×
Aircraft / Aviation Vehicles & Artillery Small Arms Warships & Submarines Military Ranks Military Pay Chart (2024) Special Forces
HOME
ARMOR INDEX
MODERN ARMIES
ARMOR BY COUNTRY
VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS
COMPARE VEHICLES
VEHICLES BY CONFLICT
VEHICLES BY TYPE
VEHICLES BY DECADE
COLD WAR VEHICLES
X-TANKS
Land Systems / Battlefield

Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)


Armored Reconnaissance Scout Vehicle Prototype [ 1974 ]



Lockheed completed two vehicles for its part in the U.S. Army MICV-65 XM800 Armored Reconnaissance Scout Vehicle program of the 1960s-1970s.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 09/07/2021 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]
With the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC), introduced in 1960, the United States Army was given an ultimately proven workhorse that also went on to see considerable sales and service with foreign parties the world over. It was highly adaptable and used in a myriad of roles - such was its success that many remain in service today (2018). The M114, looking every bit the part of the M113, was developed as a dimensionally larger, squatter, and air-droppable tracked system for the armed reconnaissance role and adopted a short time later in 1962. However, the M114 was deemed a failure by the Army for its time in the Vietnam War (1955-1975) as soon as 1973.

With the poor showing given by the M114 in service, a successor for the reconnaissance role was sought during the mid-1960s resulting in the "MICV-65" program intended to produce a family of related fighting vehicles to undertake various battlefield roles. One of the products of this program became the XM800 Armored Reconnaissance Scout Vehicle (ARSV) which, itself, produced two key vehicles in the "XM800W" (the focus of this article) and the "XM800T'.

Both were intended for the same reconnaissance role but differed in their approaches: the XM800W was developed as an 6x6 wheeled form while the XM800T was given a traditional track-and-wheel drive system. Both shared the same turret armed with a single 20mm Hispano-Suiza H.S.820 series automatic cannon (designated in the U.S. Army inventory as the "M139") backed by a pintle-mounted 7.62mm M60 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG). The turret offered complete 360-degree traversal.

The key quality of the XM800W was its articulated hull in which the forward section, with its single twin-wheeled axle, twisted independently of the aft section and its pair of twin-wheeled axles. This provided extreme flexibility for the design when going off road. The hull was further designed as amphibious, allowing the vehicle to traverse certain water sources as needed.

The Army requirement sought a vehicle with excellent survivability and spacious fighting compartments for the crew. The system would need to be fast and adequately-armored but remain in the lightweight class (about 7 tons) for tactical flexibility (suitability for air-transportation was another key quality). The operating crew was to be three personnel (commander, driver, and gunner).©MilitaryFactory.com
In 1971, design submissions were received for both vehicle types: CONDEC, Ford, and Lockheed attempted to net the wheeled requirement while Chrysler, FMC, and Teledyne-Continental eyed the tracked requirement. In the end, the Lockheed design won out for the former while FMC netted the latter contract. In May of 1972, development contracts covering pilot (prototype) vehicles were given to both Lockheed and FMC covering the "XM800W" and XM800T", respectively.

Before the end of the year, both companies were actively testing their pilot vehicles and evaluations would continue into 1974. However, the Army saw neither form as a suitable alternative to the M113, which could also undertake the armed reconnaissance role (as could the in-service M151 Sheridan light tank), and, as such, neither vehicle was selected for adoption into service. FMC did, however, receive a contract to further certain MICV concepts which ultimately produced the "Bradley" series of Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) and its related offshoots so not all was lost.

Lockheed completed a pair of XM800W vehicles for their part in this now-abandoned Army program. One remains on display on the outdoor grounds of the Air Force Armament Museum today (2018) in Florida. It is completed in a bright orange scheme which reflects its time at the nearby Eglin Air Force Base EOD range.

As built, the XM800W was powered by a General Motors 6V53T diesel-fueled engine developing 300 horsepower. The engine was mated to an Allison MT650 transmission system offering five forward and two reverse speeds. Armor protection was from an Aluminum allow hull with a cast aluminum/steel turret. The vehicle weighed nearly 17,000lb when emptied. Performance included a road speed of 65 miles per hour and an operational range out to 450 miles (a 90 gallon tank was fitted internally). As an amphibious design, the armored car could make about 5 miles per hour through water sources and carried an Aero-jet water-jet system for propulsion.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications



Lockheed Missile and Space Company - USA
Manufacturer(s)
United States (cancelled)
Operators National flag of the United States
1974
Service Year
United States
National Origin
3
Crew
2
Units


ARMOR CAR / SECURITY
Design, of typically lightweight nature, providing onroad/offroad capabilities for the scouting or general security roles.
RECONNAISSANCE
Can conduct reconnaissance / scout missions to assess threat levels, enemy strength, et al - typically through lightweight design.
SPECIAL PURPOSE
Special purpose design developed to accomplish an equally-special battlefield role or roles.


16.4 ft
(5 meters)
Length
6.9 ft
(2.1 meters)
Width
5.4 ft
(1.65 meters)
Height
16,976 lb
(7,700 kg)
Weight
8.5 tons
(Light-class)
Tonnage


1 x General Motors 6V53T diesel-fueled engine developing 300 horsepower.
Drive System
65 mph
(105 kph)
Road Speed
450 miles
(725 km)
Road Range


1 x 20mm M139 (Hispano-Suiza H.S.820) automatic cannon in traversing turret.
1 x 7.62mm M60 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) on pintle mounting atop turret.
AMMUNITION
Not Available.


XM800 - Base Project Deisgnation as related to the MICV-65 program of 1965.
XM800W - Wheeled version completed by Lockheed in two examples.
XM800T - Tracked version awarded to FMC Corporation.


Military lapel ribbon for the American Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of the Bulge
Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Kursk
Military lapel ribbon for the Cold War
Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War
Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars
Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War
Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War
Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft
Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War
Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War
Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War
Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1
Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2
Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War
Military lapel ribbon for experimental military vehicles

Images



1 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
2 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
3 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
4 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
5 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
6 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
7 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
8 / 8
Image of the Lockheed XM800W (ARSV)
Image from the Public Domain.

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.


©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)