NM142
Encyclopedia
The Norwegian Model-142 is an anti-tank
Anti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare was created by the need to seek technology and tactics to destroy tanks and their supporting infantry during the First World War...

 variant of the American M-113
M113 Armored Personnel Carrier
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier that has formed the backbone of the United States Army's mechanized infantry units from the time of its first fielding in Vietnam in April 1962. The M113 was the most widely used armored vehicle of the U.S...

 armoured personnel carrier
Armoured personnel carrier
An armoured personnel carrier is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles , or mortars...

 (APC), the difference being that it is equipped with a TOW2 turret, developed in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...

 by Kværner
Kværner
Kværner was a Norway-based engineering and construction services company in existence between 1853 and 2005 when it was merged with Aker ASA. The Kværner name was used in the subsidiary Aker Kværner until April 3, 2008 when it changed name to Aker Solutions. Kværner re-emerged on 6...

 Eureka.

Armament

The NM-142 mounts a turret containing a TOW2
BGM-71 TOW
The BGM-71 TOW is an anti-tank missile. "BGM" is a weapon classification that stands for "Multiple Environment , Surface-Attack , Missile ". "TOW" is an acronym that stands for "Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire command data link, guided missile"...

 guided anti-tank missile system with one launch tube on either side of the turret.

Additionally, mounted on the commander's hatch, there is an MG3
Rheinmetall MG3
The MG3 is a German general-purpose machine gun chambered for the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. The weapon's design is derived from the World War II era MG 42 universal machine gun that fired the 7.92x57mm Mauser round....

 machine gun for use as secondary armament and in situations where the TOW2-system is unsuitable.

Organization

The crew consists of four people. The commander leads the crew, including designating targets, operating communication systems and navigating. The gunner is responsible operating and maintaining the TOW2 weapon system. The loader assists the gunner, especially by reloading the launch tubes whenever necessary. Finally, the driver maneuvers the APC and is responsible for maintaining the engine, treads and other driving mechanisms.

Usually, a platoon consists of four NM-142s, led by a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 (who also is the commander on one of the NM-142s). In some cases, three platoons are put together to constitute an anti-tank squadron, but platoons are also incorporated "alone" in various mechanized
Mechanized
Mechanized refers to the use of machines. Related articles:*Mechanised agriculture*Mechanization* For "Mechanized artillery", see Self-propelled artillery* For "Mechanized force" and "Mechanized warfare", see Armoured warfare*Mechanized infantry...

 formations.

The Norwegian Army
Norwegian Army
Norway achieved full independence in 1905, and in the first century of its short life has contributed to two major conflicts, the Cold War and the War on Terror. The Norwegian Army currently operates in the north of Norway and in Afghanistan as well as in Eastern Europe. The Army is the oldest of...

had approximately 100 NM-142s, but today the number of vehicles is reduced to only 12. These received some modifications and then named NM-142F1. Other nations have made variants using the same turret on other vehicles (Canada and Saudi Arabia).

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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