Cheaper Successor to M113

During the AUSA exhibition in 2012 revealed that U.S. ground forces launched a program February 9th Armored Multipurpose Vehicle (AMPV), a successor transporters M113.

Modified M113A3 in Iraq. Although short-term changes that increase the level of ballistic shields - used in other cars of battle - M113 are becoming increasingly archaic in the modern battlefield / Photo: defenseindustrydaily.com

U.S. Army has about six thousand. M113 family of transporters, of which 2.9 thousand. are used in the composition of heavy brigade combat teams (ie, armored brigades). Vehicles, construction time remembering the war in Vietnam, are already outdated and restricts the possibility of upgrading light weight (about 13.5 t) and dimensions.

Originally it was assumed that their successors will be the family of futuristic vehicles, developed in the Future Combat Systems. However, it was abandoned in 2009, during the first wave of budget savings. After hopes were raised important vehicles Ground Combat Vehicle program - construction of new BWP U.S. Army (see: Successor of M113 and 2018 ). Eventually, in February this year launched a parallel project, AMPV, which is aimed at finding a successor to the M113, cheaper and more simple construction of GCV. It was assumed such that the AMPV unit cost should be lower than $ 2.4 million.

Currently the program is the first, initial phase, consisting in determining the user's needs. There przesądzono or chassis should be based on the traction wheel or crawler. They may also possible to replace the M113 through additional purchases of currently used BWP Bradley and Stryker transporters. It all depends on the results of careful analysis.

The fact that the new program is guided by the U.S. Army in particular the financial criterion, is the fact that you took out the existing equipment - mostly specialized - old transporters, as fully modern. Therefore focuses on finding a new carrier, to a minimum reducing the cost and time to develop a new family of vehicles.

The first American ground troops want to replace the M113 armored brigades. Their number will be limited during the next few years, so pre-order will be for significantly less than 2.9 thousand. currently used vehicles. Second, it is planned to replace the remaining stotrzynastek but under a separate program.