XM800 armored reconnaissance scout vehicle

The U.S. Army issued a request for proposals for the armored reconnaissance scout vehicle as a replacement for the M114 in October 1971.

[1] Both models initially featured the same turret with the US-built version of the Hispano-Suiza HS.820 20 mm autocannon, the M139, as the primary weapon, as well as an M60-derived machine gun on a pintle mount.

[3] The XM800W was later equipped with a new turret design that kept the M139 cannon, but that had an upper cover that flipped forward to form a gun shield, or rearward to close up.

They were compared with vehicles including the M113A1 armored personnel carrier (utilized as a baseline), M113A1 AIFV, Canadian Lynx, PI M113A1 1/2 featuring a turbocharged engine and tube-over-bar suspension, British Scimitar reconnaissance vehicle, modified M551 Sheridan, XR-311 dune buggy, and V-150 armored car.

Nevertheless, its limited cross-country mobility, along with issues of lateral instability and directional control, made it inferior overall compared to the M113A1.