M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle
Encyclopedia
The M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle is a military engineering vehicle based on an M60A1 Patton
main battle tank
chassis with a hydraulically
operated dozer blade mounted on the front effectively functioning as an armored bulldozer
, plus an A-frame crane boom
hinged on either side of the turret
and a winch
.
tank, the armament was changed from using the 105mm M68
rifled tank gun used on the standard M60/A1/A3, to a 165mm M135
short-barrelled demolition gun with 30 rounds of HEP (High Explosive, Plastic)
ammunition. The M135 is a license-built copy of the 165 mm L9A1
gun that was used on the British Army
's FV4003 Centurion Mk.5 AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers
) tank. Depending on the usage, the gun can be depressed and elevated against targets up to an effective range of 925 metres (1,011.6 yd).
The gun's primary purpose is for clearing defensive fixtures and obstacles such as walls, fences, roadblocks, bunkers, or for destroying buildings and is generally not meant to be for use in anti-personnel
or anti-tank warfare
. Also, it is armed with a coaxial 7.62×51mm NATO
M73 machine gun
, with 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, as well as a 12.7x99mm NATO
M85 machine gun
mounted on the commander's cupola, with 600 rounds of ammunition. As an alternative to the mounted dozerblade, the vehicle can also be equipped with a mine clearing rake
for the clearing of land mine
s. In total, 291 M728 CEVs was produced.
and also in the Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm phase during the 1991 Gulf War
.
During Operation Desert Storm, the M728 CEV proved unable to keep pace due to the inability of the M60 chassis and power train to keep up with the M1A1 Abrams
in the armoured formations and spearheads. Many manoeuvre units simply left the M728 CEV behind rather than let it slow their advance. Such was also the case with the mine rake
-equipped M728 CEVs. As originally anticipated, the commanders in the field planned for their use as a part of the sand bern breaching operation but decided to leave them behind once they began the pursuit and exploitation phase of the operation. In the post-war assessment, many armoured unit commanders were unanimous in their opinion that the engineers needed an M1 Abrams based chassis for heavy breaching and gap crossing equipment to keep pace with the Abrams. As a result of this, the M728 is no longer used by active duty units from 2000 onwards although it still is in use by the Army National Guard and Reserve. In addtion, it is also still in service with Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
Also, some M728 were acquired for use by the United States Department of Justice
's FBI
and ATF
SWAT teams to conduct potentially dangerous operations. In the 1993 Siege of Waco, Texas
with which it became closely associated as it was caught in dramatic fashion on video tape.
. - 3 in service with Portuguese Army
. - 15 in service with Saudi Arabian Army
. - 8 in service with the Singapore Army
. - of the 291 produced, 262 are relegated to US Army Reserve, Army National Guard
, FBI
and ATF
SWAT teams.
M60 Patton
The 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...
main battle tank
Main battle tank
A main battle tank , also known as a battle tank or universal tank, is a tank that fills the heavy direct fire role of many modern armies. They were originally conceived to replace the light, medium, heavy and super-heavy tanks. Development was spurred onwards in the Cold War with the development...
chassis with a hydraulically
Hydraulics
Hydraulics is a topic in applied science and engineering dealing with the mechanical properties of liquids. Fluid mechanics provides the theoretical foundation for hydraulics, which focuses on the engineering uses of fluid properties. In fluid power, hydraulics is used for the generation, control,...
operated dozer blade mounted on the front effectively functioning as an armored bulldozer
Armored bulldozer
The armored bulldozer is a basic tool of combat engineering. These combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armor which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by addition of vehicle armor/military...
, plus an A-frame crane boom
Crane (machine)
A crane is a type of machine, generally equipped with a hoist, wire ropes or chains, and sheaves, that can be used both to lift and lower materials and to move them horizontally. It uses one or more simple machines to create mechanical advantage and thus move loads beyond the normal capability of...
hinged on either side of the turret
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
and a winch
Winch
A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank. In larger forms, winches stand at the heart of machines as diverse as tow trucks, steam shovels and...
.
Design
Based on the chassis of the M60 PattonM60 Patton
The 105 mm Gun Full Tracked Combat Tank, M60, also known unofficially as the M60 Patton, is a first-generation main battle tank introduced in December 1960. It was widely used by the U.S. and its Cold War allies, especially those in NATO, and remains in service throughout the world today...
tank, the armament was changed from using the 105mm M68
Royal Ordnance L7
The Royal Ordnance L7 is the basic model of Britain's most successful tank gun. The L7 was a 105 mm L/52 rifled design intended for use in armoured fighting vehicles...
rifled tank gun used on the standard M60/A1/A3, to a 165mm M135
Royal Ordnance L9
The British 165mm Demolition gun, officially known as the Royal Ordnance L9 The BL 165 mm was capable of firing a 64 lb High Explosive Squash Head demolition projectile over distances up to 2,400 metres...
short-barrelled demolition gun with 30 rounds of HEP (High Explosive, Plastic)
High explosive squash head
High explosive squash head is a type of explosive ammunition that is effective against buildings and is also used against tank armour. It was fielded chiefly by the British Army as the main explosive round of its main battle tanks during the Cold War...
ammunition. The M135 is a license-built copy of the 165 mm L9A1
Royal Ordnance L9
The British 165mm Demolition gun, officially known as the Royal Ordnance L9 The BL 165 mm was capable of firing a 64 lb High Explosive Squash Head demolition projectile over distances up to 2,400 metres...
gun that was used on the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's FV4003 Centurion Mk.5 AVRE (Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers is the title given to a series of armoured vehicles operated by the Royal Engineers for the purpose of battlefield engineer support. These vehicles have been either purpose-built or post-production modifications of existing tank-based armoured vehicles...
) tank. Depending on the usage, the gun can be depressed and elevated against targets up to an effective range of 925 metres (1,011.6 yd).
The gun's primary purpose is for clearing defensive fixtures and obstacles such as walls, fences, roadblocks, bunkers, or for destroying buildings and is generally not meant to be for use in anti-personnel
Anti-personnel weapon
An anti-personnel weapon is one primarily used to incapacitate people, as opposed to attacking structures or vehicles.The development of defensive fortification and combat vehicles gave rise to weapons designed specifically to attack them, and thus a need to distinguish between those systems and...
or anti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare
Anti-tank warfare was created by the need to seek technology and tactics to destroy tanks and their supporting infantry during the First World War...
. Also, it is armed with a coaxial 7.62×51mm NATO
7.62×51mm NATO
The 7.62×51mm NATO is a rifle cartridge developed in the 1950s as a standard for small arms among NATO countries...
M73 machine gun
M73 machine gun
The M73 and M219 were 7.62 mm NATO caliber machine guns designed for tank use. It was used on the M48 Patton and M60 Patton MBT series , and on the M551 Sheridan Armored Reconnaissance / Airborne Assault Vehicle .-Design and development:Designed primarily as a coaxial machine gun by the Rock Island...
, with 2,000 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, as well as a 12.7x99mm NATO
.50 BMG
The .50 Browning Machine Gun or 12.7×99mm NATO is a cartridge developed for the Browning .50 caliber machine gun in the late 1910s. Entering service officially in 1921, the round is based on a greatly scaled-up .30-06 cartridge...
M85 machine gun
M85 machine gun
The M85 is a heavy machine gun that was used primarily weapon for turreted applications in armored fighting vehicles. Designed for anti-aircraft and anti-personnel use, the weapon was found to be extremely complicated...
mounted on the commander's cupola, with 600 rounds of ammunition. As an alternative to the mounted dozerblade, the vehicle can also be equipped with a mine clearing rake
Mine plow
A mine plow is a tank-mounted device designed to clear a lane through a minefield, allowing other vehicles to follow. Buried land mines are plowed up and pushed outside the tank's track path or tipped over...
for the clearing of land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
s. In total, 291 M728 CEVs was produced.
Deployment
It was first deployed in 1965 during the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and also in the Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm phase during the 1991 Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
During Operation Desert Storm, the M728 CEV proved unable to keep pace due to the inability of the M60 chassis and power train to keep up with the M1A1 Abrams
M1 Abrams
The M1 Abrams is a third-generation main battle tank produced in the United States. It is named after General Creighton Abrams, former Army Chief of Staff and Commander of US military forces in Vietnam from 1968 to 1972. The M1 is a well armed, heavily armored, and highly mobile tank designed for...
in the armoured formations and spearheads. Many manoeuvre units simply left the M728 CEV behind rather than let it slow their advance. Such was also the case with the mine rake
Mine plow
A mine plow is a tank-mounted device designed to clear a lane through a minefield, allowing other vehicles to follow. Buried land mines are plowed up and pushed outside the tank's track path or tipped over...
-equipped M728 CEVs. As originally anticipated, the commanders in the field planned for their use as a part of the sand bern breaching operation but decided to leave them behind once they began the pursuit and exploitation phase of the operation. In the post-war assessment, many armoured unit commanders were unanimous in their opinion that the engineers needed an M1 Abrams based chassis for heavy breaching and gap crossing equipment to keep pace with the Abrams. As a result of this, the M728 is no longer used by active duty units from 2000 onwards although it still is in use by the Army National Guard and Reserve. In addtion, it is also still in service with Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
Also, some M728 were acquired for use by the United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice , is the United States federal executive department responsible for the enforcement of the law and administration of justice, equivalent to the justice or interior ministries of other countries.The Department is led by the Attorney General, who is nominated...
's FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
SWAT teams to conduct potentially dangerous operations. In the 1993 Siege of Waco, Texas
Waco Siege
The Waco siege began on February 28, 1993, and ended violently 50 days later on April 19. The siege began when the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms attempted to execute a search warrant at the Branch Davidian ranch at Mount Carmel, a property located east-northeast of Waco,...
with which it became closely associated as it was caught in dramatic fashion on video tape.
Variants
- M728 - based on the baseline M60 MBTs chassis
- M728A1 - upgraded version based on the M60A1 MBTs chassis
Operators
- 3 in service with Royal Army of OmanRoyal Army of Oman
The Royal Army of Oman protects the sovereignty of Oman. In terms of matériel, the Army is small but well equipped to the extent that external aggression is now realistically deterred.-Field organization:*One divisional HQ...
. - 3 in service with Portuguese Army
Portuguese Army
The Portuguese Army is the ground branch of the Portuguese Armed Forces which, in co-operation with other branches of the Portuguese military, is charged with the defence of Portugal...
. - 15 in service with Saudi Arabian Army
Saudi Arabian Army
The Saudi Arabian Army , also called Royal Saudi Land Force . Is a branch of the Saudi Armed Forces. The total number of active troops is estimated to be 233,500The current Chief of the Saudi General Staff is Field Marshal Saleh Al-Muhaya....
. - 8 in service with the Singapore Army
Singapore Army
The Singapore Army is the branch of the Singapore Armed Forces responsible for land operations. It is the largest of the three armed services and heavily reliant on a conscript army, comprising the majority of Singapore's Operationally Ready National Servicemen .-Capabilities:The mission of the...
. - of the 291 produced, 262 are relegated to US Army Reserve, Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
, FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
and ATF
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is a federal law enforcement organization within the United States Department of Justice...
SWAT teams.