Panzorgator, this ones for you.

[RedLeif]

I was reseaching a unit this morning and came across this sight about the M113A4.

http://www.combatreform.org/itmaneuversabattalion.htm

Scroll down to see many good points about why we need a light, tracked APC. The content certainly brought to mind your commments regarding this topic.

Thought I'd share.

Regards
Leif

[panzergator]

Redlief,

Thank you. I appreciate your consideration in passing this along. This article has a lot of good stuff, some of which I've seen before. I agree with much of what is presented here. There is a lot of potential left in that old armored box.

For starters, we should have battalions of them stationed around the country to respond to a terrorist's dirty bomb or nuke. Rubber-tired emergency vehicles will be useless in the rubble of the latter, and the M113 offers protection and mobility to EMTs and victims in evacuation of casualties. The thing is fairly simple to learn, and there are lots of us old vets around who can operate them, as well.

I won't write an editorial here. Anybody interested can read the link you have been most kind to post.

The GHQ Aussie M113 model provides some most interesting possibilities and I am pondering how to go about modifying it and building some sort of unit. Bigger gun, better armor, and imaginary upgrades to engine, transmission, suspension for starters, belly armor of course.