#M113A3toUkraine
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the FMC Corporation. The M113 was sent to United States Army Europe to replace the mechanized infantry’s M59 APCs from 1961. The M113 was first used in combat in April 1962 after the United States provided the South Vietnamese Army (ARVN) with heavy weaponry such as the M113, under the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) program. Eventually, the M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War and was used to break through heavy thickets in the midst of the jungle to attack and overrun enemy positions. It was largely known as an “APC” or an “ACAV” (armored cavalry assault vehicle) by the allied forces.
The M113 was the first aluminum hull combat vehicle to be put into mass production. Much lighter than earlier similar vehicles, its aluminum armor was designed to be thick enough to protect the crew and passengers against small arms fire, but light enough that the vehicle was air transportable and moderately amphibious.
In the U.S. Army, the M113 series have long been replaced as front-line combat vehicles by the M2 and M3 Bradleys, but large numbers are still used in support roles such as armored ambulance, mortar carrier, engineer vehicle, and command vehicle. The U.S. Army’s heavy brigade combat teams are equipped with approximately 6,000 M113s and 4,000 Bradleys.
The M113’s versatility spawned a wide variety of adaptations that live on worldwide and in U.S. service. These variants together currently represent about half of U.S. Army armored vehicles. To date, it is estimated that over 80,000 M113s of all types have been produced and used by over 50 countries worldwide, making it one of the most widely used armored fighting vehicles of all time.
M113 production was terminated in 2007. The Army initiated the Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle (AMPV) program to search for a replacement. In 2014, the U.S. Army selected BAE Systems proposal of a turretless variant of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle to replace over 2,800 M113s in service. Thousands of M113s continue to see combat service in the Israel Defense Forces, although as of 2014 the IDF was seeking to gradually replace many of its 6,000 M113s, with Namers.
Specifications
Mass 12.3 tonnes (13.6 short tons; 12.1 long tons)
Length 4.863 metres (15 ft 11.5 in)
Width 2.686 metres (8 ft 9.7 in)
Height 2.5 metres (8 ft 2 in)
Crew 2
Passengers 11–15 passengers
Armor 5083 Aluminium Alloy 28–44 millimetres (1.1–1.7 in)
Main Armament M2 Browning machine gun
Secondary Armament varies (see text)
Engine Detroit Diesel 6V53T, 6-cylinder diesel engine
275 hp (205 kW)
Power/weight 22.36 hp/tonne
Suspension torsion bar, 5 road wheels
Operational Range 480 km (300 mi)
Maximum speed 67.6 km/h (42.0 mph), 5.8 km/h (3.6 mph) swimming
U.S Soldiers prepare M113 vehicles for Ukrainian Defense
The U.S. Indiana National Guard has announced that its Soldiers are preparing M113 tracked armored personnel carriers for transport, as part of a U.S. initiative to support Ukrainians in the defense of their nation.
“Hoosier Guardsmen inspected, repaired and test drove M113s to ensure they are fully operational,” the news release says.
The U.S. will donate almost 200 M113 armored personnel carriers to Ukraine as part of an $800 million aid package, according to Pentagon spokesman John Kirby.
The U.S. is rushing in long-range artillery, other weapons and ammunition as the battle shifts to the east and south of Ukraine. Washington has delivered $3.7 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in February, according to the State Department.
The U.S. Army’s long-serving M113 tracked vehicle will help Ukraine to repel a renewed military offensive by Russia. It is was the first aluminum hull combat vehicle to be put into mass production, it introduced new aluminum armor that made the vehicle much lighter than earlier vehicles; it was thick enough to protect the crew and passengers against small arms fire but light enough that the vehicle was air transportable and moderately amphibious.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M113_armored_personnel_carrier
https://mezha.media/en/2022/05/02/m113-us-army-workforce-going-to-ukraine/
https://defence-blog.com/us-soldiers-prepare-m113-vehicles-for-ukraine/#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20will%20donate%20almost,east%20and%20south%20of%20Ukraine.
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