improved TOW Vehicle

M113 with twin BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile launcher mounting on roof.
  • M901 - Based on M113A1.
  • M901A1 - Based on M113A1.
  • M901A2 - Fitted with TOW 2.
  • M901A3 - Based on M113A3.

M981 Fire Support Team Vehicle

Artillery fire support vehicle. Equipped with sights and other targeting instrumentation in a turret deliberately designed to resemble that of the M901.

M1015 Tracked Electronic Warfare Carrier

M1059 Lynx Smoke Generator Carrier

Smoke generator carrier. Uses the M157 smoke generator set.

M1064

Mortar carrier, equipped with 120-mm mortar as replacement for M106.

M1068 Standard Integrated Command Post System Carrier

A modification of the M577 Command Post Carrier.

Other Variants

Numerous other vehicles have been based on the M113, many only for testing purposes or as prototypes of vehicles that were never put into series production.

Modifications

The M113 has relatively light armor, but is being augmented with reactive armor, add-on plates, and RPG standoff cages ("slat armor"). Windowed gunshields developed by an armorer in Iraq are reminiscent of ACAV vehicle modifications so effective in Southeast Asia (Vietnam War). Band tracks to replace the high maintenance, road damaging steel tracks are in use by Canadian and other forces. During the Vietnam War, troops wishing to mitigate the effects of remotely-detonated and conventional mines often rode on top rather than inside, and some units fabricated alterations to the controls so the driver was also riding high, and almost outside the vehicle.

Most of the M113s which are still in service have been upgraded. However, they are still lightly protected compared to modern APCs or IFVs such as the M2 Bradley or IDF Achzarit. Those larger vehicles cannot be transported in a C-130 plane so it may be argued that a M113 in the field is better than a Bradley back at base. A fervent pro-M113 community has developed due to the inherent versatility of the platform.

The M113 has also recently been adopted to replace the aging fleet of visually modified (vismod) M551s being used to simulate Russian-made combat vehicles at the US Army's National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. These M113s, like the M551s they replace, have also been modified to resemble enemy tanks and APCs, such as the T-80 and BMP-2. One of the advantages of the M113 being used to simulate the latter is that the infantry squad can now ride inside the simulated BMP instead of in a truck accompanying a tank masquerading as one, as was often the case with the M551s.

Operators

The M113 is also used by NASA for emergency evacuation of astronauts during a launch pad emergency.

The Tucson Police Department SWAT Team uses 2 M113s as mobile cover, rescue, and evacuation. They are generally called out 12-15 times a year.

External links

References

See also

  • FV432 - a contemporary British vehicle
  • Pbv 302 - Swedish APC

Cold War armored personnel carriers | American armored fighting vehicles | Modern armored fighting vehicles

M113 | M113 | M113 | M113 | M-113 | M113装甲兵員輸送車 | M113 | M113 | M113 | M113 | M113

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "M113 Armored Personnel Carrier".

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