Cadillac Gage Commando

Cadillac Gage Commando
A Philippine National Police Special Action Force V-150 Armored Vehicle
Type	Armored car Armored personnel carrier Internal security vehicle[1]
Place of origin	United States
Service history
Used by	See Operators
Wars	List of Conflicts Vietnam War Cambodian Civil War Lebanese Civil War Guatemalan Civil War Laotian Civil War Communist insurgency in Sarawak Communist insurgency in Malaysia (1968–89) Indonesian occupation of East Timor Chadian–Libyan conflict Second Sudanese Civil War Somali Rebellion 1989 Philippine coup d'état attempt Gulf War 2003–2004 Indonesian offensive in Aceh[2] South Thailand insurgency Zamboanga City crisis Battle of Marawi
Production history
Designed	June 1962[3][4]
Manufacturer	Cadillac Gage[5]
Produced	1963–2000
No. built	3,200[5]
Variants	See Variants
Specifications
Mass	7.37 tonnes (8.12 short tons; 7.25 long tons) (V-100)[3] 9.8 tonnes (10.8 short tons; 9.6 long tons) (V-150)[6] 12.73 tonnes (14.03 short tons; 12.53 long tons) (V-200)[3]
Length	5.69 m (18 ft 8 in) (V-100/V-150)[5] 6.12 m (20 ft 1 in) (V-200)[3]
Width	2.26 m (7 ft 5 in) (V-100/V-150)[5] 2.43 m (8 ft 0 in) (V-200)[3]
Height	2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) (V-100/V-200)[3] 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) (V-150)[3]
Crew	3 (commander, gunner, driver) + 9 passengers[6]
Main armament	1x Cockerill Mk3 90 mm cannon 1x 20 mm autocannon 1x 7.62 mm machine gun
Secondary armament	2x 6x 40 mm smoke grenade launchers
Engine	Chrysler 361 eight-cylinder petrol[4] 210 hp (156 kW) at 4,000 rpm[4]
Power/weight	20.42 hp/tonne (15.22 kW/tonne)[5]
Ground clearance	0.38m (V-100/V-150)[6] 0.43 (V-200)[3]
Fuel capacity	303 liters (V-100/V-150)[6] 379 liters (V-200)[3]
Operational range	644 km[5][6]
Maximum speed	100 km/h (62 mph)[6]

The Cadillac Gage Commando, frequently denoted as the M706 in U.S. military service,^[7] is an American armored car designed to be amphibious.^[6] It was engineered by Cadillac Gage specifically for the United States Military Police Corps during the Vietnam War as an armed convoy escort vehicle.^[7] The Commando was one of the first vehicles to combine the traditionally separate roles of an armored personnel carrier and a conventional armored car, much like the Soviet BTR-40.^[8] Its notable height, amphibious capability, and waterproofed engine allowed American crews to fight effectively in the jungles of Vietnam by observing their opponents over thick vegetation and fording the country's deep rivers.^[7]

The Commando was eventually produced in three distinct marks: the V-100, V-150, and V-200, all of which were modified for a number of diverse battlefield roles.^[3] An unlicensed copy of the Commando series, the Bravia Chaimite, was also manufactured in Portugal.^[3] After the U.S. military's disengagement from South Vietnam, the Commando series was gradually retired from active U.S. service.^[7] It was superseded in the Military Police Corps by the derivative M1117 Armored Security Vehicle during the 1990s.^[5][9]