For effective work, artillery units need accurate target designation and control over the results of firing. The solution of these tasks is entrusted to the scouts and spotters, who may need specialized armored vehicles. In the past, the US Army was armed with the mobile artillery reconnaissance station M981 FIST-V. For several years, such machines provided the work of ground artillery, after which they gave way to more advanced models.
The Pentagon ordered the development of a new model of ground technology in the mid-seventies of the last century. The terms of reference for the new project provided for the development of an armored vehicle with special optoelectronic equipment and a number of other devices needed to search for targets and issue target designation. Due to the objective risks, the artillery reconnaissance point should have been disguised as a combat vehicle for another purpose.
Reconnaissance post M981 FIST-V in the museum. Photo Wikimedia Commons
Development work and testing of experimental equipment continued until the early eighties, after which the new model entered service. The mobile reconnaissance post received the official designation M981 FIST-V (Fire Support Team Vehicle). The lead developer of the project was the Emerson Electric Company.
In order to simplify production and operation, as well as taking into account the requirements for camouflage, the M901 ITV self-propelled anti-tank missile system was chosen as the basis for the M981. The latter was a standard M113A2 armored personnel carrier with a special launcher for BGM-71 TOW guided missiles. It was proposed to use the existing chassis, as well as the body from the ATGM launcher. They should have been equipped with new equipment with the required capabilities and characteristics.
The use of a widespread chassis in a known way facilitated operation, and also allowed artillery reconnaissance to move and work in the same battle formations with other combat vehicles. On the battlefield, the M981 reconnaissance point was as similar as possible to the M901 ATGM, which reduced the likelihood of its correct identification and destruction by the enemy. In addition, the borrowed units had some functions that facilitate reconnaissance.
Machine diagram. Figure "Bradley: A History of American Fighting and Support Vehicles"
During the construction of the artillery reconnaissance vehicle, the base chassis of the M113 / M901 did not undergo major changes. The aluminum welded armored hull with a panel thickness of up to 38 mm was preserved. In the front of the car, the driver's workplace and the engine compartment with a 275 hp diesel engine remained. The former airborne squad was given over to the workplaces of two operators responsible for reconnaissance and communication with the artillerymen. In the center of the hull roof, the turret from the M901, equipped with a lifting launcher, was preserved. From the latter, only the mechanisms and the body remained, while the internal devices were replaced.
The basis of the FIST-V project was the G / VLLD complex (Ground / Vehicular Laser Locator Designator). This complex included a set of optical and electronic devices for observation, as well as data processing facilities and an operator's control panel. With the help of G / VLLD, the observer operator could monitor the battlefield, find targets and determine their coordinates for transfer to an artillery battery or command post.
The G / VLLD included a periscope and a thermal imager, designed for surveillance at any time of the day. It was envisaged to use a rather complex periscope with a variable magnification objective. Next to the periscope lens was the AN / TAS-4 night observation device, borrowed from the TOW ATGM. With the help of a special optical path, the image from the day periscope and night sight was issued to a common eyepiece inside the vehicle body. It was proposed to determine the distance to the target using a laser rangefinder.
Placement of units inside the machine. Figure "Bradley: A History of American Fighting and Support Vehicles"
Optical devices were installed inside an armored casing of a complex shape, which previously contained the devices of the rocket complex. The casing had to be slightly altered, but it retained its main features. It was possible to distinguish the artillery reconnaissance from the ATGM only by the configuration of the windows in the front wall of the casing.
The optics armored casing was made movable. With the help of a lifting H-shaped support, it was fixed on the rotating base of the turret. In the stowed position, the block and its support turned back and laid on the roof of the hull. Before work, the block had to be lifted and turned forward. This design of the rotary support made it possible to observe any sector of the surrounding space. In addition, she provided surveillance from behind shelters, both natural and artificial. In this case, the body of the M981 machine remained behind cover and only a block of equipment rose above it.
Inside the body of the FIST-V machine, the workplace of the observer operator, who was responsible for reconnaissance, was located. It had a monitor for displaying information and the necessary controls. Provided for the use of a high-precision inertial navigation system, designed to determine their own coordinates. Based on its own coordinates, as well as data from guidance systems and a laser rangefinder, the automation could calculate the coordinates of a detected target.
The layout of the G / VLLD complex. Figure "Bradley: A History of American Fighting and Support Vehicles"
To transmit data to the artillery command post or to other users, the M981 machine had a set of radio stations with different functions. Six products of the AN / GRC-160 type and one AN / VRC-46 station were used. They provided both data transmission and voice communication.
The calculation of the mobile reconnaissance point M981 FIST-V consisted of four people. It included the driver, commander, observer operator and radio operator. The vehicle commander was to have the rank of lieutenant; also in the crew were one non-commissioned officer and two privates. The driver was in his regular place at the front of the hull. Under the turret there was an observer operator's workplace. Behind him, at the sides, consoles were organized for the commander and the radio operator. The driver and observer could use their own hatches in the roof of the hull. Access to the seats of the radio operator and commander was carried out through the aft door.
The M981 machine, like the basic self-propelled ATGM, did not have standard armament for self-defense. In a dangerous situation, one had to rely only on smoke grenade launchers. On the sides of the frontal sheet of the hull there were two blocks with four such devices on each. At the same time, the crew had personal weapons at their disposal.
FIST-V in working position. Photo 477768.livejournal.com
Both externally and in size, the FIST-V reconnaissance point hardly differed from the M901 ITV ATGM. Machine length was 4, 86 m, width - 2, 7 m. Height in the stowed position with the optics unit on the roof - 2, 94 m, maximum height in working position - 3, 41 m. Combat weight - 12 tons. armored personnel carrier M113 and its anti-tank modification.
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The M981 FIST-V mobile reconnaissance station was adopted by the US Army in the early eighties; at the same time, the first artillery units received such equipment. Reconnaissance vehicles were intended for artillery units from tank and mechanized formations. The reconnaissance platoon was supposed to have one mobile point.
The troops took up the development of new technology and soon came out with sharp criticism. In practice, it turned out that the proposed reconnaissance vehicle has a number of characteristic shortcomings. The problems were associated with both the used chassis and the new equipment. In some situations, such shortcomings could make it difficult to solve problems, while in others they led to unnecessary risks.
Inside the habitable compartment, view from the aft door. On the left is the operator, on the right is the radio operator. Photo "Bradley: A History of American Fighting and Support Vehicles"
First of all, it turned out that the mobility of the chassis was insufficient. The M113 armored personnel carrier with the new equipment could not move in the same formation and fully work in the same battle formations with M1 tanks, M2 infantry fighting vehicles and M109 artillery self-propelled guns. The scouts could lag behind other units, which worsened the interaction of the combat arms. In addition, the M981 had limited stability on slopes due to the presence of a heavy housing with equipment on the roof.
Anti-bullet-anti-fragmentation booking limited the survivability of the reconnaissance point on the battlefield. He also lacked his own weapons for self-defense. In light of the specifics of the work, this looked like a serious problem.
Preparing for reconnaissance proved to be overly difficult. The M981 machine was supposed to take a working position and only then lift the equipment block. The spinning of the gyroscopes and the topographic location took about 10 minutes - during this time the crew could not carry out reconnaissance and adjust the fire. In case of equipment failure, the observer operator had to have the skills to independently determine the coordinates of targets. At the same time, the work of the reconnaissance point was slowed down in a known manner.
M981 FIST-V machine in operation. Photo "Bradley: A History of American Fighting and Support Vehicles"
In 1991, the production M981 FIST-V took part in a real combat operation for the first and last time. Mobile reconnaissance posts were used during Operation Desert Storm to search for enemy targets and direct artillery fire. In general, the results of the combat work of such equipment were satisfactory, but the existing limitations made themselves felt and interfered with the calculations.
In peacetime and in wartime, M981 points did not perform well. In this regard, by the mid-nineties, the question of replacing such equipment with more advanced models has matured. However, the possibility of modernizing machines in order to improve their characteristics was not ruled out. Soon, several proposals of this kind appeared, affecting all the main components.
The modernization project involved strengthening the armor of the M113 chassis. An auxiliary power unit was proposed to supply power to the instruments without using the main engine. It was necessary to improve the design of the slewing and lifting device, automating and speeding up the preparation for work. The lens of the night observation device was equipped with a protective cover, as well as a filter to protect against laser radiation. At the same time, a radical restructuring of the G / VLLD complex was not proposed.
Armored vehicles in the museum, rear view. In the foreground is the reconnaissance point M981, behind it is the M901 ATGM. Photo Wikimedia Commons
The discussion of the modernization of the M981 machines lasted several years and led to some results. The equipment received new power units and modern satellite navigation systems. More serious processing was not provided.
By the mid-nineties, projects of completely new reconnaissance posts appeared, devoid of the shortcomings of FIST-V. New samples were put into series and adopted, and the M981 was written off. The latter was replaced by the tracked M7 Bradley Fire Support Vehicle and the wheeled M1131 Fire Support Vehicle. These models combine more successful chassis and modern effective reconnaissance means.
All available M981 FIST-Vs were decommissioned. The overwhelming majority of such equipment went for cutting. Several cars have been preserved, now they are exhibits of several American museums. For example, the Texas Military Forces Museum (Austin) has its own copy of such equipment. In an open area, the M981 reconnaissance post is shown next to the M901 self-propelled ATGM. Thanks to this neighborhood, it is possible to assess the similarities and differences between two samples for different purposes.
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The M981 FIST-V mobile artillery reconnaissance posts have left a controversial mark on the history of the US Army. This development was based on interesting and promising solutions, as well as available components, but the result of the work was not very successful. The serial equipment had a lot of problems and was not very convenient, and its modernization did not make sense. Therefore, the FIST-V was removed from service, replacing it with more advanced models based on modern components.
