From: Dave J (sd0044@gwtc.net)
Date: Thu May 26 2005 - 13:39:30 PDT
But a rather long ways to go get them......................................
>From "News of the Force" Thursday, May 26, 2005
http://hometown.aol.com/newsoftheforce/myhomepage/military.html
New Zealand Army aims to sell aging fleet of 'battlefield taxis'
The New Zealand Army is putting its old fleet of M113 armored personnel
carriers on the market.
It has begun advertising internationally for expressions of interest in
the Vietnam War-era "battlefield taxis," designed to carry foot soldiers
through hostile territory.
Army spokeswoman Denise Mackay said 65 carriers, spare parts and add-on
armor were being offered for sale. The army hopes to sell them in one job
lot.
The M113s were bought in 1969, during the Vietnam War, and used
operationally on peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and East Timor. They were
taken out of service in December when the army began commissioning its fleet
of 105 LAV3 light armored vehicles.
Major Mackay said she had no idea what the M113s were worth. However,
five years ago a fleet of 20 Scorpion light tanks and spares had been sold
to a British company for about $420,000.
The process of selling old military equipment was far from
straightforward. Buyers had to be vetted and approved by the New Zealand and
United States governments -- the M113s were made in the U.S. -- which would
want to be sure they did not get into the wrong hands, she said.
In the mid-1990s the army looked at upgrading the M113s, fitting them
with more powerful engines, better suspension and cannon-mounted turrets.
When they were used in Bosnia -- where they were weighed down with bolt-on
extra belly and side armor -- they could not travel fast enough to be used
as aid convoy escort vehicles.
The Bosnian experience had influenced the decision to replace the army's
full fleet of tracked vehicles -= the Scorpions and M113s =- with the
eight-wheel-drive LAVs, which are faster, quieter, have more firepower and
offer better protection and comfort for the troops.
Dave J
New Underwood, SD
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