M113A1 (SAMSON Dual RWS)

ChieftainWarrior · June 16, 2025, 4:46am

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M113A1 (SAMSON Dual RWS)

TL;DR: Greek M113A1 demonstrator upgraded by Rafael with a 30mm-RWS and Spike ATGM launchers

History
The M113 has been a staple of the Hellenic Armed Forces for decades. It first entered production in the US in 1960, and in total, over 80,000 were produced. The M113A1 variant — fitted with an improved diesel engine — entered production in 1964, and the M113A2 — with improved engine cooling and suspension — in 1979. The US delivered the first M113s to Greece in the early 1960s, with deliveries continuing up until the most recent in 2014. They also received M113s from Germany in the 1990s. In total, Greece has three variants — the M113A1 and M113A2 from the US, and the M113A1G from Germany. As of 2025, Greece has just under 2000 M113s in service (numbers range from 1,852–1,995).

Greece has had a fraught history with regards to the acquisition of a suitable IFV. Attempts were made in the early 1990s to produce an IFV variant of the domestically-produced 4K 7FA, designated Leonidas, but they were not successful. Later in the 1990s, Greece produced a prototype called the Kentaurus, which looked promising, but was too expensive (a recurring theme), and the project was cancelled. Also in the 1990s (1994–95), Greece acquired 501 BMP-1A1 Ost from Germany. The decision has been made to retire them all, with 92 currently undergoing maintenance to be sold to Egypt, and 104 being used for spare parts for said maintenance. 100 were previously delivered to Iraq in 2005–06 (with 50 being used for spare parts).

Three opportunities for acquiring Marder 1A3s from Germany (2007, 2010, and 2015) all failed. In 2007 they failed because Greece was prepared to acquire 415 BMP-3s from Russia (but this also ended up falling through). In 2010 and 2015, it failed because of a lack of funds, primarily due to the economic crisis at the time. And most recently, the US offered to give 300 M2A2 Bradleys (in various states of disrepair) to Greece for free, which was approved in 2023, but Greece had to decline due to the heavy costs of repairing them, which were equivalent to buying new modern vehicles. The VBCI Philoctetes and KF41 have also been offered, but not accepted.

Instead, Greece has chosen to modernise their large fleet of M113s. Currently, a large number are being fitted with a 40mm grenade launcher to replace the 12.7mm M2, while a broader upgrade package is being considered, focusing on armour and mobility. 500 M113s are planned to be upgraded separately by the Israeli company Rafael and the Greek company METKA. This upgrade primarily focuses on firepower, installing a Samson 30mm remote weapon station, as well as improving the electronic systems and armour. One demonstrator based on the M113A1 was displayed in May 2025 at DEFEA in Athens. EODH also shared their proposal for upgraded M113s at DEFEA 2025, designated M113HEL. The prototype built by Rafael (at that point lacking its additional armour) test-fired its Spike ATGMs at the Asko-Prophet fire range in February 2025.

Rafael’s M113A1 during test-firing

EODH’s M113HEL proposal. No prototypes have been built.

Characteristics
The SAMSON Dual RWS is fitted with a dual-axis stabilised 30mm M230LF autocannon. It can fire all NATO standard ADEN/DEFA 30x113mm ammunition at 200rpm. Unfortunately, as the M230 was developed for the Apache helicopters and thus for striking infantry and thin roof armour on armoured vehicles, this means it lacks potent armour-piercing rounds. M789 HEDP penetrates 51mm @ 0° @ 10m in-game on the M230E-1. The M230LF has a higher muzzle velocity (838m/s instead of 805m/s), resulting in slightly higher penetration values. To better damage tanks, the Dual RWS is fitted with a dual Spike-LR2 ATGM launcher. The Spike-LR2 has 900mm RHA penetration, and a maximum range of 5.5km. It has a velocity of 180m/s, and also has counter-active protection system capabilities.

The turret is also fitted with a laser rangefinder and thermal sights. Across the front of the hull is a bank of eight smoke grenade launchers, although this was not present on the up-armoured version at DEFEA 2025.

The base M113A1 hull is very thinly armoured. It has 38mm of frontal armour at 45°, 44mm along the sides at 0°, and 38mm along the rear at 9°. At DEFEA 2025, the vehicle was fitted with ceramic armour developed by Plasan, primarily to protect against small arms fire and IEDs, but the actual thickness / protection values are not yet known.

The base hull weighs 10.9t, and has a General Motors 6V53 engine producing 212hp, alongside an Allison TX-100-1 transmission, with three forward gears and one reverse gear. The Dual RWS weighs 0.6t. This brings the total weight up to 11.5t, with a power-to-weight ratio of 18.4hp/t. The vehicle has a maximum forward speed of 64km/h, and a reverse speed of 15km/h.

Conclusion
The M113A1 with the 30mm RWS would be a unique Greek IFV, and would fit perfectly in a future Greco-Iberian tech tree or alternatively, as an Israeli premium/event vehicle. It would likely fit at a BR of 9.0–9.7. The Spike missiles would be much more powerful at this BR, but the main cannon would not be particularly great.

Specifications
Armament

SAMSON Dual RWS
- 30mm M230LF
  - Stabilised
  - Ammunition
    - M789 HEDP
      - 51mm at 0°
    - NATO standard ADEN/DEFA 30x113mm rounds
- Dual Spike ATGM Launcher
  - Spike-LR2
    - Tandem HEAT warhead, 130mm diameter
    - 900mm RHA penetration
    - 200-5500m range
- Laser rangefinder
- Thermals