United Defense M113 Engineering Specially Equipped Vehicle (ESEV)

     Notes: The ESEV is an M113A2 APC modified with the use of a kit for combat engineers.  The ESEV features an improved layout for 8 combat engineers plus their equipment; a hydraulic auger that may dig in earth, asphalt, and frozen ground to a depth of 3.048 meters and 203mm wide; hydraulic power tools (a chain saw, jack hammer, and an impact wrench that can also be used for wood boring); welding gear; and a modified ramp that can be used as a working platform (and may hold up 500kg).  Only the Canadian Army uses the M113 ESEV.  The ESEV may use the same add-on armor as the standard M113, though Canadian Forces has its own package.

     The US tested Canadian ESEVs during Iraqi Freedom.  They had three main criticisms of the ESEV: Inadequate armor, inferior mobility, and inferior survivability.  The resulting vehicle will be found in US Tracked Engineer Vehicles (upcoming; it is not there now).

     DEW (a company in Canada) greatly augmented the M113 ESEV, all the areas required for the American improvements, as well as miniaturization of components, resulting in more interior space. An engine and electrical component upgrade was equivalent to the RISE. These vehicles were based on the M113A3 and MTV-L (M113A4); the increase in space for the M113A3 ESEV was done by better arrangement of the interior, and links to hold supplies on the exterior. As with the MTVL, the MTVL ESEV has it’s gun position surrounded by AV2 gun shields, and the fuel tanks are in the floor (go to US APCs to find out why).  Both have a small computer to offer suggestions for solutions to particular problems encountered by the sappers and some of the calculations required in their work.

     These crews often carried one underbarrel or stand-alone grenade launcher for local defense and minor target destruction, though this is not a part of its standard loadout.

     For more details of the APCs on which these vehicles are based, go to US Tracked APCs.

*The addition of spaced armor over the front of the vehicle requires the removal of the trim vane, making amphibious operations impossible.

**The roof AV for this variant is 3.

***The Roof AV is 3; the floor AV is 4Sp.