M114 armored fighting vehicle
| M114 | |
|---|---|
 M114A1 of the Armored Cavalry Platoon 2/54th Infantry,4th Armored Divisiontakes part in exercises in Grafenwöhr, Germany. | |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1962–79 |
| Used by | United States |
| Wars | Vietnam War Salvadoran Civil War |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | General Motors,Cadillac Div. |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 15,000 pounds (6,800 kg) |
| Length | 4.46 m |
| Width | 2.33 m |
| Height | 2.39 m |
| Crew | 3 |
| Armor | 44.5 mm |
Main armament | .50-caliberM2 machine gun |
Secondary armament | 7.62 mmM60 machine gun |
| Engine | v8 gasoline 160 hp (120 kW) |
| Power/weight | 23 hp/t |
| Suspension | torsion-bar |
Operational range | 443 km |
| Maximum speed | 58 km/h (36 m/h) |
TheM114 Command and Reconnaissance Carrieris aVietnam War-era trackedarmored fighting vehicle,used by theUnited States Army.It was manufactured by theCadillacDivision ofGeneral Motorsin the early 1960s. The M114 was designed to be fast and stealthy for use in the reconnaissance role.
Like the largerM113,it was amphibious and could be deployed by parachute. However, unlike the M113 which became one of the most successful armoured vehicles, it quickly proved unsuited to use in theVietnam War,and was replaced in the reconnaissance role by theM551 Sheridanlight tank.
By 1979, it had been branded a failure and retired from the US Army, but some were released as surplus and continue to be used by police departments.
Description[edit]
The M114 was a lightweight, low-silhouette vehicle, designed to complement theM113in command andreconnaissanceroles. The M114 was 4 inches lower than the M113, and its upper forward glacis plate had a shallower angle than on the M113, resulting in a somewhat sleeker profile. It was constructed of aluminum and weighed 13,100 lb (5.94metric tons) empty, with a combat weight of 15,093 lb (6.846 metric tons). It was powered by aChevroletV-8 engine with a 283 cubic inch (4.6 liters) displacement. The engine was rated at 160 horsepower. It had a three-man crew, and a top speed of 36 mph (58 km/h). It could swim, propelled by its tracks, and was light enough to be transported by cargo aircraft and dropped by parachute.
In October 1961 the Army awardedGeneral Motors Corporationtwo contracts totaling $14.9 million for the production of 1,215 T114s.[1]
The original M114 required the commander's cupola hatch be opened to fire the.50 caliber machine gun,which rotated along with the hatch to allow aim in any direction. The updated M114A1 allowed the firing of the machine gun from the inside, utilizing manual traverse and elevating mechanisms. The M114A2 (aka M114A1E1) had a hydraulically powered cupola and mounted theM139 20mm cannonwith greatly improved firepower. The observer in the rear had an M60 7.62mm machine gun mounted on a pedestal. There was stowage on the rear door for threeM72A1 "LAW"anti-tank rockets.
Vietnam War[edit]
The Vietnam War became a testing ground for war equipment. Sometimes improvements were made in the United States and sent to Vietnam for testing, but often the projects originated in Vietnam.[2]For example, the ACAV set (Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle kit for the M113 andM551 Sheridan tank), which successfully met that war's specific needs; and the M114 armored reconnaissance vehicle, which proved inadequate and had to be withdrawn from Vietnam.[3]
TheM113 armored personnel carrierintroduced in Vietnam in 1962 proved to be highly successful; consequently a similar smaller vehicle, the M114, was introduced in Vietnam the same year. TheM113equippedARVN(South Vietnamese)mechanized riflesquadrons, while the M114 equippedreconnaissancesquadrons; an ARVN reconnaissance squadron consisted of a headquarters troop and three letter (line) troops, each organized with six M114s. Eighty M114s were used to equip four reconnaissance squadrons.[4]
During combat operations in Vietnam, the M114 armored reconnaissance vehicle proved to be mechanically unreliable, underpowered, had extreme difficulty conducting cross country operations,[5]and its lack of resistance to land mines was fatal; a mine that would nearly destroy a standardM113ACAV would literally blast an M114 reconnaissance vehicle in half.[6]By November 1964, the M114s had been removed from Vietnam and replaced by the dependable M113 ACAV. Unfortunately for the US Army, the combat experience of the M114 in Vietnam was ignored by the high command, and the M114 was issued to all reconnaissance units in Europe, Korea, the United States, etc.; anywhere but in Vietnam.[7]In 1973, Gen.Creighton Abramsbranded the M114 a failure and ordered it retired from the US Army.[8]However, on going budget constraints restricted and delayed procurement of sufficient replacement M113s,[9][10]so use of the M114 continued for several years after 1973 until it could be replaced in all active and reserve units. The3rd Armored Cavalry Regimentat Fort Bliss, TX was reportedly the last U.S. Army unit to replace their M114s with M113s in late 1979 or early 1980.[11]
Variants[edit]
- T114 Test versions developed in the period 1957–60 with aM40 recoilless rifle,culminating in the prototype of what became theT114 (BAT)
- M114 Production version
- M114A1 – new commander's weapon station allowing firing of the.50-cal machine gun from inside (manually powered cupola), reinforced trim vane
- M114A2 – (1969, initially called M114A1E1) replaced main armament with aHispano-Suiza HS.82020 mm gun (designated M139 in U.S. service). Used a hydraulically powered cupola.
- T114 (BAT) -Tank Destroyervariant equipped with anautoloadingversion of the M40 106mm BAT (Battalion Anti-Tank) recoilless rifle. Only procured in small numbers. Apparently did not enter full series production due to the overall failure of the M114 program.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^"Army Orders Vehicles".The New York Times.10 October 1961.Retrieved20 August2018.
- ^Starry
- ^Dunstan
- ^Dunstan
- ^Starry
- ^Dunstan p. 43
- ^Starry
- ^Starry p. 38
- ^Department of Defense Appropriations for 1977, p. 253, via Google Books
- ^Department of Defense Appropriations for 1978, p. 253, via Google Books
- ^The M114, The Armored Jeep / Eaglehorse.org (defunct webpage; Oct 3, 2018 version retrieved via Internet Archive Wayback Machine)
- Dunstan, Simon. "Vietnam Tracks-Armor In Battle." 1982 edition; Osprey Publishing;ISBN0-89141-171-2.
- Starry, Donn A.,General. "Mounted Combat In Vietnam." Vietnam Studies; First printed 1978-CMH 90–17.
- David François,El Salvador – Volume 1: Crisis, Coup and Uprising 1970-1983,LatinAmerica@War Volume 32, Helion & Company Limited, Warwick UK 2023.ISBN978-1-804514-02-3
- David François,El Salvador – Volume 2: Conflagration 1984-1992,LatinAmerica@War Volume 34, Helion & Company Limited, Warwick UK 2023.ISBN978-1-804512-18-0
External links[edit]
- Custom M114 test video
- Repaired SWAT M114 checkout
- Restored M114 doing police work.
- M114 command and reconnaissance carrier – Walk around photos
- ACRC M114at the AFV Database
- Running M114at the Fort Snelling Military Museum
- The M114, The Armored Jeep / Eaglehorse.org