M113 (Osprey “Encyclopedia of modern U.S. Weapons, pages 203-204) The US Ml 13 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) is the most widely used of all non-Soviet APCs. Its hull and powertrain have been

the basis for a great variety of battlefield vehicles, some modifications representing functional changes and others differences in

locally available weapons, powerplants, or sensors. In configuration, the Ml 13 is a

slimmed-down version of the earlier M59. The boxy hull is welded aluminum with a steeply sloped glacis and flat top. Although there

is a roof hatch, troops enter the compartment on a lowered rear ramp. There are no firing ports or vision blocks. In February 1987, the

General Accounting Office contended that an Ml 13A3 would be as mobile as the newer M2 Bradley and would be less likely to

explode because of the less volatile ammunition it carries. Rebuttals to the report noted that the Ml 13 was not as well armed or as

easy for infantry to dismount from as the Bradley. US experience in Operation Desert Storm suggests that the Bradley's thermal sights

and 25-mm Chain Gun, which the M113A3 does not have, were critical elements in the M2's success.

VARIANTS • Ml13 gasoline-powered APC derived from T113E1, M113A1diesel-powered production model (25,459 produced),

M113A2 (1978), M113A3 (1987). M106 (107-mm), M125 (81-mm), M1064 (120-mm) mortar carriers. Canadian M113A2s fitted with the

Air Defense, Antitank System (ADATS) missile launcher. M548 cargo carrier, M577 series command post, Ml068 Standard Integrated

Command Post Systems (SICPS). M901 Improved TOW Vehicle (ITV) with two TOW antitank missiles. M981 Fire Support Vehicle (FSV)

with laser designator in erectable "hammerhead" mount. Ml 015 Electronic Warfare (EW) systems carrier. Ml 059 Smoke Generator Carrier.

DEVELOPMENT • Production began in 1959, with the Ml 13 achieving initial operational capability in 1959, M113A1 in

1965. More than 78,000 were produced for over 50 countries by FMC Corp. of San Jose, California, with license production by OTO

Melara of Italy and Thyssen-Henschel of Germany, with Pakistan assembly of 775 M113A2s beginning in 1990. Known as the Zelda in

Israeli service.

COMBAT EXPERIENCE • Ml 13s were widely deployed in several versions, including the basic APC, with US, Vietnamese, Australian,

and South Korean units in Vietnam. Experiments with camouflage

and firing ports (to allow firing under cover) were short-lived and unsuccessful. A bridgelayer conversion, on the other hand, improved unit

mobility in the marshes and defiles. Ml 13s have also seen extensive service in several Israeli-

Arab conflicts. M901 ITVs, M981 FIST-Vs, and M577 command vehicles were deployed in US Army units in Saudi Arabia during

Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. The M577s and the M981 FSVs were slowed down by the sand and proved to be the vehicles

that most limited the tracked artillery's speed of maneuver and prevented greater use of Copperhead laser-guided projectiles. (The most

effective laser platform was the OH-58D Kiowa AHIP helicopter.)

In fact, the M981 was the most severely criticized of all US military systems for its sluggishness in the sand, the need to be stationary to

operate its "hammerhead," and its inferior optics, which often didn't see targets being engaged by M1A1 Abrams tank and M2/M3 Bradley

fighting vehicles. In addition, having to orient the FIST-V's NSG added eight to 10 minutes to the time needed to provide targeting

information, which was far too long in a fluid battlefield. Saudi Arabian, Kuwaiti, and Egyptian Ml 13s also participated in the ground war.

None of the 50 M901 ITVs captured in Kuwait by the Iraqi Army took any part in the ground war. A US M577 was accidentally struck by an

AGM-114 Hellfire missile a week before the ground war began; several soldiers were wounded.

SPECIFICATIONS •

CREW 2 (commander, driver) + 11 troops WEIGHT

M113A2: 24,986 Ib (11,334 kg)

M113A3: 27,180 Ib (12,339 kg)

ground pressure

M113A2:7.961b/in2 (0.56 kg/cm2)

M113A3:8.571b/in2 (0.60 kg/cm2) DIMENSIONS

hull length M113A2: 15 ft 11 in (4.86 m)

M113A3: 17 ft 5 in (5.30m)

Width 8 ft 10 in (2.69 m)

height with air defense machine gun

8 ft 3 in (2.52 m) length of track on ground

8 ft 9 in (2.67 m) ground clearance

17 in (430 mm) track width 15 in (380 mm)

MAIN ARMAMENT

12.7-mm M2 HB machine gun with 2,000 rounds pintle mounted at commander's hatch (M113A3 has armored gun shield)

elevation -217+53°, traverse 360°

ARMOR

5083 aluminum hull (12-38 mm), antimine applique armor on the bottom

POWERPLANT

Detroit Diesel model 6V53 215-hp (M113A2) or 6V53T 275-hp (M113A3) water-cooled 2-stroke V-6 diesel engine; M113A2 Allison TX-

100-1 crossdrive transmission with 3 forward/1 reverse gears; M113A3 TX-200-4 hydrokinetic crossdrive transmission with 4 forward/1 reverse

gears power-to-weight ratio at combat weight M113A2 18.51 hp/metric

ton; Ml 13A3 22.45 hp/metric ton

SUSPENSION (EACH SIDE)

torsion bar, 5 road wheels, front drive, rear idler, 2 shock absorbers, no return rollers

SPEED

road M113A2 38 mph (61 km/ h), M113A3 41 mph (65 km/h), cross-country (at 26,500 lb/12,020 kg), M113A1/A2 16.8 mph (27 km/ h), M113A3

22 mph (35.4 km/h); 3.6 mph (5.8 km/h) in water, acceleration 0-20 mph (0-32 km/h) at 26,500 lb (12,020 kg) M113A1/A2 11 sec, M113A3 9 sec

RANGE

M113A2 300 mi (483 km); M113A3309mi (497km)

OBSTACLE CLEARANCE

vertical 2 ft, (0.61 m), gradient 60%, side slope 30%, trench 5 ft 6 in (1.68 m), amphibious M1l 3A2