The M548 is a tracked cargo carrier. It is based on the

M113 The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the FMC Corporation. The M113 was sent to United States Army Europe in 1961 to replace the mechanized infantry's M59 APCs. The M113 was first used ...

armored personnel carrier, and was built by FMC Corp. at its

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, and

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

facilities.

Design

Its light weight allows the use of a relatively small engine to power the vehicle, a 6V53

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...

six cylinder diesel, with an Allison TX-100-1 three-speed automatic transmission, and allows the vehicle to carry a large payload cross-country and to be transported by fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. The driveline consists of a front sprocket, five roadwheels and a rear tensioner. Suspension is by

torsion bar A torsion bar suspension, also known as a torsion spring suspension, is any vehicle suspension that uses a torsion bar as its main weight-bearing spring. One end of a long metal bar is attached firmly to the vehicle chassis; the opposite end ...

. Support rollers are not necessary because of the taut and relatively light track. In off-road driving, the driver must be careful to keep the track tension constant. Even with a failed torsion bar the M548 is still roadworthy. The power of the motor drives the transfer gearcase, generator and the cooling of the differential/steering gear. The transfer gearcase can be used as a separating clutch when towing the vehicle and serves to reduce the motor's speed. The power transmission between the drive follows the

torque converter A torque converter is a device, usually implemented as a type of fluid coupling, that transfers rotating power from a prime mover, like an internal combustion engine, to a rotating driven load. In a vehicle with an automatic transmission, the ...

with an automatic lock-up clutch.

Variants

United States

; M548A1 NATO Stock Number (NSN) 2350–01–096–9356 It has the same improvements as M113A2. Improved suspension and cooling system. Entered service in 1982. ; M548A2 ; M548A3 NATO Stock Number (NSN) 2350-01-369-6081 ; M1015 Modified M548 to carry Electronic Warfare Shelters. Modifications included installation of 60W, 400hz power system and ground rod driver. EW Shelters carried included the AN/MLQ-24 TACJAM, and AN/TSQ-138 Trailblazer Direction Finding systems.

Swiss Army

* ''Raupentransportwagen 68'' (Rpe Trspw 68) M548 ''Munitionstransport'' (tracked transport vehicle 68, M548 ammunition transporter). * ''Raupentransportwagen 88'' Model 88 (Swiss military license plates M+75829 to M+75882) came into service between 1986 and 1988, in total 54 units. Unlike the previous model 68, the model 88 has "''Fleckentarnanstrich''" ("stain camouflage pattern") as well as improved diesel heating. * ''Raupentransportwagen 68/05'' The M548 was mainly used as ammunition transporter in units equipped with the self-propelled

M109 howitzer The M109 is an American 155 mm turreted self-propelled howitzer, first introduced in the early 1960s to replace the M44 and M52. It has been upgraded a number of times, most recently to the M109A7. The M109 family is the most common Western ...

. Also, the armor and weapons mechanic school's recruits, as well as at the tank mortar unit 16/5, used the M548. The usual load is ten pallets of eight 155 mm projectiles including charges and detonators. The handling is done with an electric hoist.

British Army

The

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

used the M548 as logistical support for (UK) Armoured Division in the 1991

Gulf War , combatant2 = , commander1 = , commander2 = , strength1 = Over 950,000 soldiers3,113 tanks1,800 aircraft2,200 artillery systems , page = https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96- ...

. The M548 was also used as the basis for the

Tracked Rapier Rapier is a surface-to-air missile developed for the British Army to replace their towed Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/70, Bofors 40/L70 anti-aircraft guns. The system is unusual as it uses a manual optical guidance system, sending guidance comman ...

anti-aircraft missile system, originally intended for the Iranian Army but delivered to the

after the

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

caused the order to be cancelled. On 25 February 1991, a pair of M548s crewed by personnel of the

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers The Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME ) is the maintenance arm of the British Army that maintains the equipment that the Army uses. The corps is described as the "British Army's professional engineers". History Prior t ...

, were supporting 16th/5th The Queen's Royal Lancers who were providing the reconnaissance for the division. They were attacked by an Iraqi Type 59 tank. One M548 was disabled and the Type 59 reengaged the second M548 who returned fire with small arms. Two crewmen (Sergeant Dowling, MM and Lance Corporal F. Evans, REME) were killed.

Gallery

File:M548 Quad 0.50 calibre.jpg, M548 with quad 0.50 calibre heavy machine guns, belonging to Battery G, 55th Air Defense Artillery Regiment, 23rd Infantry Division, Vietnam war File:M548 SLUFAE firing.jpg, M548 firing a XM130 SLUFAE rocket File:Rapier mounted on the M548.jpg, Prototype

based on an M548 chassis File:Hjerkinn skytefelt-nå nedlagt.jpg, M548 in Norwegian service supplying an artillery position. Known as the NM199 in Norwegian service File:Right side view of a US Army M-727 self-propelled Hawk surface-to-air missile system - DPLA - 8a59e5f77a77f78f874fe49d896909f1.jpeg, M727 Hawk Guided Missile Equipment Carrier, based on the M548 File:MIM-72 Chaparral 07.jpg, M730 Chaparral Guided missile Carrier, based on the M548 File:MGM-52 Lance 11.jpg, M667

Lance The English term lance is derived, via Middle English '' launce'' and Old French '' lance'', from the Latin '' lancea'', a generic term meaning a wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generic term meaning a spear">wikt:lancea#Noun">lancea'', a generi ...

Self Propelled Launcher, based on the M548

Operators

* : 28 M548A1 in service. * * * * : M548A1 in service. * * : M548A1 in service. * : Local designation ''M548 Alfa''. * : 210 M548 in service. * : Local designation NM199; in long term storage * * * * * * * * *

Captures

* : ISIL has seized two vehicles. The first one was captured from Iraqi-Shia militants in Khalidiya Island and the second one was captured from the PMF's 30th Brigade in the " Al-Sajr" area.

Former operators

* - (Flag used from 1938 to 1973) * - (Flag used from 1972 to 2002.) * * * - (Flag used from 2003 to 2006) * - (Flag used from 1933 to 1974) * - (Flag used from 1974 to 1975) * *

References

Bibliography

* Heller, Urs: ''Die Panzer der Schweizer Armee von 1920 bis 2008'' * Schweizerische Militärmuseum Full

External links

M548 Engine Data
{{DEFAULTSORT:M113 Armored Personnel Carrier Armored personnel carriers of the United States Armoured personnel carriers of the Cold War Armoured personnel carriers of the post–Cold War period Tracked armoured personnel carriers Military vehicles introduced in the 1960s