Variants of the M113 armored personnel carrier A huge number of M113 Armored Personnel Carrier variants have been created , ranging from infantry carriers to nuclear missile carriers . The M113 armored personnel carrier has become one of the most prolific armored vehicles of the second half of the 20th century , and continues to serve with armies around the world in many roles . Australia . Some Australian AFVs have the suffix " AS " often appended by a model number , the " AS " is a NATO code for Australia . Generally speaking Australian models are modified from the original models , in the case of the M113A1 series this included the AN / VIC - 1 communications harness , large dust filters for the passenger compartment ventilation blower , heavy steel track manufactured by ADI , provision for 600 kg of belly armor , the Cadillac - Gage T - 50 turret mounting twin . 30 Brownings ( early service ) or a . 30 / . 50 Brownings machine guns for APC / LRV versions , a traverse bar to prevent the crew commander traversing the turret to the rear over the troop compartment roof hatch with the guns depressed low . For some reason all versions of the M113A1 had the passenger compartment heaters removed except the M577A1 command vehicle . In the late 80s the fleet was issued with German BM8005 image intensifying night vision driving periscopes , which with the aid of an adaptor , could be fitted to replace the driver ' s central periscope for night driving . In the early 90s the fleet was issued with VINSON family cipher equipment , typically a single KY - 57 per vehicle . This allowed the command net to be enciphered , but the admin net would normally work en clair . The MRV replaced the FSV in Australian service Belgium . BMF from Belgium has built the M113A1 with some modifications ( suspension of M113A2 , NBC protection system etc . ) under license as the M113A1 - B . The Belgian army received 525 vehicles from 1982 . Germany . In German service , the M113 and M113A1 were known as respectively M113G and M113A1G . Most of them were later upgraded to A2 standard and got the new designator M113A2 GE . Those vehicles that were fitted with external fuel tanks and the new SEM - 80 / 90 radioset are known as M113A2 EFT GE A0 . Under the NDV - 2 program , some vehicles had been fitted with a new MTU engine , new steering and brake systems etc . German M113s often have a bank of eight 76mm smoke grenade dischargers at the front of the vehicle , and are armed with Rheinmetall MG3 s instead of the more common M2 . 50 caliber machine gun . The German Army uses the type not only as APC ( MTW - " ) but in many different specialized roles : Portugal . The Portuguese Army operates 150 ( of 180 delivered ) in the A1 e A2 variants of the basic M113 armored personnel carrier ( M113 A1 / 2 M / 76 a 90 , or simply , " ) . Besides the M113 APC , the Portuguese Army operates , 107 mm mortar carrier s , self - propelled surface - to - air missile systems , TOW anti - tank guided missile tank destroyer s , ambulance , command and communications variants of M113 . Civilian Uses . In 1974 , FMC used the M113 ' s drivetrain as a platform for a tracked log skidder . The skidders use the same 6V53 Detroit Diesel engine and steering gearbox as the M113 , but utilized a more heavily - built undercarriage and a 4 - speed Clark powershift transmission . The skidder either came as a cable arch model , with a tilting tray to set the logs on ( Later on , a hydraulic grapple attachment was offered to fit over the cable fairleads ) . Or as a Clam - Bunk forwarder , with a Prentice grapple mounted on the roof of the cab . Dealers also modified the base tractor to handle various forestry and utility jobs . Because of their mobility and light weight , these skidders are often used in steep and swampy terrain , and the most common alternate use is to fit them with water tanks and use them to fight forest fires . In 1988 , FMC sold the manufacturing rights of the skidder to Kootenay Tractor , their main dealer in British Columbia , Canada , who started selling them under the KMC brandname .