M113

The M113 armored personnel carrier can be regarded as one of the most successful post-war armored vehicles. No fewer than 80,000 units were produced since the system made it's way to frontline service in 1960 with over 50 countries utilizing the form in some way around the world. The chassis proved highly adaptable and became the basis for many other defensive systems and specialized battlefield vehicles. The M113 still remains in service with many fighting forces.

The first instance of the M113 was being developed as early as 1956, with the initial production models - the M113 - coming out in 1960. These initial models were fitted with a gasoline engine though the follow-up model - the M113A1 - was soon fielded in 1964 with a more powerful and efficient diesel engine. The improved M113A2 followed over a decade later and found it's way into frontline service by 1979. Features incorporated into this variant included improvements to the suspension system and the cooling system. The M113A3 represents the M113 in it's fully evolved form, being fitted with a turbocharged version of the diesel engine. Software updates and additional armor protection also round out the list of improvements from the basic M113.

The M113 is a highly identifiable piece of battlefield machinery, appearing almost as a featureless fundamental design. The front features a sloping appearance whilst the rest of the vehicle is nearly box-like. The system can be crewed by a minimum of 2 personnel and an additional 11 passengers can be carried aboard. Armored protection, at least in earlier M113's, was kept light and was intended to protect airborne troop elements from shrapnel injuries while delivering them into combat. Over the decades, the system has been reconfigured and retooled to fulfill a variety of battlefield roles depending on the customer.

Standard defensive armament for the M113 consists of a 12.7mm machine gun, though this can be substituted for the customer's needs and the specified role of the vehicle. The chassis has proven highly adaptable and can be found in other roles such as that supporting an air-defense turret system as in the anti-aircraft missile-wielding M730 Chaparral or the gattling alternative in the M741 Vulcan. Additionally, many M113's have been converted to battlefield ambulances, cargo carriers, mortar carriers, smoke dispensing systems, missile carriers and mobile command posts.

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Last Updated: 7/23/2008