Notes: The original design for what was then known as the LVTP-7 dates back to the mid-1960s and the Vietnam War. First operational units reached the US Marines in 1971, and were then armed with a small cupola and an M-2HB machinegun. In 1986, upgrades began to replace that cupola with a larger turret armed with a Mk 19 grenade machinegun and the original M-2HB. There are two large hatches on the rear deck, and a power ramp in the rear with a door in it.

Notes: This is the next generation of amphibious assault vehicles, designed for the US Marines. The AAAV has heavier armor than the AAPV-7A1, consisting of welded aluminum alloy backed by ceramic and a Kevlar anti-spall liner. The AAAV is fully amphibious, capable of full off-road speed in water. The AAAV is not expected to begin equipping US Marine units until late 2013.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This vehicle does not exist.

Notes: Once the standard tracked amphibious carrier of the US Marines, the LVTP-5A1 is now used only by Chile, the Philippines, and Taiwan. It was designed shortly after World War 2 and was meant to provide invading Marines with protection during amphibious assaults. The vehicle is long and flat, and carries a large amount of troops and equipment. The troops access the vehicle through a large ramp in the rear, and the driver and commander have their own hatches. The commander has a cupola mounting a light machinegun in a hard mount. The troop compartment is actually large enough to carry a 105mm towed howitzer. 45 troops may be carried in an emergency, but all the troops must stand in this case.

Notes: This is the original variant of the Bradley, first issued to US troops in 1981. It has been replaced in US service by the later M-2A2 variant, but was still widely used in National Guard units and even a few Reserve formations. A few of this version are also used by Saudi Arabia, but most of these have also been replaced by the M-2A2 variant. This was the first Infantry Fighting Vehicle for the US Army, replacing earlier M-113 armored personnel carriers in infantry use. There is much more protection for the occupants than in the M-113, and the vehicle is topped with a turret mounting a 25mm ChainGun as well as a MAG (M-240) machinegun and a twin launcher for TOW missiles. Most of the M-2 vehicles found in service have the M-2A1 upgrade, which features increased armor protection, lugs for reactive armor, and an upgraded engine. The Bradley is amphibious with preparation (a flotation screen must be erected); this takes about 15 minutes. This version of the Bradley has firing ports, two on each side and two on the rear; these ports may only accept the M-231 firing port weapon (a variant of the M-16), and the M-231 may fire to extreme range when used in this manner.

Notes: This is a Bradley with marked improvements to armor protection and fire control. As a result, the Bradley II is much heavier than the original Bradley, and a more powerful engine and different transmission is installed. The turret and hull have lugs for reactive armor installed as standard (TF, TS, HF, HS). The firing points on each side were sacrificed to install this added armor, and only the two rear firing ports remain.

Notes: By 2000, this famous veteran of World War 2 was long out of service in most countries, being actively used only by Yugoslavia, some South American countries, and in a reserve role in Israel and Lebanon. It was an attempt to provide an armored personnel carrier with the maneuverability and fuel efficiency of a medium truck and the cross-country capability of a tracked vehicle. The Half-Track was easy to make, but was a poor compromise between a truck and a tracked vehicle, not having the good attributes of either. In addition, it is open topped, providing no protections against air attack, airbursting munitions, or even a lucky grenade throw. They are easier to repair than a full-tracked vehicle, but not as mechanically simple as a full-wheeled vehicle. By 2000, most Half-tracks were being used as specialist vehicles such as weapon carriers, artillery tractors, ambulances, and logistics carriers, instead as APCs. There are doors on either side of the cab for the driver and commander, and a door on the rear of the hull for passengers. Over the commander’s position there is a ring mount for a heavy machinegun, and on each side of the passenger compartment there is a mount for a medium or light machinegun.

Notes: The M-4 C2V is a derivation of the M-2 Bradley chassis, designed to replace the M-577 in the command and control role. The M-4 uses a large, box-like enclosure fitted onto the back of the vehicle; the turret has been deleted, and the whole thing looks similar to the M-993 MLRS (which is also derived from the Bradley chassis). The M-4 has a 10-meter telescoping mast for its antenna system, which is able to simultaneously service 7 radios (included in the basic cost of the vehicle). The vehicle also has computers, map boards, a fax machine, and NBC protection.

Notes: This US armored personnel carrier was the predecessor to the M-113 series. It was an improvement over the M-75 APC used before it, but it is still a poor vehicle. The US Army replaced it with the M-113 in the early 1960s, but the M-59 is still used by Brazil, Greece, and Turkey. The M-59 uses two gasoline engines that are plagued by poor range, and the vehicle is amphibious only under ideal conditions. The only variant to enter production is a mortar carrier mounting an M-30 4.2" mortar.

Notes: This was one of the first US post-war APC designs, and also one if it’s first full-tracked APCs. It is a simple APC with a rectangular hull, topped with a ring-mounted machinegun. The driver is at the front on the left, with the commander to the rear of his position in the center. There are two large hatches on the rear roof for standing infantrymen, and two large doors in the rear of the hull. The gasoline engine severely limits the range, and the M-75 has no amphibious capability.

The last known user of the M-75 was Belgium, though these have since been replaced by the AIFV and M-113A2.

Notes: The original M-113s were developed in the late 1950s. There were progressive improvements, eventually resulting in the M-113A2 version to which almost all M-113s in the world have been upgraded. Long criticized as a "battle taxi," the M-113A2 is a surprisingly strong vehicle able to take a great deal of punishment, and light enough to be carried in C-130 aircraft and air dropped. The chassis is very versatile and has been modified and adapted into countless forms, and the M-113A2 is used by literally dozens of countries worldwide. The commander’s hatch has a weapon mount that can use any weapon designed for an NHT, NMT or NLT – the normal weapon in most countries’ service is the M-2HB.

The original M-113 entered service in 1960, powered by a gasoline engine. Trials of a diesel-engined model began almost immediately thereafter, and in 1964, the diesel-powered M-113A1 entered service. Both are essentially-boxy aluminum-armored tracked vehicles with a large space inside for the infantrymen. The commander has a cupola on the front right side and is normally armed with an M-2HB machinegun. The troops enter and leave via a large powered hatch in the rear, and there is also a large hatch in the roof at the rear. The M-113 is amphibious – however, rubber track skirts must be fitted, a trim vane erected at the front, and two bilge pumps turned on. The vehicle may be driven around normally with the rubber track skirts already installed, but this is not normally done, as they get torn up rather quickly in normal operations. (Most crews don’t even bring them to the field with them.) The driver has an IR periscope, but the commander has no night vision installed.

The M-113A2 addresses a number of small and large problems with the M-113A1. Engine cooling is improved, and the positions of the fan and radiator are reversed. The suspension is strengthened.

The M-113A3 is a major rebuild; in fact, most are new production vehicles. The tillers that controlled earlier models are gone, replaced by a steering yoke and brake. The engine power has been increased by almost a third. The fuel tanks are removed from the walls of the vehicle and moved to armored boxes in the rear on either side of the ramp.

The M-113 ACAV is a variant of the M-113, normally an M-113A2 that has been modified to provide more firepower. The commander’s position is surrounded by armored shields. On either side of the passenger roof hatch is a machinegun position, normally for a light weapon such an M-60 or M-240 (MAG), though sometimes Mark 19 grenade launchers or SAWs are mounted. Original ACAV’s were produced for the Vietnam War, but returned to standard M-113 format afterwards; the Israelis still use some of them. ACAVs are almost always a local modification.

The M-577A1 or A2 is a command post carrier variant of the M-113A1 or A2. In this vehicle, the roof line is raised almost a meter at the rear of the vehicle to allow room for standing and to provide space for additional equipment such as radios, computers, and map boards. Though T2K canon mentions that they are air conditioned, there are damned few such vehicles. T2K canon also mentions that they are armed with M-2HB machineguns, but this is mostly a field modification and did not become common until the recent fighting in Iraq. The electrical system is beefed up to allow the installation of multiple radios inside; the one I manned in Korea carried six SINCGARS and two AM radios inside and two field telephones that were usually set up in the tent at the rear but connected to the vehicle’s electrical system. Also run by the vehicle’s electricity was a laptop computer. To preserve vehicle battery life, the M-577A1 has a 4.2 kW generator mounted at the front of the vehicle beside the driver; this generator is fueled by gasoline and has a consumption of 5 liters per period. The M-577A1 is not normally armed; however, there is a rack over the rear ramp that can carry an M-60 machinegun and an M-16 assault rifle, and beside the driver there is another rack for an M-16.

Notes: This is the new version of the M-577A2 command post carrier. Improvements include larger fuel tanks, a tactically quiet 5kW generator to replace the 4.2kW generator, and a better electrical system. The generator is diesel-powered, runs from the vehicle's fuel supply, and can be operated from inside the vehicle. The M-1068A3 has a 10-meter telescoping antenna mast for longer-range radio operations. It has the RISE power pack of the M-577A3, making it able to keep up with Bradley and Abrams formations. Normally carried are at least 4 short range (usually Sincgars) and 1 long-range radio.

Twilight 2000 Notes: This vehicle does not exist.

Notes: This is a stretched version of the M-113A3. The MTVL (Mobile Tactical Vehicle Light) can be distinguished by its extra set of roadwheels (six pairs instead of five) and the additional armor on the hull. It has a more powerful engine to cope with the increased weight. They were built as a test concept, but United Defense LP is now aggressively marketing them to countries already using the M-113 series and unable or unwilling to switch to big and expensive IFVs. Variants include the MTVL-CP, the equivalent of the M-577 in this series; the fuel tanks have been moved to the rear to provide extra interior room and reduce crew vulnerability. The M-577A3 has one extra pair of roadwheels (six instead of five), and is nearly one meter longer. The M-577A3 has the 4.2kW external generator of the normal M-577 replaced with a tactically quiet 5kW generator that can be operated from within the vehicle and uses the vehicle's fuel supply. The vehicle is also equipped with a 10-meter telescoping antenna mast. Another APC variant is the MTVL-LC; this is a dedicated logistics version of the standard MTVL armored personnel carrier. In this version, the rear cargo area normally used for troops is open-topped, drop-rear, and drop-sided, and the vehicle mounts a cargo-handling crane with a capacity of 6 tons and a reach of 5 meters. The MTVL-LC is normally used to haul ammunition for towed artillery or for armored formations.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These vehicles were primarily used by US National Guard and reserve formations.

Merc 2000 Notes: These vehicles were popular as they offered more power and protection than an M-113, but were less expensive.