- Yes
- No
Description: The M113 is an American APC developed in the mid-fifties to satisfy a request for a new APC from the US Army. The first units were made in 1955, and in a short time, it would become one of the most produced tracked vehicles ever created. The Italian army in the 12 february 1963 signed with the USA a contract for buy 1500 and for obtain the license for locally build 3000 more units at OTO Melaraindustries. Initially, OTO only assembled the various parts from the US, but from 1965 on, all the M113 parts were manufactured in Italy. The production lasted until 1976, with 100 units delivered per month. The first 40 units were delivered one year after the contract was signed, in 1964, and soon they started to be used in every single part of the Italian armed forces, from the Italian army to the Carabinieri. It was a very capable vehicle for the time being, and with a Chrysler 75M engine, the vehicle was able to transport up to 12 fully armed infantrymen. It was initially armed with a single 12.7 mm Browning machinegun, but later in the Italian service, various configurations were trialed on this platform. One of those configurations is the one presented here. Although no data regarding the history of this prototype is available, the subject of this suggestion is a M113 armed with a single RH202 20-mm cannon mounted into a RH7 turret. This modification was probably made to make the vehicle capable of performing anti-aircraft and anti-infantry roles. The RH202 was tested on a good number of units with different configurations, and this one by far is the less documented one. As the years passed, a large number of M113s were gradually retired and sent to be scrapped. Only a few are still in service with the Italian army. They will be replaced by the new AICS IFV program, which aims to replace all the light-tracked platforms, such as the VCC80 series and the last remaining M113.
Why it should be in game: It could give to the Italian tt a low tier aa or a mid tier ifv with APDS shells
Specifications
Riepilogo
Sources