NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has awarded a contract to Montalbetti S.p.A. for the demilitarization, dismantling and disposal (D3) of 500 M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APC). These were phased-out by the Italian Armed Forces and shall be disposed of by March 2021. The M113 D3 project will yield a profit for Italy: the sale of recovered aluminum, steel and other metals on the global scrap metal market has been estimated to generate a net revenue of approx. 4,000 EUR per vehicle. The project, executed by a very experienced and highly professional team at NSPA, is therefore a great examples of how a system’s end of life can have positive results both environmentally and economically.
The process is in compliance with the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) treaty. This will require, inter alia, the irreversible deformation or cutting of critical components to avoid their reuse. In addition, all activities have to comply with applicable rules and regulations to ensure the protection of the workers and the environment. The dedicated Demilitarization, Dismantling and Disposal Support Partnership (D3 SP) forms the legal basis for nations to engage with NSPA and to make best use of existing industrial capabilities and contracting experience in this sensitive domain.
The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the Food Machinery Corp (FMC). The M113 was the first aluminum hull combat vehicle to be put into mass production. Much lighter than earlier similar vehicles, its aluminum armor was designed to be thick enough to protect the crew and passengers against small arms fire, but light enough that the vehicle was air transportable and moderately amphibious. To date, it is estimated that over 80,000 M113s of all types have been produced and used by over 50 countries worldwide, making it one of the most widely used armored fighting vehicles of all time.
