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| Specifications of the M133, the US Army Personnel Carrier Armored Vehicle |
International Military - M133 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) is an armored personnel carrier developed by the Food Machinery Corp (FMC). More than 80,000 M113 vehicles were produced in various variants and operated in more than 44 countries. Most of the M113 APC vehicles in service with the United States Army (US) have been upgraded to the M113A3 variant.
The main feature of this vehicle is the fully enclosed armor made with quality aluminum alloy. Most of the components of the M113 APC vehicle are made of lightweight and high-quality alloy materials. The M113 APC vehicle weighs 12.3 tonnes, is 4,863 meters long, 2,686 meters wide and 2.5 meters high.
Quoted from the army-technology page, the M113 APC vehicle can accommodate two crew members and 11 passengers. The M113 APC vehicle is designed to provide security from small arms fire to large artillery shrapnel. The M113 APC vehicle has a single 0.50 cal M2 Browning machine gun main armament. The armored vehicle can also be equipped with a 40mm Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher, anti-tank gun, 7.62mm M60 machine gun and 20mm to 105mm high explosive cannon.
The M113 APC vehicle is powered by a 6V53 Detroit six-cylinder two-stroke diesel engine using an Allison TX100-1 three-speed automatic transmission. The M113A1 variant had a 215 hp (160 kW) diesel engine fitted with the M106 mortar carrier. The M113 APC vehicle has high mobility and is capable of traversing sand, snow and mud terrain.
The M113 is an amphibious vehicle so it can move in water by rotating its track wheels. The M113 APC vehicle is capable of traveling with a maximum speed of 66 km per hour, an underwater speed of 5.8 km per hour and a range of 483 km. The engine compartment is at the front of the hull from the starboard side while the wheelhouse is on the left. Middle and aft section of hull for carrying personnel.
The M113A2 variant produced in 1979 added cooling features and improved suspension. The M113A3 variant, introduced in 1987, received increased battlefield survivability, a more powerful engine, external fuel tanks and better protection than the base model.
The A3 fleet will feature vehicles with a high-speed digital network and data transfer system under the digitization program. This is an attempt to integrate the hardware, software, and application installation kits in the M113A3.