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.
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.
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Specifications
Lockheed Missile and Space Company - USA Manufacturer(s)
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.
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