Information AboutM113 |
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name=M113 (A3)
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. HISTORY The M113 was first introduced in 1960 , developed from the M59 and M75 which were designed by Ford and Kaiser Aluminium And Chemical Co. in the late 1950s. The M113 was originally manufactured by the Food Machinery Corporation (FMC) of San Jose, California . It has also been manufactured under license by the Italian company, Oto Melara and other firms. The M113 is still under manufacture by United Defense , now part of BAE Systems Land And Armaments . DESIGN The M113 was the first American modern "battle taxi", developed to transport 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 is built of aircraft quality aluminium which gives it some of the same strengths as steel at a slightly reduced weight (the vehicle weighs approximately 13 tons). 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 aircraft. The current M113 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 optional bolt-on aluminum armor. VARIANTS M113A1
M113A2
M113A3
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 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. 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 VADS Vulcan weapon system for anti-aircraft defense. M474 Pershing carrier 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 Command vehicle with a taller rear compartment so occupants can stand up. Additional Command_And_Control upgrades include:
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.
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 damage caused to aluminium armor combined with the fire from the ammunition and fuel makes dramatic wreckage, but the M-113 armor is reasonably effective and far better than that on the unarmored HMMWV (Hummer). The HMMWV-bound US Rangers in Somalia chronicled in " Black Hawk Down " were rescued by Pakistan i M-113s and M-48 tanks. Unlike the wheeled Stryker and Hummer, M-113s can surmount wrecked vehicles. 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 IFV s 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. OPERATORS
The M113 is also used by NASA for emergency evacuation of Astronaut s 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.
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