M93 Fox

Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) Armored Reconnaissance Vehicle [ 1990 ]

The 6x6 wheeled American Army M93 Fox armored vehicle - based on the German TPz Fuchs series - serves as a dedicated NBC reconnaissance platform.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 08/17/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image courtesy of the United States Department of Defense imagery database.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

The M93 "Fox" is a United States Army development of the stellar German Rheinmetall TPz 1 "Fuchs" 6x6 wheeled vehicle. The M93 is utilized primarily for surveillance, collection, and processing of battlefield samples as related to biological, chemical, radiological, and nuclear contamination. The Fox first appeared (in loan form) from the German government and were operated by U.S. Army personnel during Operation Desert Storm (as "XM93" and "XM93E1") for it was feared that the enemy could use chemical weapons during the coalition offensive. The U.S. initially contracted for 48 of the vehicles until the Gulf War ushered the German government into providing the service with a total of 60 vehicles.

At the heart of the M93 system is its mass spectrometer which is used in the analysis process which takes collected air and soil samples for review. The vehicle itself sits atop a three-axle, six-wheeled arrangement which provides excellent ground clearance, cross-country travel, and battlefield protection (from small arms fire). The crew is made up of three personnel with the driver and commander in the front hull section though the M93 production mark featured four.

Original vehicles fell under the basic M93 designation. This was followed by the M93A1 mark which reduced the crew to just three. The A1 model also introduced the M21 remote chemical agent alarm system and automated sampler for improved detection. Modernization programs have helped to keep the Fox stock of vehicles viable for new, modern airborne and soil threats.

Design of the TPz Fuchs / M93 Fox is by Thyssen-Henschel with manufacture undertaken by Rheinmetall.

The vehicle features an operating weight of 17 tons, a length of 22.25 feet with a height of 8 feet. The 6x6 wheel arrangement is driven by a Mercedes-Benz Model OM 402A series V8 liquid-cooled, diesel-fueled engine of 320 horsepower allowing the vehicle to reach road speeds of 65 miles per hour.©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

Service Year

1990

Origin

United States

Status

Crew

3
CREWMEN

Production

1,236
UNITS

General Dynamics - USA / Thyssen-Henschel-Rheinmetall - Germany

(View other Vehicle-Related Manufacturers)

United States

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Amphibious Assault
Traverse bodies of open water under own power with / without preparation.

✓ Reconaissance
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.

Length

22.2 ft
6.78 m

Width

9.8 ft
2.98 m

Height

8.1 ft
2.46 m

Weight

37,479 lb
17,000 kg

Tonnage

18.7 tons
LIGHT

(Showcased structural values pertain to the M93A1 Fox production variant. Length typically includes main gun in forward position if applicable to the design)

Powerplant: 1 x Mercedes-Benz Model OM 402A V-8 liquid-cooled diesel engine developing 320 horsepower at 2,500rpm.

Speed

64.6 mph
(104.0 kph)

Range

497.1 mi
(800.0 km)

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the M93A1 Fox production variant. Compare this entry against any other in our database)

1 x 7.62mm M240 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG).
2 x 6 Smoke Grenade Dischargers.

Supported Types

Graphical image of a tank medium machine gun

Graphical image of tank /armored vehicle smoke grenade dischargers

(Not all weapon types may be represented in the showcase above)

1,000 x 7.62mm ammunition.

12 x Smoke grenades.

XM93 - Prototype Designation.

XM93E1 - Developmental designation.

M93 - Initial production model.

M93A1 - Automated sampling system.

M93A1P1 - Variant.

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 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

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective campaigns / operations.