Israel displays uparmored M113
Date Posted: 09-Jul-2004
The latest in uparmored M113 tracked armored personnel carriers (APCs) was on display at the Israel Military Industries (IMI) stand at Eurosatory in Paris (14-18 June). The company's Slavin facility, working with the Rafael Armament Development Authority, has recently been contracted by the Israeli Ministry of Defense (MoD) to uparmor 50 M113s.
The US$12.5 million contract, authorized in June, involves installing IMI's Light - Vehicle Armor System (L-VAS) and replacing the automotive systems. According to Avi Shechter, IMI's deputy vice president of marketing, a further contract for the upgrade of an additional 450 M113s is expected.
The IMI/Rafael's M113 upgrade package comprises a hybrid passive/reactive system, mixing layers of steel, rubber and ceramics with explosive-reactive armor. According to Shechter, the package - weighing 2.7t - provides protection from 7.62mm to 14.5mm ammunition; rocket-propelled grenades; 155mm shell fragements at 1m; and a 10kg TNT explosion at 5m. Additional belly/sponson armor takes the weight up to 3.3t, Shechter told IDR.
In addition, the 212bhp Detroit Diesel 6V-53 engine is upgraded to 275hp 6V-53T configuration with improved cooling and exhaust, plus the GMC Allison x-200-4 transmission (all from the M113A3 model). Also fitted are an improved torsion bar suspension, braking systems and a new shock absorber at station four. The driver steering sticks are replaced by a yoke control.
Shechter also informed IDR that the company is targeting the US Army with this upgrade. The US has 1,700 M113s deployed in Iraq and the adoption of this upgrade would allow Israel to set up joint manufacture of the armor package in the US (the companies are in discussion with Marvin Engineering Land Systems). It would also allow Israel to pay for a proportion of its own requirements through Foreign Military Sales funding.