The General Dynamics Mauler was a self-propelled anti-aircraft missile system designed to a late 1950s US Army requirement for a system to combat low-flying high-performance tactical fighters and short-range ballistic missiles .
103-661: The system was a XM546 vehicle, based on the M113 chassis, carrying nine MIM-46 missiles in launch canisters, a tracking and illumination continuous wave radar , and the fire control system. An ambitious design for its era, the Mauler ran into intractable problems during development, and was eventually canceled in November 1965. Cancellation of Mauler left the US Army with no modern anti-aircraft weapon , and they rushed development of
206-455: A firing solution , the target would be out of range. The Army decided to cancel Vigilante and keep the Duster in service until a much more capable phase III all-missile system arrived to replace it. Phase III was intended to produce an ultimate answer to air defense of front line Army troops. A small mobile missile system was envisioned to engage both aircraft and missiles up to 10,000 feet. It
309-474: 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. It is estimated that over 80,000 vehicles in the M113 family 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
412-457: A blast-fragmentation warhead, deciding that the continuous-rod warhead would be less effective. For mobility, the system would be based on the M113, the Army's latest APC and one of the more advanced vehicles in the inventory. The modifications needed to support a missile system were relatively simple, and the crew area inside the chassis offered room for the needed equipment. The resulting vehicle
515-987: A detonation of the explosives carried on the exterior of their M113. On 24 June 2024, Al-Qassam Brigades published footage of its forces attacking an M113 using a Chinese HJ-8 ATGM, hitting the vehicle, caused an external fire on the carry-on CARPET demining system. Several disabled Zelda APCs in Nabatieh , Lebanon and Gaza have revealed VBIED use by the IDF, where the vehicles are filled with explosives, towed to their target, and detonated. An unknown number of M113s were converted into Unmanned Ground Vehicles and were observed to be acting as VBIEDs in Rafah. In November 2024 IAI showed videos of unmanned M113 units working with unmanned D9 bulldozers in what appeared to be Gaza as an example of its new teaming system for robotic units. The Israel Defense Forces still operates large numbers of
618-607: A dismounted infantry unit. The remaining SPATS platoon was reequipped with M113s in late 1966 and the mortar platoon was deactivated in early 1967. From early 1967, D/16th had three line platoons equipped with M113s and eventually, its diesel version, the M113A1. It was also standardized in late 1968 with three machine guns per track, one M2 .50 caliber and two M60 machine guns mounted on each side. The M113s were instrumental in conducting reconnaissance in force (RIFs), search and destroy missions, and large invasions (incursions) such as
721-464: A front-mounted trim vane; they are propelled in the water by their tracks. The Vietnam War was the first combat opportunity for mechanized infantry , a technically new type of infantry with its roots in the armored infantry of World War II , now using the M113 armored personnel carrier. In addition, armored cavalry squadrons in Vietnam consisted largely of M113s, after replacing the intended M114 in
824-751: A missile component known as the MIM-72 Chaparral , a short-range gun component using the M61 Vulcan known as the M163 VADS , and the separate AN/MPQ-49 Forward Area Alerting Radar that would support both by sending digital information to displays in those platforms. All of these would be further supported by the FIM-43 Redeye shoulder-launched missile. Although the resulting composite system would not be nearly as capable as Mauler, it could be in service much sooner and provide some cover while
927-702: A modernized version known as an "MRV" (medium reconnaissance vehicle). The MRV featured a Scorpion turret with 76 mm gun, improved fire control, and passive night vision equipment. Regiments using the M113 included former Citizens' Military Forces (CMF) units like the 4/19th Prince of Wales Light Horse Regiment (armoured reconnaissance) and Regular units such as 2ns Cavalry Regiment (armoured reconnaissance) and 3/4th Cavalry Regiment (APC Regiment). An Armoured Reconnaissance Troop consisted of Alpha Track – Charlie Track (M113 LRV) Bravo – Delta Track (M113 MRV) Echo Track (M113 APC) with Assault Section (armoured infantry) later known as Scouts... The Israel Defense Forces are
1030-461: A more capable system developed. In November 1963 Mauler was re-directed as a pure technology demonstration program. Several modified versions using simpler systems were proposed, but even these would not have entered service before 1969. Tests with the GTVs continued until the entire program was cancelled outright in November 1965. Chaparral adapted the Mauler's IR seeker, which was greatly improved over
1133-421: A system. By placing receiver antennas on the rear of the missile, the onboard electronics can compare the strength of the signal from different points on the missile body and use this to create a control signal to steer it back into the center of the beam. When used with conical scanning, the comparison can use several sets of paired antennas, typically two pairs, to keep itself centered in both axes. This system has
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#17327763323991236-637: A true infantry fighting vehicle rather than an armored personnel carrier. Pacific Car and Foundry entered the steel-armored XM701, but this proved to be too slow and too heavy to be airmobile, even in the C-141. FMC entered the XM734, which was largely the ACAV M113, but whereas the M113 seated the troops facing inward on benches along the walls, the XM734 sat them facing outwards on a central bench. Four gun ports and vision blocks were added on each side to allow
1339-621: A variety of problems, including failures of the rocket casings, and excessive drag and wing flutter. A competing system with the British and potentially other NATO states was the PT.428 which eventually developed successfully into the Rapier missile . The first "Guidance Test Vehicle", essentially the service prototypes, started firing in June 1963. These also demonstrated an array of problems, most worrying
1442-680: A variety of roles, and armor battalions contained M113s within their headquarters companies, such as the maintenance section, medical section, vehicle recovery section, mortar section, and the scout (reconnaissance) section. United States Army mechanized infantry units in Vietnam were fully equipped with the M113 APC/ACAV, which consisted of one headquarters company and three line companies, normally with an authorized strength of approximately 900 men. Ten U.S. mechanized infantry battalions were deployed to Vietnam from 1965 until their departure in 1972. Company D, 16th Armor, 173rd Airborne Brigade ,
1545-561: A vehicle that provided the protection of the M75 and the low weight and mobility of the M59. FMC responded with two proposals; two versions of the aluminum T113 – a thickly and a more thinly-armored one, along with the similar but mostly steel T117. The thickly-armored version of the T113 – effectively the prototype of the M113 – was chosen because it weighed less than its steel competitor, whilst offering
1648-424: A vehicle) in the launching area directs a narrow radar or laser beam at the enemy aircraft or tank. Then, the missile is launched and at some point after launch is “gathered” by the radar or laser beam when it flies into it. From this stage onwards, the missile attempts to keep itself inside the beam, while the aiming station keeps the beam pointing at the target. The missile, controlled by a computer inside it, “rides”
1751-471: Is Spanish for Armored Tracked Carrier. In the Ukrainian Army it is called "Emka" (M). The basic M113 armored personnel carrier can be fitted with a number of weapon systems. The most common weapon fit is a single .50 caliber M2 machine gun. However, the mount can also be fitted with a 40 mm Mk 19 automatic grenade launcher. A number of anti-tank weapons could be fitted to the standard variant:
1854-772: 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 in 1961 to replace the mechanized infantry's M59 APCs. 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,
1957-694: Is impractical and less vibration and rolling resistance. Most of the 13,000 M113s that are still in U.S. Army service have been upgraded to the A3 variant. The current U.S. Army M113 fleet includes a mix of M113A2 and A3 variants and other derivatives equipped with the most recent RISE (reliability improvements for selected equipment) package. The standard RISE package includes an upgraded propulsion system (turbocharged engine and new transmission), greatly improved driver controls (new power brakes and conventional steering controls), external fuel tanks, and 200-amp alternator with four batteries. Additional A3 improvements include
2060-516: Is not a problem at short ranges, but as many early surface-to-air missiles were designed to work at long ranges, this was a major issue. For example, earlier versions of the RIM-2 Terrier missile introduced in the 1950s were beam riders, but later variants employed semi-active radar homing to improve their effectiveness against high-performance and low-flying targets. In contrast to beam riding, semi-active guidance becomes more accurate as
2163-401: Is possible to spatially encode additional information in a beam using digital or electro-optical means, which has a number of advantages. Missiles with small optical receivers on their tail can beam-ride on lasers with similar ease as earlier radar beam systems, but will be inherently more accurate due to the higher spatial resolution of the beam's encoding at the target. Additionally, because
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#17327763323992266-513: Is prototyping the Eitan (Hebrew for steadfast), an eight-wheeled armored fighting vehicle to replace their M113s. Designed to serve alongside the tracked Namer, the Eitan is planned to be cheaper and lighter, at 35 tons, incorporating an active protection system and a turret. They are expected to begin replacing the M113 starting in 2020. However, due to the slow rate of production of replacement APCs,
2369-409: The 2010 raid on Complexo do Alemão . Beam riding Beam-riding , also known as Line-Of-Sight Beam Riding (LOSBR) , beam guidance or radar beam riding is a technique of directing a missile to its target by means of radar or a laser beam . The name refers to the way the missile flies down the guidance beam, which is aimed at the target. It is one of the simplest guidance systems and
2472-651: The AIM-7 Sparrow instead. Although the Sparrow was a capable missile, it was intended for launch from high-speed aircraft and thus had relatively low acceleration, trading this for longer cruising time and range. An entirely new motor was developed for the new RIM-7 Sea Sparrow . To guide it, a new manually controlled radar illuminator was developed, guided by an aimer standing between two large radar dishes that looked somewhat like searchlights . The ship's search radars would send target information via voice channels to
2575-633: 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 by 2014 the IDF was seeking to gradually replace many of its 6,000 M113s with
2678-558: The Namers , and with the Eitan AFV in 2020. The M113 was developed by FMC Corporation , which had produced the earlier M59 and M75 armored personnel carriers. The M113 bears a very strong resemblance to both of these earlier vehicles. The M75 was too heavy and expensive to be useful, as its weight precluded amphibious use and transport by air. The lightened M59 addressed both of these problems, but ended up with too little armor, and
2781-773: The U.S. invasion of Cambodia on 1 May 1970 and later Laos ( Operation Lam Son 719 ) in 1971; all of which used the M113 as the primary workhorse for moving the ground armies. While operating with cavalry and armor units, the M113s often worked in conjunction with U.S. M48 Patton and M551 Sheridan tanks. During the Vietnam War, U.S. Army gun trucks , along with V-100 armored cars, conducted convoy escorts for military traffic. The USAF used M113 and M113A1 ACAV vehicles in USAF security police squadrons, which provided air base ground defense support in Vietnam. Also, M113s were supplied to
2884-706: The "APC disaster". The vulnerability of the M113 armored personnel carrier to IEDs and RPGs led the IDF to later begin to develop the Namer APC. M113s were used again in the 2006 Lebanon War and Operation Cast Lead . In 2014, during the first wave of the IDF's ground incursion into Gaza in Operation Protective Edge , a Hamas RPG-29 destroyed a fully loaded M113 in Gaza during the Battle of Shuja'iyya , killing all seven Golani Brigade soldiers inside
2987-698: The "Division Air Defense" concept that was eventually filled by the M247 Sergeant York . This program ran into serious technical problems of its own, and was eventually cancelled in 1985. After the Sergeant York was cancelled, the Army joined forces with the Canadian Forces to develop a new system. The result was the Oerlikon Contraves -designed ADATS , which is very similar to the original Mauler in form, function and even
3090-428: The "Zelda" and "Zelda 2", which are fitted with ERA -suites. The Australian Army refers to its M113A1s as "buckets", "bush taxis" and modified M113A1s fitted with 76 mm turrets as "beasts". The German Army has various nicknames, depending on location and branch of service, including "elephant shoe", "Tank Wedge" and "bathtub". In Spain's Army it is known as "TOA", the acronym of Transporte Oruga Acorazado, which
3193-493: The "legs". The entire system was mounted at the back of the XM546 "Tracked Fire Unit" on a rotating platform that allowed the missiles to be pointed toward the target. Before launch the protective cover over the missile's canister was popped off to allow the infrared seeker to see the target, and then it was launched into the illuminating radar's beam. Raytheon provided both the search and illumination radars, while Burroughs provided
MIM-46 Mauler - Misplaced Pages Continue
3296-437: The 1980s and 90s with the introduction of low-cost and highly portable laser designators . Due to the shorter wavelengths used, a laser beam can be projected with a much narrower angular resolution than a radar beam while not requiring a significant increase in the size of the projector's aperture when compared to other optical devices being used by a typical guidance system for precision-guided munitions . Because of this, it
3399-543: The APCs. On 11 June 1962, the two mechanized units were fielded for the first time. During the Battle of Ap Bac in January 1963, at least fourteen of the exposed .50 caliber gunners aboard the M113s were killed in action, necessitating modifications to improve crew survivability. Makeshift shields formed from metal salvaged from the hulls of sunken ships were soon fitted to the carriers, affording better protection. However, it
3502-854: The ARVN. One notable ARVN unit equipped with the M113 APC, the 3d Armored Cavalry Squadron , earned the Presidential Unit Citation . Additional M113s were supplied to the Cambodian Khmer National Armed Forces , equipped with a turret for the machine gun and a M40 recoilless rifle mounted on the roof. The Army of the Republic of Vietnam also used M113 armored personnel carriers. In 1975, 1381 ARVN M113s were destroyed and captured. Losses in other years are unknown. The Australian Army also used
3605-414: The Army decided that any gun-based system was hopeless as speeds increased and engagement times dropped. The Vigilante had a maximum effective range of about 3,000 yd (2,700 m), and its shells took about 5 seconds to cross this distance. A jet aircraft flying at 500 mph (800 km/h) would cover over a kilometer during those 5 seconds. By the time a radar-assisted sighting system could develop
3708-550: The British Army without a defense system, but they had prepared for this eventuality, having had several US missile systems cancelled out from under them in the past. Before selecting the Mauler, the British Aircraft Corporation had been working on a private project known as "Sightline", and continued its development as a low priority while the Mauler program progressed. On its cancellation, Sightline
3811-590: The Duster. By 1955 it was realized that no simple modification to the M42 Duster would meet the need. Thus in 1956 the plan was to improve the T50 antiaircraft fire control system to the RADUSTER. One development RADUSTER and three user test weapons were created before termination. Driven by the need to counter jet aircraft flying at up to 10,000 ft (3,000 m) and a slant range of 14,000 ft (4,300 m),
3914-491: The IDF in the 1978 South Lebanon conflict . In the 1982 Lebanon War , they saw heavy action. PLO ambushes with RPGs caused extensive casualties because of the tendency of the M113's aluminum armor to catch on fire after being hit by anti-tank weapons. Israeli infantrymen being ferried by M113s learned to quickly dismount and fight on foot when engaged. By the time of the Siege of Beirut , M113s were only used to carry supplies to
4017-670: The IDF is expected to be dependent on the M113 well into the 2020s. The IDF has also increased production of Namer APCs to replace the M113. In the United States, M113s have been adopted by numerous law enforcement agencies. An M113 belonging to the Midland County Sheriff's Department was used in the 2008 raid of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound. The Brazilian Marine Corps 's M113s were used in joint operations with Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais during
4120-619: The Knox, but formed the basis for their entire anti-aircraft concept for the 1970s. It was believed that Mauler would greatly improve the capabilities of smaller ships, allowing them to take on some of the roles that would normally require a much larger platform, like a full destroyer. With Mauler's cancellation, the Navy had to start a crash program to develop a suitable system. As the infrared-guided Sidewinder would be of limited use against aircraft or missiles approaching head-on, they were forced to use
4223-530: The M113 in Vietnam. After initial experiences showed that the crew commander was too vulnerable to fire, the Australians tried a number of different gun shields and turrets, eventually standardizing with the Cadillac-Gage T-50 turret fitted with two .30 cal Browning machine guns, or a single .30-single .50 combination. Other turrets were tried as were various gun shields, the main design of which
MIM-46 Mauler - Misplaced Pages Continue
4326-481: The M113 are capable of mounting anti-landmine applique armor. The M113A3 was upgraded with internal spall liners and additional applique armor which provided 14.5 mm ballistic protection. In comparison, a modern APC such as the Stryker has all-around 7.62 mm armor-piercing protection, plus 14.5 mm protection on the front, sides, and rear, and a protection against antipersonnel mines. Its weight allows
4429-404: The M113 required only two crewmen, a driver and a commander, and carried 11-15 passengers inside the vehicle. Its main armament was a single .50-caliber (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine gun operated by the commander. On 30 March 1962, the first batch of 32 M113s arrived in Vietnam, and were sent to two Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) mechanized rifle companies, each equipped with 15 of
4532-473: The M113 series, making them function as assault guns and fire support; while in many cases still having room inside to carry dismounted infantry or cavalry scouts. The M113 is built of 5083 aircraft-quality aluminum alloy . Aluminum alloy is lighter than steel but requires around three times the thickness for an equivalent level of ballistic protection, meaning the armor of the M113 was only designed for 7.62 mm and shell splinter protection. All variants of
4635-513: 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
4738-459: The M113, maintaining a fleet of 6,000 of the vehicles. On numerous occasions since their introduction in the late 1960s, the IDF's M113s have proven vulnerable to modern anti-tank missiles, IEDs, and RPGs, resulting in the deaths of many Israeli soldiers riding inside the vehicles. The IDF has nonetheless been unable to replace the use of them in combat operations, due to budget constraints in equipping its large mechanized infantry regiments. Israel
4841-502: The M551s they replaced, have also been modified to resemble enemy tanks and APCs, such as the T-80 and BMP-2 . One of the advantages of the M113 being used to simulate the latter is that the infantry squad can now ride inside the simulated BMP instead of in a truck accompanying a tank masquerading as one, as was often the case with the M551s. The M113 has received a variety of nicknames over
4944-457: The Navy, Marine Corps or NATO) or that development be stretched out by up to two years. By 1963 funding shortfalls resulted in dependence upon unorthodox methods to keep the program going. Production plans had to be adjusted in 1963 which presented a problem as the M42 Duster system had been retired. Achievement of an operational Mauler capability was out of the question. The Performance Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT) originally devised for
5047-555: The Polaris system in 1958 was introduced into the Mauler effort in 1962–63. Cagle described the contractor's reaction to PERT as "somewhat less than enthusiastic". In spring 1964 another management revision was introduced and the Mauler Program Management Charter was established. A Feasibility Validation Program had been established in 1963 which was to determine if Mauler could be successfully developed in
5150-523: The U.S. Army developed kits that allowed the M47 Dragon and BGM-71 TOW anti-tank missile systems to be mounted. In the case of the M47, the system mated to the existing machine gun mount, without having to remove the machine gun. This allowed the commander to use both weapons. A large array of turrets and fixed mounts are available to mount high explosive cannon ranging from 20 mm to 105 mm on to
5253-462: The advantage of offloading the tracking to the ground radar; as long as the radar can keep itself accurately pointed at the target, the missile will keep itself along the same line using very simple electronics. The inherent disadvantage of the radar beam riding system is that the beam spreads as it travels outward from the broadcaster (see inverse square law ). As the missile flies towards the target, it, therefore, becomes increasingly inaccurate. This
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#17327763323995356-406: The beam is usually projected directly onto the missile's receiver, an order of magnitude less intensity is needed than a semi-active design where the target must be "painted" and the missile must detect the laser's diffuse reflection from the target. The lower intensity requirement of laser beam riding systems compared to semi-active laser homing systems can make them significantly more difficult for
5459-580: The beam to the target. Beam riding is one of the simplest methods of missile guidance using a radar. It was widely used for surface-to-air missiles in the post- World War II era for this reason. An early example was the British Brakemine , first tested in 1944, as was the first commercially available SAM, the Oerlikon Contraves RSA . Early tracking radars generally use a beam a few degrees wide, which makes it easy to find
5562-404: The broadcaster, which means it becomes increasingly inaccurate as the missile flies towards the target. Some sort of secondary terminal guidance system was almost always needed with beam-riding weapons. In spite of these disadvantages, beam-riding offered FAAD the ability to guide the missiles in close proximity to the ground. Since the guidance signal is received at the rear of the missile body,
5665-449: The early 1960s. The ARVNs had modified the M113s to function as " amphibious light tanks " and not as battle taxis as U.S. designers had intended. Instead of an armored personnel carrier, the ARVN used the carried infantry as extra "dismountable soldiers" in "an oversized tank crew". These "ACAV" sets were eventually adapted to U.S. Army M113s with the arrival of the army's conventional forces in 1965. The vehicles continued to operate in
5768-411: The fire control system. The missile itself was 6 feet (1.8 m) long, 5 inches (130 mm) in diameter, had a 13 inches (330 mm) fin span, and weighed 120 pounds (54 kg). It had a maximum range of 5 miles (8.0 km) and ceiling of 20,000 feet (6,100 m), powered by a Lockheed solid-fuel motor of 8,350 pounds-force (37,100 N). M113 armored personnel carrier The M113
5871-814: The front line, always stopping at least 100 meters from enemy lines. M113s were subsequently used by both the IDF and the South Lebanon Army during the South Lebanon conflict . The IDF utilized M113s during the First Intifada and the Second Intifada . In May 2004, two fully laden IDF M113s were destroyed by IEDs in the Gaza Strip , killing 11 soldiers, all those inside the vehicles on both occasions. This became known in Israel as
5974-400: The ground. It was difficult for the missile to distinguish the target in a cluttered environment. For FAAD, they decided to use a beam riding guidance system . This had been used in early missiles like the RIM-2 Terrier , but had been abandoned in favor of semi-active systems for all of the reasons above. In particular, in the case of beam-riding the signal is shaped like a cone centered on
6077-603: The incorporation of spall liners and provision for mounting external armor. The M113 has also been adopted to replace the aging fleet of visually modified M551s being used to simulate Russian-made combat vehicles at the U.S. Army's National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California as well as the M60A3s formerly at the Combat Maneuver Training Center near Hohenfels, Germany. These M113s, like
6180-630: The launch platform, an adapted M113. ADATS is somewhat more capable than Mauler, however, with ranges up to 10 km and higher missile speeds. However, the ending of the Cold War led the Army to cancel their ADATS purchase, leaving the Chaparral/Vulcan combination in service even longer. The anti-aircraft role was eventually filled by the Bradley Linebacker , based on the short-range FIM-92 Stinger . The cancellation also left
6283-450: The missile approaches the target. Another issue is the guidance path of the missile is essentially a straight line to the target. This is useful for missiles with a great speed advantage over their target, or where flight times are short, but for long-range engagements against high-performance targets the missile will need to "lead" the target in order to arrive with enough energy to do terminal manoeuvres. A possible solution for this problem
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#17327763323996386-597: The missile's long lock-on time and optical guidance would make it ineffective in close combat. Based on this potential solution to the air defense problem, the Army Staff, supported by the Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss, started a new study under the direction of Lieutenant Colonel Edward Hirsch. Known as the "Interim Field Army Air Defense Study", it called for a multi-layer system consisting of an adapted Sidewinder as
6489-440: The much simpler MIM-72 Chaparral and M163 Tracked Vulcan to fill this niche. These weapons were much less capable than Mauler, and were intended solely as a stop-gap solution until more capable vehicles were developed. In spite of this, no real replacement entered service until the late 1990s. Both the US Navy and British Army were also expecting Mauler to fulfil their own short-range needs and its cancellation left them with
6592-425: The new system of a 37 mm Gatling gun on top of a modified M113 Armored Personnel Carrier chassis was approved as the T249 Vigilante in late 1956. A T248 towed version was also developed. Although the Vigilante was, like the Duster, optically aimed and guided, its high (3,000 rounds per minute) firing rate gave it much better performance against high-speed aircraft. As the Vigilante program continued,
6695-440: The number that can be carried on most ships. What started as a quick-and-dirty solution to the hole left by the Mauler evolved into a system of even greater capability. The General Dynamics Mauler system used a large A-frame mounted on the top of the vehicle that contained a phased array continuous wave search radar at the top, the smaller tracking/illumination radar on one side, and a large box containing nine missiles between
6798-402: The operator, who would slew the illuminators onto the target and launch the missiles. The missiles were held in a large eight-cell rotating launcher that was slaved to the illuminator in order to allow the seeker to see the reflected signal. The system, as a whole, was much larger than Mauler, had shorter range, and much longer reaction times. In spite of the Sea Sparrow's relative simplicity, it
6901-424: The quick engagement times, on the order of seconds, the Army decided that FAAD had to have semi-automatic actions. In combat, the operators would select targets on a long-range search radar and then simply say "go" to attack them. The system's fire control computer would slew the weapons and fire automatically as soon as they came in range. After running Monte Carlo simulations on an IBM 650 , they decided to use
7004-453: The reflected signal was a cone shape centered on the target, so guidance became increasingly accurate as the missile approached. On the downside, the SARH concept also meant that any other reflections could confuse the missile's seeker. Since SARH relied on making the seeker in the missile as simple as possible in order to fit into the missile body, it was common for seekers of the era to be easily confused by reflections from trees, buildings or
7107-405: The role of a light tank and reconnaissance vehicle, and not as designed in theater. Still, the M113 could carry 11 infantrymen inside, with two crewmen operating it. The U.S. Army, after berating the South Vietnamese for flouting battle doctrine, came out with their own ACAV version. This more or less standardized ACAV kit included shields and a circular turret for the .50-caliber M2 machine gun in
7210-427: The same level of protection. An improved T113 design, the T113E1, was adopted by the U.S. Army in 1960 as the "M113". A diesel prototype, T113E2, was put into production in 1964 as the "M113A1", and quickly supplanted the gasoline-engined M113. In 1994, FMC transferred the M113's production over to its newly formed defense subsidiary, United Defense . Then in 2005, United Defense was acquired by BAE Systems . The M113
7313-502: The same problem. They developed RIM-7 Sea Sparrow and Rapier missile , respectively, to fill these needs. After WWII, the US Army's first mobile anti-aircraft weapons were based on the Bofors 40 mm guns with first the M19 Multiple Gun Motor Carriage then the M42 Duster . First entering production in 1952, the Duster quickly became outdated as aircraft performance increased. Since manual acquisition, tracking and ranging left much to be desired RADUSTER envisioned adding radar ranging to
7416-520: The sea. Additionally, its fast-acting semi-automatic fire control was highly desired for a weapon that was expected to counter targets with engagement times under a minute. Expecting its arrival, the Navy's latest destroyer escorts , the Knox class , were built with space reserved for the Sea Mauler launchers when they arrived. Development was complicated by the diversity of platforms the Mauler system
7519-713: The seated troops to fire even while under cover. Although neither the XM701 or XM734 were deemed worthwhile to produce, FMC continued development of their version as the XM765 advanced infantry fighting vehicle (AIFV). The AIFV was sold to a number of third party-users in the 1970s, including the Netherlands, the Philippines and Belgium. Modified versions of the Vietnam War ACAV sets were deployed to Iraq to equip
7622-596: The second largest user of the M113 after the United States, with over 6000 of the vehicles in service. In 1967 some Jordanian M113 were captured in the West Bank during the Six-Day War and were integrated into the Israeli Army. In 1970 Israel started to receive M113A1 to replace the antiquated half-tracks. The IDF M113s were armed with M2 HB machine guns, and two MAG 7.62 mm machine guns on either side of
7725-495: The signal would remain clear as long as there were no obstructions between the missile and launcher. It was only the launch platform that had to have the ability to distinguish targets from ground clutter, not the missile. FAAD used a continuous wave radar , which uses the Doppler shift of the moving targets to locate them against any sort of background. For terminal guidance, FAAD used an advanced infrared homing system. Given
7828-478: The single radar beam in two, and comparing the return strength in the two beams to determine which is stronger. The radar is then rotated towards the stronger signal to re-center the target. The antenna is spun so that this comparison is being carried out all around the target, allowing it to track in both altitude and azimuth. Systems that performed this automatically were known as " lock on " or "lock follow". Beam riding systems can be easily adapted to work with such
7931-701: The standard M113s still in service. The circular .50 caliber gun shields have been modified, while the rear port and starboard gun stations have been deleted for service in that region. Some of these modified vehicles have been utilized for convoy escort duties. The M113 has relatively light armor, but it can be augmented with add-on steel plates for improved ballistic protection. Reactive armor and slat armor can be added for protection against rocket-propelled grenades . Band tracks made of rubber are in use by Canadian and other forces to enable stealthy operation, less damage to paved roads, higher speed, less maintenance, access to terrain where operation of wheeled vehicles
8034-431: The target as it moves about. Unfortunately, this makes the beam too wide to accurately attack the target, where measurements on the order of 1 ⁄ 10 of a degree are required. To perform both operations in a single radar, some additional form of encoding is used. For WWII-era systems this was either lobe switching , or more commonly by the second half of the war, conical scanning . Conical scanning works by splitting
8137-432: The time available and at reasonable cost. It was determined that Mauler could engage jets and piston aircraft though at a lesser than desirable range but helicopters were an elusive target. It was apparent by early 1965 that the Mauler program would be unsuccessful. Inadequate funding, a lack of guidance from higher headquarters, changes in requirements, and unsolved technical problems led to a loss of confidence. The program
8240-400: The track commander (TC) position, two M60 machine guns with shields for the left and right rear positions, and "belly armor"—steel armor bolted from the front bottom extending 1/2 to 2/3 of the way towards the bottom rear of the M113. The two rear machine gunners could fire their weapons while standing inside the rectangular open cargo hatch. This transformed the M113 into a fighting vehicle, but
8343-633: The upper crew compartment door. The M113 took part in the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, when the IDF was equipped with 448 M113s that saw action on the Sinai and Golan fronts. They proved inadequate for direct fighting due to their poor armor protection. In the Battle of Buq'atta most of the 7th Recon Company was wiped out while trying to assault Syrian commandos with their M113s. They were used by
8446-414: The use of a relatively small engine to power the vehicle, a Detroit 6V53 V6 two-stroke diesel engine of 318 cubic inches (5,210 cc) with an Allison TX-100-1 three-speed automatic transmission . This allows the vehicle to carry a large payload cross-country and to be transported by fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. Original production M113s can swim without deploying flotation curtains, using only
8549-615: The vehicle still suffered from its lightly armored configuration, having never been designed for such a role. Canada also adopted the ACAV kits when employing the M113A2 during peacekeeping operations in the Balkans in the 1990s. In order to improve the fighting ability of the mounted troops, a number of experiments were carried out in the 1960s under the MICV-65 project, which aimed to develop
8652-698: The vehicle. As a result, the IDF faced calls from the Israeli public to build more Namer APCs over the next decade and to gradually reduce the number of M113s used in its future combat operations. A group of 30 Israeli reserve soldiers subsequently notified their commanders that they would refuse to enter the Gaza Strip in M113s. M113s were fielded in Palestine and Lebanon during the Israel–Hamas war . On 15 June 2024, eight soldiers were killed, possibly due to
8755-501: The versions in the original AIM-9C. The Chaparral/Vulcan combination was always intended to be a stop-gap solution while a more powerful system evolved. However, in the 1970s the threat was perceived to change from tactical aircraft to missile-firing helicopters that would "pop-up" from behind cover. This suggested the use of a fast-acting gun system, albeit one with much longer range than the Vulcan's 1,200 m. Out of these studies came
8858-485: The years. The South Vietnamese Army ( ARVN ) called it the "green dragon". United States troops tended to refer to the M113 simply as a "113" (spoken as "one-one-three"), or a "track". The Israel Defense Forces employ the M113 in many different variants, all designed in Israel, and have given each of them official names, from the baseline "Bardelas" ( lit. Cheetah ) to the "Nagmash" (Hebrew acronym equivalent to "APC"), "Nagman", and "Kasman" variants for urban combat up to
8961-420: Was a major area of concern. Most anti-aircraft missiles of the era used semi-active radar homing , with an "illumination radar" on the ground that reflected signals off the target that were picked up by a small receiver in the missile's nose. This system had the advantage that the radar signal continued to grow in strength as the missile approached the target, making it increasingly easy to track. More importantly,
9064-594: Was cancelled in July 1965 after six years of delays. By this point there were serious doubts that the system would be entering service any time soon. On 16 September 1963 the Army Materiel Command asked the Aviation and Missile Command to study adapting the Navy's AIM-9 Sidewinder missile as the basis of a short-range anti-aircraft system. Their analysis suggested that the conversion would be simple, but
9167-614: 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 6,724 Bradleys. The M113's versatility spawned
9270-409: Was developed to provide a survivable and reliable light tracked vehicle able to be air-lifted and air-dropped by C-130 and C-141 transport planes. The original concept was that the vehicle would be used solely for transportation, bringing the troops forward under armor and then having them dismount for combat, after which the M113 would retreat to the rear. Entering service with the U.S. Army in 1960,
9373-587: Was essentially identical to the US's, but the Navy was looking for a solution to the problem of air attack against their capital ships both by high-speed aircraft as well as early (non-skimming) anti-shipping missiles . Starting in 1960 they had developed a program for a "Basic Point Defense Missile System", and intended to use a modified version of the Mauler, the "RIM-46A Sea Mauler", to fill this role. Mauler's beam riding system made it preferable to other missile systems because it would have fewer problems with clutter from
9476-510: Was found that this material could be penetrated by small arms fire, so subsequent shields were constructed from scrapped armored vehicles. The ARVN 80th Ordnance Unit in South Vietnam developed the shield idea further and commenced engineering general issue gun shields for the M113. These shields became the predecessor to the standardized armored cavalry assault vehicle (or ACAV) variant and were issued to all ARVN mechanized units during
9579-484: Was given full development funds, and entered service in 1971 as Rapier with a tracked mobile version following in 1981. The US Navy was in a somewhat more troubling position. In addition to their need to replace guns and existing missile systems like the RIM-24 Tartar , they were also looking to replace short-range gun systems on their older ships. Mauler was "built-in" not only to their latest ship designs, like
9682-698: Was known as the XM-546. Several companies responded to the FAAD contract tender, which General Dynamics (Convair Pomona Division) won in 1959. In 1960 the project was given the official name "Mauler". The Mauler development program which was to begin in May 1959 did not get underway until March 1960. The Army was not the only potential user of the Mauler system; both the British Army and US Navy planned on using Mauler for their own needs. The British Army's intended role
9785-484: Was quickly upgraded. The use of folding mid-mounted wings allowed the launcher cells to be greatly reduced in size, and an automatic tracking system was soon added to the radar illuminator system. This was again upgraded to allow the phased-array radars of modern ships to guide the Sparrow directly, removing the need for the relatively large illuminators. The evolution continued with the latest models, which can be vertically launched from four-cell containers, greatly expanding
9888-438: Was similar to the gun shield used on the U.S. M113 ACAV version. In addition, the Australians operated an M113 variant fitted with a Saladin armored car turret, with a 76 mm gun as a fire support vehicle, or FSV, for infantry fire support. This has now also been removed from service. Subsequent to Vietnam all Australian M113 troop carriers were fitted with the T50 turret. The FSV was eventually phased out and replaced with
9991-507: Was the continued tendency to lose guidance instructions immediately after launch. Additionally, when mounted in the 3 by 3 box launcher, the missiles would break their containers and damage the missiles in adjacent containers. Eventually no less than 22 different container materials would be used in an attempt to find a suitable solution. Mauler development was restricted by funding resulting in an Army Ordnance Missile Command recommendation that either funds be acquired from other sources (such as
10094-532: Was the first U.S. Army armor unit deployed to Vietnam. It originally consisted of three platoons of M113s and a platoon of 90 mm M56 Scorpion self-propelled anti-tank guns (SPAT). It was the only independent armor company in the history of the U.S. Army. Upon the company's arrival in Vietnam, a fourth line platoon was added; this was equipped with M106 4.2 in. mortar carriers (modified M113s). The mortar platoon often operated with Brigade infantry units to provide indirect fire support. It also deployed at times as
10197-495: Was to be installed upon. A compatible identification friend or foe system (IFF) was a particular problem. Development of the missile airframe and engine progressed rapidly. Unguided examples, known as "Launch Test Vehicles", started firing tests in September 1961. These were quickly followed by the "Control Test Vehicle" guided examples in 1961, which flew simple paths to test the aerodynamic controls. Both test series demonstrated
10300-471: Was to use two radars, one for tracking the target and another for guiding the missile, but this drove up implementation costs. A more common solution for long-range missiles was to guide the missile entirely independently of the radar, using command guidance , as was the case for the Nike Hercules . Pure radar beam riding was rare by 1960. Beam riding guidance based systems became more common again in
10403-426: Was unreliable as a result of efforts to reduce its cost. The Army was looking for a vehicle that combined the best features of both designs, the "airborne armored multi-purpose vehicle family" (AAM-PVF) of all-purpose, all-terrain armored fighting vehicles. FMC had been working with Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical Co. in the late 1950s to develop suitable aluminum armor. It was known that use of this armor could produce
10506-404: Was very clear by May 1956 that this was beyond the state of the art. The Army decided to pursue the "best weapon system that could be developed to meet requirements of the forward area on a liberal time scale" to be available in the 1965 period. Under the "Forward Area Air Defense" project, the Army began collecting theoretical data on the requirements for a missile-based system in 1959. Guidance
10609-444: Was widely used on early missile systems, however it had a number of disadvantages for long-range targeting and is now found typically only in short-range roles. Beam riding is based on a signal that is pointed towards the target. The signal does not have to be powerful, as it is not necessary to use it for tracking as well. The main use of this kind of system is to destroy airplanes or tanks. First, an aiming station (possibly mounted on
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