Military

M114 Command and Reconnaissance Carrier

The M114 is a lightweight, low-silhouette vehicle, designed for command and reconnaissance missions. The vehicle is capable of operation with a fully rated load over unimproved roads, trails, hilly country, loose snow. soft marsh, rock strewn areas, and inland waterways under all seasonal conditions in arctic, temperate and tropical zones. Movement of the tracks propels and steers the vehicle on both land and water.

The low net weight of the vehicle enables it to be transported by cargo aircraft and dropped by parachute. The commander's hatch rotates 360 degrees with it's .50 caliber machine gun and mount. It is constructed of aluminum, weigs 13,100 lbs., uses a gasoline Chevrolet V-8 engine and transmission, and was manufactured by the Cadillac Division of General Motors in the early 1960's. It had a three man crew, and a top speed of 35 mph.

Introduced in the early 1960s, the M114 Command and Reconnaissance Carrier saw extensive service with armored cavalry units during the war in Vietnam.

The M114 series carriers were developed to provide an armored, amphibious vehicle to perform command and reconnaissance missions. Produced in 1962, the original vehicles were armed with a 7.62mm machine gun and a .50 cal machine gun. In 1963, the vehicle was upgraded to allow the .50 cal machine gun to be fired from inside the vehicle. The M114A1 displayed poor cross-country mobility compared with other tracked vehicles and was gradually phased out of service. Its armored reconnissance role today is filled by the M3 Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle.