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The M58 Wolf is an agile, armored reconnaissance vehicle of the
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
, capable of producing smoke screens to block both visual and infrared detection. Large area multispectral obscurant
smoke screen A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships. Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as ...
ing is used to obscure the presence and location of troops and artillery. A typical platoon of seven M58 vehicles acts as cover support on tactical missions. Two groups of three M58 Wolves create a perimeter, circling troops and vehicles which are to be hidden. The seventh vehicle leads the platoon, coordinating maneuvers that provide the thickest and largest area of cover.


Construction

The M58 system is made up of an M56 smoke generation unit built onto an
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 ...
type chassis. The M113 chassis was designed as a fully tracked
armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I, APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. Acc ...
, light enough to be transported via airplane, yet still moderately armored. The vehicle can carry a payload of cargo, troops, and a crew of three. With its mechanical foundation based on an upgraded diesel engine, four speed hydrostatic{{fact, date=August 2013 transmission, and large external fuel tanks it is capable of providing side-by-side support with even the most agile Abrams and Bradley AFVs.


Smoke generation

Without replenishment of smoke producing agents, the M58 can produce ninety minutes of thick, visually impairing smoke, or thirty minutes of infra-red obscuring haze. This screen effectively blocks infrared range finding as well as conventional night vision technologies. A future smoke capability, based on millimeter wave technology, could also be used to block higher-frequency radar systems. The system generates smoke by vaporizing medium viscosity oil in a specially designed exhaust manifold. The hot vapors form a thick, white cloud. Other components may be added to the oil to form different types of cloaking hazes. Infrared smoke has special components added so that infrared light is refracted along with the full visual spectrum.


See also

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M56 Coyote The M56 Coyote is both a separate technology and a variant of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). It is used to create smoke on a battlefield. Description The M56, also known as the Coyote, was a motorized system mounted o ...
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Smoke screen A smoke screen is smoke released to mask the movement or location of military units such as infantry, tanks, aircraft, or ships. Smoke screens are commonly deployed either by a canister (such as a grenade) or generated by a vehicle (such as ...


References


M58 Wolf Smoke Generator System on FAS

M58 Wolf System



Image of the M58 Wolf System
Military vehicles introduced in the 1990s Weapons countermeasures Smoke Tracked military vehicles United States Army vehicles