The Fiat CM6614 is a 4x4 wheeled armoured personnel carrier developed as a joint venture between
Fiat and
Oto Melara of Italy. The hull is welded steel, and the vehicle is amphibious.
The first prototype was built in 1972.
Description
The CM6614 hull is made of welded steel with a uniform thickness of 8 mm; the driver's seat is on the front of the vehicle on the left and is equipped with episcopes that allow observation of the vehicle in front and to the sides. The engine with the transmission is located in the front right side of the vehicle in order to leave as much space as possible to the team of soldiers transported in the rear, equipped with a hatch for the rapid disembarkation / embarkation of men. The Blindo could be armed with a simple turret (which can be folded down to facilitate strategic transport) manually operated (the same as the VCC-1 Camillino) equipped with a 12.7 mm heavy machine gun. There is also has a hatch in the middle of the vehicle and there are side slits and rear equipped with fume extractor from the fighting compartment, that allow the safe use of personal armament by the transported personnel. On each side of the turret there is finally an installation for three electrically operated fog-type grenade launchers.
The vehicle is equipped with
run-flat tire
A run-flat tire/tyre is a pneumatic vehicle tire that is designed to resist the effects of deflation when punctured, and to allow the vehicle to continue to be driven at reduced speeds - under – and for limited distances – usually , depending ...
s, in which the internal material is made of piano strings. The vehicle also has an amphibious feature. The thrust in the water is provided by the movement created by the wheels, while buoyancy is achieved thanks to the shape of the vehicle. However, the vehicle is not fully waterproof; the sensor detects the water level, and automatically activates pumps to extract water from the vehicle.
The Fiat CM6614 can be very useful in rescue missions and emergencies such as natural disasters, and for this reason it is still in service in the mobile police of the State Police.
However, Italian-produced CM6614 in 1976 to 1977 showed major flaws in its armor steel during trials in South Korea. When a projectile impacts armor, the entire armor plate cracks like glass rather than creating a single hole. In addition, brand new vehicles also suffered cracks on the armor plate at high temperatures, cutting the vehicle into pieces without any human interference.
Exports
South Korea
In the 1970s, South Korea came in need of wheeled armored vehicles to protect major cities and airfields against North Korean special forces by providing quick placement of defending troops. In 1976, South Korea received a sample of
Thyssen Henschel UR-416
The Thyssen Henschel UR-416 is a German armoured personnel carrier, first introduced in 1969 and based on the body of the Mercedes-Benz Unimog light truck.
Development
In 1965 an armoured car version was designed based on a Unimog 4×4 truck cha ...
from
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
and a CM6614 from Italy. Korea originally selected UR-416 for license production; however, due to political tension between South Korea and the United States, the U.S. blocked
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
members from selling such armored vehicles to South Korea. After hearing a refusal from West Germany, South Korea turned its eye to Italian company Fiat, which was very eager to sell the CM6614, and signed a contract behind the curtain for a license under the designation KM900.
To avoid the restriction from NATO, Italy and South Korea smuggled CM6614 by shipping by parts to third countries, then rerouted to
Busan
Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...
for transferring to
Asia Motors
Asia Motors Industries, traded as Asia Motors ( ko, 아시아자동차, ), was a South Korean car manufacturer established in 1965 and closed in 1999. From 1976 onwards, it was a subsidiary of Kia Motors.
History
In 1962, as one of the measu ...
(now
Kia
Kia Corporation, commonly known as Kia (, ; formerly known as Kyungsung Precision Industry and Kia Motors Corporation), is a South Korean multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea. It is South Korea's second lar ...
) for assembly. During the trial, South Korea found major flaws in Italian armor steel, thus requested transfer of armor steel and run-flat tire technology in order to fix the problem and strengthen logistics by producing locally. The transferred technologies were sent to Korean steel & tire manufacturing companies and research groups, and became the basis for future Korean-made armor steel that is used in current MBTs, SPHs, IFVs, and even by the navy's destroyers.
KM900/KM901s were put in service since 1977, and were mainly used by the
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...
Capital Defense Command, and airfield securities of the
Republic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...
.
The ROKAF began replacing KM900/KM901 with K200A1 APCs since 1997. The ROKA also retired all vehicles from active service in 2016, and will replace the inventory with newly developed K806/K808 APCs.
Variants
CM6616
The CM6616 was a version of the CM6614 that incorporated a turret armed with a 20mm autocannon. The turret was designed, built, and installed by
OTO Melara.
KM900/KM901
The KM900 was license produced version of the CM6614 by
Asia Motors
Asia Motors Industries, traded as Asia Motors ( ko, 아시아자동차, ), was a South Korean car manufacturer established in 1965 and closed in 1999. From 1976 onwards, it was a subsidiary of Kia Motors.
History
In 1962, as one of the measu ...
for use by the
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...
and the
Republic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...
. The KM901 is a KM900 with a dozer blade on the front.
Operators
Current operators
CM6614
*
**
Polizia di Stato
The ''Polizia di Stato'' (State Police or P.S.) is one of the national police forces of Italy.
Alongside the Carabinieri, it is the main police force for providing police duties, primarily to cities and large towns, and with its child agencie ...
* - 25
**State Police - 50
* - 200
*
**
Peruvian Army
The Peruvian Army ( es, Ejército del Perú, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missi ...
- 15
* - 270
*
* - 150
* - 24
CM6616
* - 100
*
**
Peruvian Army
The Peruvian Army ( es, Ejército del Perú, abbreviated EP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with safeguarding the independence, sovereignty and integrity of national territory on land through military force. Additional missi ...
- 70
Former operators
CM6614
*
**
Italian Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = (Ordinance March of the Air Force) by Alberto Di Miniello
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 28 March ...
- 110
**
Italian Army
"The safeguard of the republic shall be the supreme law"
, colors =
, colors_labels =
, march = ''Parata d'Eroi'' ("Heroes's parade") by Francesco Pellegrino, ''4 Maggio'' (May 4) ...
- 14
* - 400
**
Republic of Korea Army
The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國 陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...
**
Republic of Korea Air Force
The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...
CM6616
* (all out of service)
**
Carabinieri
The Carabinieri (, also , ; formally ''Arma dei Carabinieri'', "Arm of Carabineers"; previously ''Corpo dei Carabinieri Reali'', "Royal Carabineers Corps") are the national gendarmerie of Italy who primarily carry out domestic and foreign polic ...
- 52
* - 30
Note: Numbers reflect total orders/production for each country. Current holdings may be different.
References
External links
KM900 on Military-Today
{{Modern IFV and APC
Armoured fighting vehicles of Italy
Wheeled armoured fighting vehicles
Wheeled armoured personnel carriers
Amphibious armoured personnel carriers
Armoured personnel carriers of South Korea
Military vehicles introduced in the 1970s