M1200 Armored Knight



The M1200 Armored Knight is an armored vehicle used by forward observers in the U.S. military for precision targeting. Most of the Knights were used for operations in Iraq. The M1200 entered service in 2008.

Design
These are wheeled armored vehicles, designed using the M1117 Guardian ASV as the base, that carry the equipment needed to quickly bring in precision guided munitions and indirect artillery fire. According to the Strategy Page website; "The M1200 contains a laser designator, a laser range finder and GPS, plus radios and computers that take target position data and transmit it to distant artillery units, or bombers overhead, and get the firepower on the target within minutes. Previously, all this gear was mounted on an unarmored hummer."

The Armored Knight evolved from the desire to provide enhanced protection to the fire support teams who perform the targeting mission in high threat environments.

Development
The Knight was developed in an effort to offer an armored vehicle capable of keeping up with COLTs (Combat Observation and Lasing Teams). The previous FiST-V (Fire Support Team-Vehicle) employed by the COLTs was the M707 Knight (a stripped-down variant of the Humvee).

Specifications

 * Standard Crew: Three
 * Combat Loaded Weight: Approximately 15 tons
 * Maximum Speed: 63 Mph
 * Cruising Range: 440 Miles
 * Targeting System: Fire Support Sensor System(FS3)
 * Target Location Accuracy: 1 Meter
 * Armament: 1 M240B or 1 M2 Browning

Components

 * FS3 Mounted Sensor
 * Targeting Station Control Panel
 * Mission Processor Unit
 * Inertial Navigation Unit
 * Global Positioning System Receiver
 * Power Distribution Unit
 * Stand Alone Computer Unit