The M113 armored personnel carrier (APC) was developed by the Food Machinery Corp in the 1950s as a better-protected, more reliable replacement for the M59. The M113 entered service in 1960 and first saw combat in Vietnam. The M113 proved to be a widely successful design with over 80,000 vehicles built in a huge variety of specialized support roles such as armored ambulances, maintenance vehicles, C2 hubs, and mortar carriers.
As an armored personnel carrier, the M113 was designed as more of a "battle taxi" that brought troops to the fight, but did not necessarily fight with them like an IFV would. Consequently, the M113 was lightly armed as having .50 cal M2 Browning and Armored can still withstand some HMG rounds. The M113 can be found in Combat Mission: Cold War.
A column of M113's somewhere in Germany, 1980. Notice the Vulcan in the back providing air defence.
M113A1: The M113A1 began production in 1964. The A1's chief feature was the replacement of the gasoline engine with a diesel 6V-53 engine. The change to diesel reduced the risk of fires and provided better fuel economy.
M113A2: The M113A2 was introduced in 1979. Interior space was increased by the addition of exterior armored fuel tanks to the rear of the vehicle on either side of the ramp. Reliability was enhanced with new torsion bars, shock absorbers, and relocated cooling fans.
M577: The M577 was a command vehicle variant of the M113. The vehicle had no mounted weapons and was easily distinguished by its raised passenger compartment.
M150: The M150 was an M113 armed with a TOW launcher in front of the top crew hatch.
M901: A specialized variant of the M113, the M901 Improved TOW Vehicle (ITV) was a dedicated anti-tank vehicle. The M901 was visually distinct for its "hammerhead" turret, armed with a M220A1 TOW weapon system.
M106A1: The M106A1 was a mortar carrier version of the M113A1. The vehicle was armed with an M30 4.2 inch (107 mm) mortar with 88 rounds of ammunition, and a .50 caliber machine gun.
M106A2: The M106A2 featured the same improvements as seen on the M113A2.
US Army M48 Chaparral looking for Soviet planes in West Germany, 1980
M125: The M125 was a variant of the M106 mortar carrier, but was armed with an M29 81 mm mortar.
M163A1: The M163 Vulcan Air Defense System (VADS) was a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) variant of the M113. The M163 was armed with an M168, a ground version of the M61 Vulcan rotary cannon seen on many aircraft.
M163A2: The M163A2 featured the same improvements as seen on the M113A2.
M48 Chaparral: The M48 Chaparral was a self-propelled surface-to-air missile (SAM) launcher in American service beginning in 1969. The Chaparral was designed to complement the M163 Vulcan, with the Vulcan's rotary cannon covering short ranges and the Chaparral's SAMs covering longer ranges.
