M132 Armored Flamethrower

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The M132 was a United States built flamethrower armed variant of the M113 and M113A1 armoured personnel carriers developed in the early 1960s. Approximately 350 were accepted into service.

The first prototype of the vehicle was produced in August 1962 when a flamethrower was mounted on a M113. This prototype was only used in combat situations four times that year.

In December 1964, the first armored Cavalry was sent two M132 flamethrower armored vehicles. Based on combat experiences with the vehicle the Army Concept Team advised that four M132s and two M113s be shipped to each regiment.

[edit] Description

The vehicle was based on an M113. The driver sits in the front left of the hull. A small cuppola in the center of the hull mounts an M10-8 flame gun with a coaxial 7.62 mm calibre M73 machine gun. The weapons could be traversed though 360 degrees and elevated to +55 degrees and depressed to -15 degree. The passenger compartment was removed, and replaced with an M10 fuel and pressure unit and four spherical 50 gallon fuel tanks.

The 200 gallon fuel capacity enabled it to fire for 32 seconds, and the pressure unit enabled it to reach targets at a range of 200 meters.