M113A1/ZU-23-2

     Notes: This jury-rigged vehicle is a local modification by Lebanese forces. It is an M113A1 with a ZU-23-2 antiaircraft gun installed on the rear deck.  The rear deck hatch is retained, as is the rear ramp, but the commander's hatch is blocked by the gun installation. The base vehicle is largely unchanged and can be easily converted back to the APC version, and with a limited ammunition load can still be used in that role.  Ammunition in this vehicle is normally carried in cans or in the crates the ammunition is shipped in, but some have been modified with improvised racks.  Elevation and traverse are manual and unable to keep up with fast aircraft; as such, the vehicle is normally used against helicopters or in a ground support role.  There is an AV2 gun shield on the front of the weapon, but otherwise, the crew operating the gun is unprotected.

     The engine is the General Motors 6V53, which develops 212 horsepower. The crew enters and exits by a hydraulic ramp at the rear with a hatch set into it on the left side.  The driver’s position is in the left front of the hull; his hatch is above him, to the front and left of the commander’s cupola.  The driver has vision blocks that cover everything except the rear and part of the right-side arcs, and the front one can be easily removed and replaced with a passive IR periscope.  The seat for the driver can be raised and lowered so that the driver may drive with his head outside the hatch or buttoned up.  The controls consist of a gearshift, a gas pedal, and a pair of tillers to steer and brake the vehicle using differential steering.  The M113 uses a flat torsion bar suspension.

     Twilight 2000 Notes: Similar vehicles have been rigged up all over the globe – the endless variations are beyond the ability of this poor author to catalog.