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The M113 during the Vietnam War
The
M113 is an
armored personnel carrier family. It was first introduced in 1960, developed the from the M59 and M75 which were designed by Ford and Kaiser Aluminium and Chemical Co. in the late 1950s. It is a tracked vehicle capable of amphibious operation in lakes and streams, extended cross-country travel over rough terrain, and high speed operation on improved roads. The M113 family has many variants that are used in a variety of combat and combat support roles, with approximately 80,000 units having been produced.
The M113 was the first modern "battle taxi," developed to transport infantry forces on the mechanized battlefield; it requires a crew of two and can carry an additional seven infantry. Its main armament is a single .50 Cal heavy barrel machine gun, with secondary armament consisting of a single .30 Cal machine gun. The M113 is built of aircraft quality aluminium which allows it to possess some of the same strengths as steel at a much lighter weight (the vehicle weighs approximately 13 tons). Its low weight allows the use of a relatively small engine to power the vehicle, a 2-stroke six cylinder Detroit diesel, as well as allowing the vehicle to carry a large payload cross-country and to be transported by aircraft.
During the Vietnam conflict, VC developed effective methods of destroying the M113 (booby-trapped artillery shells for example), and as its vulnerable nature became more well known to US troops, many chose to ride on top of it (or just walk) rather than become trapped inside.
The M113 has a 480 km range and a maximum speed of 64.4 km/h. The upgraded M113A3 has added spall suppression liners, armored external fuel tanks, a more powerful engine and transmission, and mounting plates for the optional bolt-on aluminum armor.
Variations include an add-on bulldozer blade, a Vulcan weapon system (M163) for antiaircraft defense, a TOW launch assembly (M901), a command-and-control vehicle (M577), and a artillery fire support vehicle (M981), M113 Ultra Modernised by Singapore with 40/50 and 25mm Bushmaster guns and improved armour.
The M113 has very light armor, insufficient against modern ammunition and weapons. The M113 basic armor can easily be pentrated by anti-tank missiles like the Russian RPG-7, and even by heavy machine gun fire. During the Vietnam War, this APC was considered such inadequate protection that most American soldiers rode on top of the vehicle since they considered it suicidal to ride inside. Most of the M113s which are still in service are upgraded with add-on armor, reactive armor coats and sandbag protection. However, they are still lightly protected compared to modern APCs or IFVs such as the M2 Bradley or IDF Achzarit.
This APC is also used by Singapore, Canadian Forces, the Israeli Defence Forces and the Norwegian Army.
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