Know ur M113 taxi

lionnoisy SG

I want to refresh old SAF and tell new SAF M113 story.Aussie are still waiting M113 to be upgraded.

ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIERS (TRACKED), Singapore

Date Posted: 21-Sep-2004

Jane's Armour and Artillery

Singapore M113 fleet

Development/Description

1.In 1995, it was revealed that the Singapore Armed Forces armour battalions were putting some of its M113A1 APCs through an upgrade programme developed by engineers from the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) Defence Technology Group and the now Singapore Technologies Kinetics.
Tailored to extend the service life of the M113A1 and enhance its survivability and firepower, this project mainly involved a total rebuild and reconditioning of the hull, refurbishment of the vehicle's automotive components and installation of a new locally developed CIS 40/50 one-person cupola for some variants.

2. The company won the contract, believed to be worth over S$300 million, in 1993 and began delivering upgraded M113s to the Singapore Armed Forces in 1994 for trials. The upgrade programme is now complete. Singapore Technologies Kinetics is now marketing this M113 upgrade programme to other countries.
A related MINDEF contract, worth some S$53 million was awarded to Chartered Industries of Singapore (CIS) in 1993. Under this contract CIS supplied appliqué armour kits and 40/50 weapon stations for installation on some variants of the upgraded M113, with delivery spread over three years from 1995-98.

3. The Singapore Armed Forces have more than 1,000 M113A1s in service with its armour, artillery and combat engineer battalions, making Singapore's M113 fleet one of the largest in Southeast Asia.
Apart from the standard APC version, modified Singapore Armed Forces M113A1s serve as 120 mm self-propelled mortars, artillery command posts, fitters' vehicles, armoured ambulances, recovery, scout/reconnaissance and armoured engineer carriers. The 120 mm self-propelled mortar carrier carries a baseplate on the left side of the hull that allows the mortar to be deployed away from the vehicle if required.
The Singapore Armed Forces upgraded M113s are known to its operators as the A2 model because they feature improvements, which bring the APC close to the US M113A2 mark in terms of combat performance.

4. For improved mobility, the existing diesel engine has been replaced by a Detroit Diesel Model 6V-53T developing 265 hp, coupled to an upgraded Allison TX110-1A automatic transmission.
Changes in the gear ratios have reduced the top speed of the vehicle, thus increasing acceleration by 23 per cent. An enlarged radiator capacity has improved the cooling system and extended vehicle life.
The installation of new torsion bars have resulted in larger wheel travel and the installation of improved shock-absorbers and stronger rear-wheel idler assembly has improved the ride and therefore helps to minimise troop fatigue.
The existing electrical system has been upgraded with a new 200 A generator as well as a new wiring harness. The double amperage improves the reliability of the M113 electrical system as well as the growth potential to meet future demands.

5. The company is able to handle upgrades of mobility kits from 210 to 300 hp diesel engines. The power train can be further customised and upgraded, depending on the vehicle payload and demands made on the vehicle.
Enhancements include the addition of slabs of bolt-on composite armour panels on the glacis plate and hull sides, armoured track skirts, spall liners in the interior and external diesel fuel tanks positioned one either side at the rear.
The rear-mounted bolt-on armoured fuel tanks replace the single fuel tank in the interior of the M113A1, creating additional internal space for stowage of crew equipment, ammunition or weapons. They also contribute substantially to reducing the risk of internal fires should the vehicle get hit.

6. The upgraded M113 is the first Singapore Armed Forces armoured vehicle to receive passive armour protection. These Singapore-developed appliqué armour slabs, understood to be ceramic, are also designed to negate the penetrating effects of shaped charges from HEAT and HESH rounds. An enlarged trim vane has been added for improved stability during amphibious operations due to the increase in combat weight of the up-armoured M113A2.
see part 2 posted on the same day.

lionnoisy SG

PART 2 of 2
7.Improvements in firepower take the form of the CIS 40/50 cupola which replaces the single 12.7 mm M2 heavy machine gun fitted with a steel gun shield on the commander's station of older M113s. The Singapore Armed Forces is the first customer for the 40/50 weapon station.
The CIS 40/50 cupola incorporates the CIS-developed 40 mm Automatic Grenade Launcher (CIS 40AGL) as main armament (32 ready rounds) and a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun (CIS 50MG) as secondary armament (100 ready rounds) on a common weapons cradle in a one-man weapons station. An armoured gun shield provides the firer with ballistic protection against 7.62 mm armour-piercing rounds.

8. Upgraded M113s also carry two pintle-mounted 7.62 mm GPMGs on either side of the rear hatch to provide maximum suppressive fire when dismounting armoured infantry.
The 40/50 weapon station is also fitted with a CIS SDS-92 smoke defence system with a bank of three electrically fired 76 mm smoke grenade dischargers on either side of the gun shield. This system allows the M113 to lay down a bank of obscurants up to 150 m from the vehicle using 76 mm smoke grenades.

9. The electrically powered weapon station, which can be traversed 340º, allows elevation of the weapon station from -8 to +45º. Weapons are sighted and fired from the open hatch position using the weapons' optical sights, with one weapon being fired at any one time.
It is believed that the Singapore Armed Forces has now taken delivery of 300 MUGS sights from Electro Optic Systems Pty Ltd of Australia for installation on the 40/50 cupola.

10. It has been disclosed that Singapore placed an order with the RAFAEL Armament Development Authority of Israel for an undisclosed quantity of Overhead Weapon Stations (OWS) armed with a 25 mm ATK Gun Systems Company M242 Chain Gun and 7.62 mm coaxial machine gun.
It has been confirmed that these 25 mm armed OWSs have now been installed on some of the M113 series APCs used by Singapore. This 25 mm M242 cannon is also installed in one of the two versions of the new Singapore Bionix IFV covered in a separate entry. In this application the ATK Gun Systems Company M242 cannon is installed in a two-person power-operated turret developed and manufactured by Singapore Technologies Kinetics.

Singapore Technologies Kinetics enhanced M113 APC
To meet the operational needs of users who require a fleet of M113 series Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) upgraded with improved overall performance and yet having an increased payload, Singapore Technologies Kinetics has developed an enhanced M113 package consisting of mobility, fire power and protection modules.
Details of the original Singapore Technologies Kinetics upgraded M113 series APC, that retained the Detroit Diesel engine, are given earlier in this entry.
The mobility upgrade module comes with a new diesel power pack consisting of the Caterpillar 3126B diesel engine and a new cooling system and transmission, jointly developed by International Silvatech Industries Inc (ISI) of Canada.
Singapore Technologies Kinetics already uses the Caterpillar 3126B engine in its Bronco All-Terrain Tracked Carrier (ATTC) which was launched in May 2001. This is already in production and service with the Singapore Armed Forces.
The new power pack can deliver from 350 up to 400 hp and allows the M113 to be loaded in excess of 14 tonnes. One of the engine features of the mobility upgrade kit is its vehicle controls and mode of operations.

* The creep speed allows the operator to set the propel speed at a fixed rate of 200 to 5,000 m/h with a control dial at full engine rpm. The controller will modulate the creep speed signal to the pumps to maintain the fixed-speed setting
* Burst function, in which the fan control output is set to `zero' to allow maximum acceleration performance by eliminating the fan parasitic losses
* Silent mode, where the engine can be set using PTO switches to a fixed rpm where the engine operates at the lowest noise level and the throttle pedal becomes the speed control
* Radio control mode and interface is a special fourth function. Using a radio link based on spread spectrum technology, the vehicle can be remote controlled at a range of 2 to 4 km based on terrain, obstacles and transmitter power output. All normal driving functions can be controlled by the remote, although this mode is limited to low-range operation only. The creep-speed function is also fully operational from the remote-control system. The remote speed unit can be configured to operate auxiliary functions such as boom controls and other speed controls

Specifications

M113
Max speed forward on level hard ground: 74 km/h
Max forward speed on soft ground and 50% gradient: 8-10 km/h
Max speed in low range: 22 km/h
Acceleration from 0 to 32 km/h: 9 s
Creep speed range (continuous): 200 to 5,000 m/h
Drift on hard paved ground: 0.5 m in 100 m
Braking (32 to 0 km/h): 10 m
Average cross-country speed: 42 km/h
Turning radius (pivot to infinite): 7.5 m at 7 s/360º
Pivot steer radius/time: 4.5 m at 8s/360º

Status

Upgrade programme now complete. In service with Singapore Armed Forces. The complete upgrade is now being offered on the export market as well as some of the locally built subsystems. As of mid-2004 there are no known export contracts for the Singapore Technologies Kinetics M113 series upgrade.

Contractor

Singapore Technologies Kinetics Ltd.

sources:.Jane's Armour and Artillery .Date Posted: 21-Sep-2004.

Tango1 SG

uhh...slight modification to the description on the SP mortar version of the M113...the baseplate is not on the left or right side of the hull..its at the rear, on the ramp door. The hatch is permanently locked in place, and mortarmen exit via the hatch door...Its different from the U.S. version in that it cannot rotate 360 degrees...the traverse is limited actually..The mortar is of cos' Israeli Soltam lightweight 120mm mortar...hope this clears up the confusion.. Mr. Green

spencer99 SG

hmm..

is only the APC version of the M113 "re-engined"?? How about the SP mortar, ADA (the new one revealed at NDP) and other versions... are they re-engined as well.

It would make sense for standardization... right?

gary1910 SG

I think ADA is upgraded as well , becos I see the external fuel tank but the front passive armour is not there though.

As for SP M113s , no idea, but to standardised training and spares , I believe all M113s in the same unit should be upgraded to the same powerpack.

seancannot SG

How cant no air con leh? Try being inside M113 under the noon sun with diesel engine running… Its a living hell

Tango1 SG

Not too sure abt the ADA version, although I do believe it has been re-engined...the SP mortar version hasn't been re-engined though. Anyway, all SP mortars belong to Armour now, since the last SP mortar battalion has switched over to Primus... Mr. Green

spencer99 SG

hmm....

For "standardization" powerpack should be standard..... perhaps the ADA ver only got the latest engine/powerpack...

I got a feeling the SP mortar ver won't be upgraded... it is going to be obsoleted by our SPH. unless the SAF wanted a "lighter" artillery then the 155mm.

I personally feel it is quite "costly" to operate the SP mortars, so much manning... compared to the 4-man SPH.... for a 120mm firepower.....

gary1910 SG

120mm mortar is our Bn level arty, so I think it will not be replaced by the 155mm Primus SPH which is our Div level arty, but perhaps Mindef are thinking of replacing the Soltam 120mm with our own 120mm Super Rapid Advanced Mortar System (SRAMS) with a firing rate of 18 rds/min!!!

Maybe it will b mounted on a Bronco with more ammo carry capacity, higher rate of fire etc, that maybe the reason why the M113 SP 120mm is not upgraded. Cool

tankee1981 SG

Those SRAMS are really a beauty to watch! You can see how it works on the ST website but not sure if its still there. Gone are the days where the motar men rushing around the motar,everything is automated! Very Happy