M113A3 in NATO Camouflage – Armored Personnel Carrier

This is a limited-edition series build and will not restock after its initial production run.

About the M113A3 in NATO Camouflage – Armored Personnel Carrier:

The M113 Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) is a highly recognizable piece of military machinery that formed the backbone of a new style of mobile warfare. Its parallelogram shape is iconic and like the Huey, the M113 captured the essence of a generation of American warfighters in Vietnam. The M113 APC was developed by the Food Machinery Corp (FMC) in 1957. Its design was based on the M59 and M75 carriers, respectively. However, as the landscape of warfare was changing the need for an air transportable and amphibious APC was evident. FMC used alloys developed by Kaiser Aluminum and Chemical to develop a lighter APC. The carrier’s fully enclosed and armored hull could withstand small arms fire and tertiary explosions from artillery shells, but not heavier anti-material rounds. Their use was part in parcel with a style of warfare that was focused on mobility rather than static fighting. However, as hotspots developed across the world, the United States along with its Allies, were fighting an unrecognizable enemy. The M113 saw significant action during the Vietnam War, where it was used all over the country in a multitude of roles and configurations. The base model accommodated 2 crew members and 11 passengers inside—though more might be reclining on the roof. A single Browning M2 .50 caliber machine gun was mounted on the roof. The M113’s fame grew throughout the Vietnam conflict, but it was its reliability and ease of manufacture that solidified it as a viable option that has far exceeded its intended service life. Since, the M113 has existed through various updates as its service has continued far into the 21st Century.

For the M113A3, the U.S. Military wanted to modernize the design to solidify it as one of the military’s workhorses. The main weaknesses of the earlier generations included armor and horsepower. The M113 could not keep up with Abrams tanks and Bradley Fighting Vehicles. However, replacing the entire fleet of M113 APCs was fiscally impossible. So, RISE was introduced. RISE stands for Reliability Improvements for Selected Equipment. This was a program designed to upgrade extant military equipment to extend their service life. For the M113 this included spall liners, a more powerful engine and transmission, updated controls for the driver, shock-absorbent seats, and new breaks. The engine and transmission used were a GM 6V53T Diesel V-6 and an Allison TX-100-1. With this, the M113A3 can attain speeds of nearly 40mph. With these upgrades, the M113A3 proved versatile as ever. Countless variations of the APC exist and are still used all over the world.