Light Armored Car M706^1-11

The Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 4x4 armored car entered production as a private venture in January 1964. Standardized as M706 in US Army service, the vehicle's armor provided protection against .30cal ball ammunition. Applique armor that provided protection over key areas against .30cal AP and .50cal ball could be added, with a weight penalty of 500lb (230kg). The runflat tires could be driven flat for 35 miles (56km) and for 60 miles (97km) at 5psi. The vehicle was able to float without special preparation, and water propulsion was provided by the wheels. A 10,000lb (4,500kg) Braden hydraulic winch was installed at the vehicle's front and was run off of a power takeoff from the transmission. The winch cable was 125' (38.1m) long and .4375" (1.111cm) thick, with a capacity of 17,800lb (7,070kg). A 2-piece door with a vision block and firing port was provided on each side of the vehicle, and there were two additional vision blocks and firing ports in front of each door (reduced to one with vehicle serial number 596) and a single vision block and firing port behind the door on the vehicle's right side. The top of the side doors opened to the rear, and the bottom swung down. A rear door was offset to the vehicle's extreme right and was also equipped with a vision block and firing port. A further vision block and firing port was provided to the side of each driver and a firing port was placed between the drivers' front vision blocks. The turret could be armed with two .30cal MGs or a .30cal and a .50cal MG, and the guns were offset to the turret's right side. The base of the turret was ringed with eight vision blocks, and the gunner was provided with an M28C periscope sight, which could also be found in tank machine gun cupolas. The turret hatch could be locked open at 15°, 90°, or 135°. From vehicle serial number 75, round wheel cutouts were used instead of the earlier angled cutouts due to hull cracks forming at the corners. Other changes during production included an engine and battery access hatch on the hull's left rear side, added simultaneously as the change in wheel cutout design; an elevated anti-Molotov cocktail housing installed over the engine air intake grille starting with vehicle 457; sprung roof hatches with raised center sections instead of their earlier flat contour used from vehicle serial number 509; two vision blocks for the driver that angled out to his front; and an exhaust extension on the rear left corner to prevent water ingestion. The US Air Force operated a version designated XM706E2, which replaced the turret with an armored parapet with bi-folding roof doors, folding machine gun pintle mounts on the sides, and fixed machine gun pintle mounts on the front and rear. The XM706E2 was 85.75" (217.8cm) tall over the parapet, and five machine gun mounts were placed around the parapet (two to the front, and one on each other face). Versions produced for foreign users included command vehicles and an 81mm mortar version of the XM706E2.

A larger version of the V-100, called V-200, was developed in 1967-8 and a small number, including 20mm and 90mm gun vehicles, 81mm mortar vehicles, and recovery vehicles, was sold to Singapore starting the next year. The V-200 was powered by a 275hp Chrysler 440 engine coupled to a 5-speed manual transmission, and a fuel supply of 100gal (380L) yielding a road range of 300 miles (480km). A 15,000lb (6,800kg) winch was installed in the front. The personnel carrier could haul 12 men, weighed 20,500lb (9,300kg) without ammunition, and stowed 5,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition for its machine gun. It was 241" (612cm) long, 96" (240cm) wide, 78" (200cm) tall to the hull top; had a 128.5" (326.4cm) wheelbase, 80.25" (203.8cm) front track, and 81.75" (207.6cm) rear track; 17" (43cm) minimum ground clearance; and an 18psi (1.3kg/cm²) ground pressure. It could reach 60mph (100kph) on roads, could climb a 60% grade and handle a 30% sideslope, had a 32' (9.8m) turning radius, and could climb a 24" (61cm) vertical obstacle. It could reach 3.3mph (5.3kph) afloat. The 90mm gun vehicle could accommodate six men, weighed 24,800lb (11,200kg) without ammunition stowed, and stowed forty 90mm rounds and 5,000 rounds of 7.62mm for its coaxial and rooftop machine guns. The 20mm gun car could carry 11 men, weighed 24,500lb (11,100kg) without ammunition stowed, and carried 525 rounds of 20mm and 5,000 rounds of 7.62mm for its coaxial and rooftop machine guns. The 81mm mortar version had a 5-man crew, stowed ninety-six 81mm mortar bombs and 2,500 7.62mm machine gun rounds, and weighed 23,000lb (10,400kg) without ammunition. The recovery vehicle could carry eight men, stowed 500 rounds of 7.62mm machine gun ammunition, and was equipped with a front-mounted A-frame boom and a 25,000lb (11,300kg) hydraulic winch. The recovery vehicle weighed 24,000lb (10,900kg) without ammunition.

An improved V-100, named V-150, was introduced in 1971. Intended to replace the V-100 and V-200, the V-150 featured stronger 5-ton axles like the V-200, and its payload increased to 5,000lb (2,300kg) from the V-100's 3,000lb (1,400kg). The V-150 weighed 21,800lb (9,890kg), and was 224" (569cm) long, 89" (230cm) wide, and 76" (190cm) tall to the hull top or 100" (250cm) over the turret. Its wheelbase was 105" (267cm), with both front and rear track of 76" (190cm). It had 15" (38cm) of minimum ground clearance. It could reach 55mph (89kph) on land and 3.1mph (5.0kph) in the water, and had a road range of 500 miles (800km) with its 100gal (380L) of fuel. Sixty percent grades and 30% sideslopes could be tackled. Cadillac Gage also offered different engines, including a 155hp diesel V6 or a 202hp Cummins diesel V8 mated to a four-speed automatic Allison transmission. A roof hatch was installed on the right rear corner, and the driver was provided with a second vision block to his front, while the front firing port was deleted. Various turrets and armament were offered, including turretless vehicles similar to the XM706E2 which could be used as command vehicles, APCs, or mortar carriers. 1985 saw the introduction of the V-150S, which was 18" (46cm) longer than the V-150, increasing the weight to 24,000lb (11,000kg) and the total payload capacity to 7,400lb (3,400kg). The lengthened hull allowed for an extended wheelbase, and the suspension was made more robust. The V-150S also featured a different transfer case with better hill performance, an hydraulically-boosted brake system, and better cooling. The V-150ST emerged in 1993 and was powered by the turbocharged Cummins V6 diesel found in the LAV-300. The V-150 series was later renamed to LAV-150 and was widely exported.

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References

1. Hunnicutt, R.P. Armored Car: A History of American Wheeled Combat Vehicles. Novato, CA: Presidio Press, 2002. Reprinted from Armored Car, R.P. Hunnicutt ©2002, available from Presidio Press, 505B San Martin Drive, Suite 160, Novato, CA 94945.
2. TM 9-2320-245-10 Operator's Manual for Car, Armored, Light: 4x4 (V-100 Commando) XM706, 2320-999-4370, M706 2320-168-2620 (Formerly XM706E1), XM706E2 , 2320-133-9646. Washington, DC: Headquarters, Department of the Army, 10 August 1972.
3. Commando: Combat Proved Multi Mission Armored Vehicle. Detroit: Cadillac Gage Co., 1967.
4. Lathrop, R., and J. McDonald. Cadillac Gage V-100 Commando 1960-71. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2002.
5. Crismon, Fred W. U.S. Military Wheeled Vehicles. Minneapolis: Victory Publishing, Ltd., 2001.
6. Haugh, David R. "XM-706/M-706/V-100 Commando Armored Car Series Index." WarWheels.net. Ed. Patrick Keenan. 28 Mar 2020 <http://warwheels.net/M706INDEX.html>.
7. ---. "LAV-150/V-150 AFV Series Index." WarWheels.net. Ed. Patrick Keenan. 28 Mar 2020 <http://warwheels.net/LAV150index.html>.
8. "LAV-150 Commando." GlobalSecurity.org. 7 Jul 2011. 28 Mar 2020 <https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/lav-150.htm>.
9. "LAV-150 Commando - Specifications." GlobalSecurity.org. 16 Jan 2013. 28 Mar 2020 <https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/lav-150-specs.htm>.
10. Foss, Christopher F. Commando, Twister and High Mobility Vehicles. Ed. Duncan Crow. Windsor, England: Profile Publications, Ltd., Nov 1973.
11. Hogg, Ian V. The Greenhill Armoured Fighting Vehicles Data Book. London: Greenhill Books, 2000.

Last updated 8 Dec 2023.
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