The Colombian Military has obtained new batch of 20 Textron M1117 GUARDIAN 4×4 armoured autos, donated by the USA. This marks the primary batch of a complete of 145 GUARDIANs to have been declared as US Military surplus and earmarked for Colombia. In August 2013, Textron was awarded a $31.6 million contract for 28 Commando APCs with distant turrets. Deliveries have been scheduled to start in November 2013 and be accomplished by April 2014. On 4 April 2016, america Division of Defence made public that Colombia acquired 54 new M1117 APCs. The Colombian Military makes use of the M1117 GUARDIAN Armored Safety Autos within the protected transport function in inside safety missions towards terrorist teams.
The car is a purpose-built Twenty first-century model of Cadillac Gage’s V-100 Commando household of Armored combating autos which was utilized by the U.S. Military Army Police in the course of the Vietnam Struggle. The M1117 Guardian, additionally denoted Armored Safety Automobile (ASV) options an automatic turret mounting a 12.7mm machinegun and a 40mm grenade launcher. At about 15 tons, the M1117 is lighter than the 20 ton Stryker ICV or 25 ton M2 Bradley armored car. It may attain a pace of 20 miles per hour in 7 seconds. It is just 2.375 meters vast, in comparison with 3.594 meters for a Bradley. Buttoned up, the crew has 360° visibility. In measurement and functionality, it suits between the Humvee and the $5 million Stryker. The crew compartment is totally air-conditioned.
Commercial
The GUARDIAN makes use of a complicated modular expandable armor package deal from IBD Deisenroth Engineering, consisting of ceramic composite applique on the outside and spall liner on the inside. The Guardian’s armor is designed to defeat small arms fireplace, mines and Improvised Explosive Gadgets (IEDs). The armor is angled presenting no vertical surfaces, deflecting many rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) hits. If an RPG does hit the car straight, it could nonetheless perform, though crew survivability varies relying on the situation at which the RPG hits. Angled armor is extra proof against assault than vertical armor because of the form of the V-shape hulls deflecting explosive forces, versus a single-plane hull which takes all the power affect.
The everyday mission profile of an ASV entails 50% journey main roads, 30% journey on secondary roads, and 20% cross-country journey. It makes use of a mannequin MD3560 Allison Transmission. Entrance and rear impartial suspension supplies clean freeway speeds of as much as 70 mph (110 km/h), whereas it’s able to fording 5-foot (1.5 m) depths of water, climbing gradients of 60%, negotiating 30% facet slope, and overcoming obstacles of 5 ft. Its turning radius is 27.5-foot (8.4 m), and it has 18-inch (46 cm) floor clearance. Six GUARDIANs will be carried on a single Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlift plane, totally loaded and able to roll off. Additionally, the Sikorsky CH-53E Tremendous Stallion helicopter is ready to carry one ASV.
