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The M981 FISTV (Fire Support Team Vehicle) is a
M981A1 aka FIST - Artillery OP – Walk around photosM981 FIST-V marker at US Army Field Artillery Museum
{{Fire support vehicles Military vehicles of the United States Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s
The M981 FISTV (Fire Support Team Vehicle) is a 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 ...
armored vehicle
Military vehicles are commonly armoured (or armored; see spelling differences) to withstand the impact of shrapnel, bullets, shells, rockets, and missiles, protecting the personnel inside from enemy fire. Such vehicles include armoured fighti ...
designed to house an artillery observer
An artillery observer, artillery spotter, or forward observer (FO) is a soldier responsible for directing artillery and mortar fire support onto a target. An artillery observer usually accompanies a tank or infantry unit. Spotters ensure that ...
team in mechanized units. It was based on the M901 Improved TOW Vehicle (ITV) – itself based on the ubiquitous M113 armored personnel carrier
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 armored personnel carrier, M59 A ...
chassis.
Equipment
The principal equipment on the FISTV is the Ground/Vehicular Laser Locator Designator (G/VLLD), pronounced "glid". This device obtains precise range information to a lased target. When combined with directional control from an inertial navigation system and vehicle coordinates from theGPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS) is a satellite-based hyperbolic navigation system owned by the United States Space Force and operated by Mission Delta 31. It is one of the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) that provide geol ...
, the system is able to obtain precise coordinates of a designated target.
The FISTV also had four SINCGARS
Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) is a VHF combat network radio (CNR) used by U.S. and allied military forces. In the CNR network, the SINCGARS’ primary role is voice transmission between surface and airborne comman ...
radios to track the numerous voice and data radio nets pertinent to fire support operations.
Employment
The FISTV identifies targets and sends their description and location to the Fire Direction Center. Eacharmor
Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...
or mechanized infantry
Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with Armoured personnel carrier, armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also armoured corps).
As defined by the United States Army, me ...
company in the US Army has one M981, with a crew consisting of a lieutenant, a noncommissioned officer, and two soldiers. This crew also serves as advisors to the company commander on fire support issues.
FISTVs are also used by Combat Observation and Lasing Teams (COLTs), a Brigade asset positioned to support the Brigade fires plan.
History
Among its several advantages, the hammerhead could be raised from behind protective terrain or concealing cover. Although gyroscopes had their weaknesses, these systems were replaced or supplemented with other location & positioning systems, such as GPS. Should gyros or technology fail, the crew could also use basic land navigation skills, like triangulating from known terrain features. The FISTV had several limitations, including the vehicle's poor performance compared to the M2 Bradleys and M1 Abrams tanks with which it maneuvered, forcing the other vehicles to wait while the FISTV labored to keep up. Its top-heavy design made it prone to rollovers. The lack of a heavy weapons system or enhanced armor meant that the crew depended solely on the supported element for protection. It could not move with the hammerhead deployed in the raised position and had a planning time of 3 minutes, 30 seconds plus the time it took the north-seeking gyrocompass (NSG) to align.https://tradocfcoeccafcoepfwprod.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/fires-bulletin-archive/1992/JUN_1992/JUN_1992_FULL_EDITION.pdf The M981 FISTV has been supplanted by the M7 Bradley and M1131 Stryker fire support vehicles.See also
*Field artillery team
In the US system for land-based field artillery, the field artillery team is organized to direct and control indirect fire, indirect artillery fire on the battlefield.
Since World War I, to conduct indirect artillery fire, three distinct componen ...
* M113 armored personnel carrier variants
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 armored personnel carrier, M59 A ...
References
External links
M981A1 aka FIST - Artillery OP – Walk around photos
{{Fire support vehicles Military vehicles of the United States Military vehicles introduced in the 1980s