Tamiya 35135 U.S. M113 ACAV

The M113 is an American armored personnel carrier. The first designs were created in 1956, and serial production at FMC started in 1960. It lasted until 1987 and resulted in the production of 73,000 copies of this vehicle for the US Army's own needs as well as for export. The M113 entered service in as many as 45 countries, including Israel, Spain, Italy, Greece and Germany. The M113 is the most popular transport in the world and forms the basis for the world's largest family of armored vehicles. The M113 hull is constructed of steel and aluminum, with welded armor. This lowers the weight, but protects the crew only against small caliber ammunition. The Israeli army uses Rafael TOGA armor to correct this shortcoming. The driving position is located at the front left and the engine at the front right of the vehicle. Landing soldiers (up to 7 people) sit on benches along the hull and start the fight via the ramp located at the back of the transporter, which is hydraulically lowered. The basic M113 is able to overcome water obstacles, driven by tracks. The M113 was involved in a very large number of conflicts among others. in the Vietnam War, in the Yom Kippur War, in Operation Desert Storm, and in the 2003 Iraq War. In the US Army, it is systematically replaced by the M2 Bradley car. Among the huge family based on the M113 chassis, one can mention the American M901, which is armed with a TOW launcher, or the Israeli M113 Fitter with a special crane mounted, which is the basic vehicle of the Israeli repair and repair services in armored battalions. Fitter is also used by Australia and Belgium. Technical data (version M113A3): length: 4.86m, width: 2.69m, height: 2.54m, weight 12.1t, engine power: 266KM, speed (on the road): 66km / h, armament: 1 machine gun 12.7mm caliber.