M113

The M113 is a lightweight American tracked armored personnel carrier whose simple construction, extensive variant family and large surviving inventory have sustained its use from Vietnam to Ukraine.

Overview

The M113 is an American fully tracked armored personnel carrier developed by FMC Corporation and subsequently supported by United Defense and BAE Systems. Introduced into US service in 1960, it combines a lightweight aluminum hull, tracked mobility and a large rear troop compartment in a vehicle designed primarily to carry personnel through small-arms and shell-fragment hazards rather than fight as an infantry fighting vehicle. Approximately 80,000 M113-family vehicles were produced between 1960 and 2007, and the type or its derivatives have served with more than 50 countries, according to the M113 family history.

Although displaced from front-line US armored formations by more heavily armed and protected vehicles, the M113 remains useful as a personnel carrier, command post, ambulance, mortar carrier, cargo vehicle and weapons platform. Its large global inventory, established maintenance base and comparatively simple operation have made it especially important to Ukraine, where donated M113-family vehicles transport infantry, evacuate casualties, carry ammunition and support specialized battlefield systems. A 2026 open-source count recorded at least 1,729 vehicles and derivatives delivered to Ukraine, making the family the country's most numerous Western-supplied armored vehicle type, according to Militarnyi.

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