CM-21 AIFV

History of AIFV CM-21

Taiwan's military prowess has long been supported by the United States, and by the 1960s the island nation received and operated hundreds of ubiquitous M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs). In order to reduce dependence on foreign goods and upgrade the outdated M113 vehicle line, the Taiwan Army has launched a local plan to manufacture a new generation of infantry fighting vehicles (IFV) starting from the M113 APC. Design work began in the 1970s and led to the official adoption of the "CM-21 AIFV" (Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle) in 1978.

Many of the lines, shapes and functions of the American design remain the same, although the M113 concept has enough local changes to make it essentially a "new" vehicle of Taiwanese origin.

IFV combines the advantages of APC with the firepower of a light tank system. This allows the IFV to transport battle-ready infantry squads under armor protection, disembark troops, and then provide the squad with fire support and protection from machine guns, artillery and anti-tank missiles.

The Taiwan Army basically configures the M113 APC in the IFV role for its troop transport needs.

The CM-21 retains the same internal configuration as the previous M113, with the driver sitting on the left front of the fuselage and the power pack on the right. This opens up the middle and rear of the fuselage for the passenger compartment. The standard operator is two people, including the driver and the vehicle commander/machine gunner. The rear cabin also has seating for up to eight passengers.

The commander sat directly behind the driver, equipped with a cupola with armored hatches and sights. The front fuselage features a slightly sloping front panel consistent with the M113 series, while the sides of the fuselage are vertical. The rear of the vehicle is square and houses a large rectangular power door that is lowered into a ramp to allow passengers to get on and off.

The hull structure is fully welded aluminum to protect against small arms fire and shrapnel. This was then improved by adding armor in bolted-on sections fore and aft along the hull, adding foam between the base and the additional armor layers.

The craft is completely hermetically sealed and therefore amphibious, propelled through the water by the motion of its own orbit. Before entering the water, the crew turned on the bilge pump and erected a decorative vane.

Night vision was granted the standard operator position, although the NBC (nuclear, biological, chemical) protection kit proved non-standard.

The vehicle is powered by a UK sourced Perkins TV8-640 series 215hp diesel engine. The engine is then paired with a specially designed drivetrain, while venting through vents on the top of the hull, allowing access to deep water. The running gear consists of five twin-tire wheels on one side of the track, with the drive sprocket at the front and the chain tensioner at the rear.

The body is supported by a standard torsion bar suspension system, which provides a relatively comfortable experience for off-road touring. The apron protects the upper track area and side walls to some extent.

As an armoured fighting vehicle, the CM-21 is armed with a heavy 12.7mm M2 Browning machine gun, suitable for use against infantry, light armoured vehicles and low-altitude aircraft threats. For added defense, passengers can engage nearby targets through one of five launch portsone on the rear of the fuselage and two on the side.

"CM-21" represents the name of the original production vehicle. This was followed by an improved "CM-21A1" with revised mechanics. "CM-21A2" became a more modern variant with a much improved protection kit.

The CM-21 chassis continues to serve other battlefield roles, including command and control (with additional navigation and communications equipment), missile delivery vehicles (CM-25), flamethrowers, battlefield ambulances, cannon delivery vehicles, multiple rocket launchers System (MLRS) and Mortar Carrier (CM-23) - when properly equipped.

About 250 to 300 CM-21 vehicles have been produced to date (2013). The CM-21 is expected to be completely replaced by the updated 8x8 wheeled CM-32 "Clouded Leopard" series of vehicles based on the front line of the CM-31 family.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Performance

Performance

Armor

Depends on weapon.

Changes