Notable armoured fighting vehicles extending from post-World War I to today.
Tank The
tank is an all terrain AFV incorporating artillery which is designed to fill almost all battlefield roles and to engage enemy forces by the use of
direct fire in the frontal assault role. Though several configurations have been tried, particularly in the early experimental "golden days" of tank development, a standard, mature design configuration has since emerged to a generally accepted pattern. This features a main
tank gun or
artillery gun, mounted in a fully rotating
turret atop a tracked automotive hull, with various additional secondary weapon systems throughout. Philosophically, the tank is, by its very nature, an offensive weapon. Being a protective encasement with at least one gun position, it is essentially a
pillbox or small
fortress (though these are static fortifications of a purely defensive nature) that can move toward the enemy – hence its offensive utility. Psychologically, the tank is a
force multiplier that has a positive morale effect on the infantry it accompanies. It also instills fear in the opposing force who can often hear and even feel their arrival.
Tank classifications Tanks were classified either by size or by role. File:Ripsaw M5.webp|alt=Ripsaw Ground Combat Vehicle|
Ripsaw M5 unmanned light tank File:PanzerIISaumur.jpg|A WWII
German Panzer II light tank File:T-34-76 RB8.JPG|Soviet-made Polish
T-34 medium tank Model 1942 in
Poznań, Poland. The model 1942's hexagonal turret distinguishes it from earlier models. File:T29 Heavy Tank.png|
American T29 Heavy Tank Classification by relative size was common, as this also tended to influence the tanks' role. •
Light tanks are smaller tanks with thinner armour and lower-powered guns, allowing for better tactical mobility, amphibious and airdrop options, and ease of strategic transport. These are intended for
armoured reconnaissance,
skirmishing,
artillery observation,
expeditionary warfare and supplementing
airborne or naval landings. Light tanks are typically cheaper to build and maintain, but fare poorly against heavier tanks. They may be held in reserve for exploiting any breakthroughs in enemy lines, with the goal of disrupting communications and supply lines. The light tank concept emerged during World War I with the
French Renault ft17. •
Medium tanks are mid-sized tanks with adequate armour and guns, and fair mobility, allowing for a balance of fighting abilities, mobility, cost-effectiveness, and transportability. Medium tanks are effective in groups when used against enemy tanks. More cost effective and easier to produce than heavier tanks they excelled in various combat roles. •
Heavy tanks are larger tanks with thick armour and more powerful guns, but less mobile and more difficult to transport. They were intended to be
overmatch for typical enemy medium tanks, easily penetrating their armour while being much less susceptible to their attacks. Heavy tanks cost more to both build and maintain, and their heavy armour proved most effective when deployed in support infantry assaulting entrenched fortifications. The concept of heavy tanks began in World War I with the British MK1 a large vehicle intended to breach enemy trenches. Over time, tanks tended to be designed with heavier armour and weapons, increasing the weight of all tanks, so these classifications are relative to the average for the nation's tanks for any given period. An older tank design might be reclassified over time, such as a tank being first deployed as a medium tank, but in later years relegated to light tank roles. Tanks were designated as
Male tank (cannons) or
Female tank (machine guns) based on their armament to enable them to operate in teams. Male tanks had six-pounder cannons to destroy fortifications, while female tanks were equipped with only machine guns to defend against infantry. The two types were designed to operate together, with male tanks leading to breach enemy lines and female tanks following to suppress enemy infantry. The introduction of the Hermaphrodite tank (Composite) and Whippet showed a need for tanks to handle multiple roles, leading to universal designs like the Mark VIII (International Tank), though the focus eventually shifted away from giant, slow tanks towards faster, more versatile models after WWI. Tanks were also classified by roles that were independent of size, such as
cavalry tank,
cruiser tank,
fast tank,
infantry tank, "assault" tank, or "breakthrough" tank. Military theorists initially tended to assign tanks to traditional military infantry, cavalry, and artillery roles, but later developed more specialized roles unique to tanks. In modern use, the heavy tank and tank destroyer has fallen out of favour, being supplanted by more heavily armed and armoured descendant of the medium tanks – the universal
main battle tank. The light tank role has been taken over by Infantry Fighting Vehicles, MRAPS, or lost favour to cheaper, faster, lighter
armoured cars; however, light tanks (or similar vehicles with other names) are still in service with a number of forces as
reconnaissance vehicles, most notably the
Russian Marines with the
PT-76, the
British Army with the
Scimitar, and the
Chinese Army with the
Type 63.
Main battle tank File:Karelian_Lock_23_(7827362).jpg|
United States third-generation
M1 Abrams tank File:2013_Moscow_Victory_Day_Parade_(28).jpg|
Russian
T-90 main battle tank with
2A46 smoothbore gun File:Leopard_2A6,_PzBtl_104.jpg| Modern
Germany Leopard 2 main battle tank File:ZTZ-99A_MBT_20170902.jpg|
Chinese Type 99 main battle tank Modern
main battle tanks or "universal tanks" incorporate recent advances in automotive, artillery, armour, and electronic technology to combine the best characteristics of the historic medium and heavy tanks into a single, all-around type. They are also the most expensive to mass-produce. A main battle tank is distinguished by its high level of firepower, mobility and armour protection relative to other vehicles of its era. It can cross comparatively rough terrain at high speeds, but its heavy dependency on fuel, maintenance, and ammunition makes it
logistically demanding. It has the heaviest
armour of any AFVs on the battlefield, and carries a powerful
precision-guided munition weapon systems that may be able to engage a wide variety of both ground targets and air targets. Up to the 1960s, countries would deploy Light and Heavy Tanks alongside their MBTs, with Heavy Tanks mounting monstrous 120mm guns and obscene armour to stay relevant. But, as the MBTs started to mount compact but incredibly powerful guns, while gaining light, composite armour that outperformed the heavy tanks, the heavy tank classification slowly ceased to exist. The MBT did it better, but costed a lot less. The MBT also had an effect on Tank Destroyers; the classic tank destroyer died with the heavy tank, as the MBT could mount a big gun and heavy armour without sacrificing the turret, and MBTs were very capable anti-tank platforms. Despite significant advances in
anti-tank warfare, MBTs relevancy as steadily increased and still remains the most versatile and fearsome land-based weapon-systems of the 21st-century, valued for its adaptability,
shock action and high
survivability.
Tankette concept was adopted by many armies.
Argus scout tankette A tankette is a tracked armed and armoured vehicle resembling a small "ultra-light tank" or "super-light tank" roughly the size of a car, mainly intended for light infantry support or
scouting. Tankettes were introduced in the mid-1920s as a reconnaissance vehicle and a mobile machine gun position. They were one or two-man vehicles armed with a machine gun. Colloquially it may also simply mean a "small tank". Tankettes were designed and built by several nations between the 1920s and 1940s following the British
Carden Loyd tankette which was a successful implementation of "one man tank" ideas from
Giffard Le Quesne Martel, a British Army engineer. They were very popular with smaller countries. Some saw some combat (with limited success) in World War II. However, the vulnerability of their light armour eventually caused the concept to be abandoned. However, the
German Army uses a modern design of air-transportable armoured weapons carriers, the
Wiesel AWC, which resembles the concept of a tankette.
Super-heavy tank The term "super-heavy tank" has been used to describe armoured fighting vehicles of extreme size, generally over 75 tonnes. Programs have been initiated on several occasions with the aim of creating an invincible
siegeworks/
breakthrough vehicle for penetrating enemy formations and fortifications without fear of being destroyed in combat. Examples were designed in World War I and World War II (such as the
Panzer VIII Maus), along with a few in the
Cold War. Despite their ambitious designs remain largely experimental; few working prototypes were built and there is no clear evidence any of these vehicles saw combat, as their immense size would have made most designs impractical. File:TOG II.jpg|
British TOG II from the Tank Museum File:Metro-maus1.jpg|
German Panzer VIII Maus in the Kubinka Tank Museum in Russia
Missile tank ,
Kubinka Tank Museum A
missile tank is a tank fulfilling the role of a main battle tank, but using only
anti-tank surface-to-surface missiles for main armament. Several nations have experimented with prototypes, notably the Soviet Union during the tenure of Nikita Khrushchev (projects
Object 150 (IT-1) Object 167, Object 137Ml, Object 155Ml,
Object 287,
Object 775),
Flame tank flame tank A
flame tank is an otherwise-standard
tank equipped with a
flamethrower, most commonly used to supplement
combined arms attacks against
fortifications, confined spaces, or other obstacles. The type only reached significant use in the
Second World War, during which the United States,
Soviet Union,
Germany,
Italy,
Japan and the United Kingdom (including members of the
British Commonwealth) all produced flamethrower-equipped tanks. Usually, the flame projector replaced one of the tank's machineguns, however, some flame projectors replaced the tank's main gun. Fuel for the flame weapon was generally carried inside the tank, although a few designs mounted the fuel externally, such as the armoured trailer used on the
Churchill Crocodile. Flame tanks have been superseded by
thermobaric weapons, such as the Russian
TOS-1, which provide greater efficiency and safety.
Infantry tank displaying a captured
Italian flag The idea for this tank was developed during World War I by British and French. The
infantry tank was designed to work in concert with infantry in the assault, moving mostly at a walking pace, and carrying heavy armour to survive defensive fire. Its main purpose was to suppress enemy fire, crush obstacles such as barbed-wire entanglements, and served as a shield for infantry on their advance into and through enemy lines by giving mobile
overwatch and
cover. The French
Renault FT was the first iteration of this concept. The British and French retained the concept between the wars and into the Second World War era. Because infantry tanks did not need to be fast, they could carry heavy armour. One of the best-known infantry tanks was the
Matilda II of World War II. Other examples include the French
R-35, the British
Valentine, and the British
Churchill. By the end of World War II the development of faster and more versatile tanks, like the British Centurion, which could perform both Infantry and Cruiser roles, rendered the Infantry tank concept obsolete.
Cruiser tank in the desert A cruiser tank, or cavalry tank, was designed to move fast and exploit penetrations of the enemy front. The idea originated in "
Plan 1919", a British plan to break the trench deadlock of
World War I in part via the use of high-speed tanks. The first cruiser tank was the British
Whippet. Between the wars, this concept was implemented in the "fast tanks" pioneered by
J. Walter Christie. These led to the Soviet
BT tank series and the British
cruiser tank series. During
World War II, British cruiser tanks were designed to complement
infantry tanks, exploiting gains made by the latter to attack and disrupt the enemy rear areas. In order to give them the required speed, cruiser designs sacrificed armour and armament compared to the infantry tanks. Pure British cruisers were generally replaced by more capable medium tanks such as the
US Sherman and, to a lesser extent, the
Cromwell by 1943. The Soviet fast tank (
bistrokhodniy tank, or
BT tank) classification also came out of the infantry/cavalry concept of armoured warfare and formed the basis for the British cruisers after 1936. The T-34 was a development of this line of tanks as well, though their armament, armour, and all-round capability places them firmly in the medium tank category. Cruiser tanks struggled against heavily armored German tanks like the Tiger and Panther; this led to a shift in British tank design towards the "universal tank" concept epitomized by the Centurion flame tank.
Specialist tanks Specialist tanks are armored vehicles tailored for specific roles beyond traditional combat. They include features for tasks such as bridging gaps, clearing mines or amphibious operations.
Armoured car The
armoured car is a wheeled, often lightly armoured, vehicle adapted as a fighting machine. Its earliest form consisted of a motorised ironside chassis fitted with firing ports. By
World War I, this had evolved into a mobile fortress equipped with command equipment, searchlights, and machine guns for self-defence. It was soon proposed that the requirements for the armament and layout of armoured cars be somewhat similar to those on naval craft, resulting in turreted vehicles. The first example carried a single revolving cupola with a
Vickers gun; modern armoured cars may boast heavier armament – ranging from twin machine guns to large calibre cannon. Some multi-axled wheeled fighting vehicles can be quite heavy, and superior to older or smaller tanks in terms of armour and armament. Others are often used in military marches and processions, or for the escorting of important figures. Under peacetime conditions, they form an essential part of most standing armies. Armoured car units can move without the assistance of transporters and cover great distances with fewer logistical problems than tracked vehicles. During
World War II, armoured cars were used for reconnaissance alongside scout cars. Their guns were suitable for some defence if they encountered enemy armoured fighting vehicles, but they were not intended to engage enemy
tanks.
Armoured cars have since been used in the offensive role against tanks with varying degrees of success, most notably during the
South African Border War,
Toyota War, the
Invasion of Kuwait, and other
lower-intensity conflicts. File:Rolls Royce 1920 Mk1 1 Bovington.jpg|
Rolls-Royce Armoured Car in The Tank Museum, Bovington File:T 17 Staghound Armored Car (1).jpg|American
T17E1 Staghound armoured car of World War II File:SATORY 9 JANVIER 2014 021 bis.jpg|French
Renault VBC-90 six-wheeled armoured car
Aerosledge , a smaller World War II model, powered by an inexpensive automotive engine An
aerosledge is a type of propeller-driven
snowmobile, running on skis, used for communications, mail deliveries, medical aid, emergency recovery and border patrolling in northern Russia, as well as for recreation. Aerosledges were used by the Soviet
Red Army during the
Winter War and
World War II. Some early aerosledges were built by young
Igor Sikorsky in 1909–10, before he built multi-engine airplanes and helicopters. They were very light
plywood vehicles on skis, propelled by old airplane engines and propellers.
Scout car A
scout car is a military armoured
reconnaissance vehicle, capable of off-road mobility and often carrying mounted weapons such as
machine guns for offensive capabilities and crew protection. They often only carry an operational crew aboard, which differentiates them from wheeled armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and
infantry mobility vehicles (IMVs), but early scout cars, such as the open-topped US
M3 scout car could carry a crew of seven. The term is often used synonymously with the more general term armoured car, which also includes armoured civilian vehicles. They are also differentiated by being designed and built for purpose, as opposed to improvised "
technicals" which might serve in the same role. File:Verkhnyaya Pyshma Tank Museum 2011 140.jpg|
BA-64 at the
UMMC Museum File:BRDM-2 (1964) owned by James Stewart pic1.JPG|Soviet
BRDM-2 amphibious scout car
Reconnaissance vehicle A
reconnaissance vehicle, also known as a
scout vehicle, is a
military vehicle used for forward
reconnaissance. Both tracked and wheeled reconnaissance vehicles are in service. In some countries, light tanks such as the
M551 Sheridan and
AMX-13 are also used by scout platoons. Reconnaissance vehicles are usually designed with a low profile or small size and are lightly armoured, relying on speed and cover to escape detection. Their armament ranges from a
medium machine gun to an
autocannon. Modern examples are often fitted with
ATGMs and a wide range of sensors. Armoured reconnaissance is the combination of
terrestrial reconnaissance with
armoured warfare by using tanks and wheeled or tracked armoured reconnaissance vehicles. While the mission of reconnaissance is to gather intelligence about the enemy with the use of reconnaissance vehicles, armoured reconnaissance adds the ability to fight for information, and to have an effect on and to shape the enemy through the performance of traditional armoured tasks. Some
armoured personnel carriers and
infantry mobility vehicle, such as the
M113,
TPz Fuchs, and
Cadillac Gage Commando double in the reconnaissance role. File:Stryker RV front q.jpg|
United States Army M1127 File:Scimitar Light Tank MOD 45149231.jpg|British
FV107 Scimitar tracked reconnaissance vehicle in the
Salisbury Plain Training Area Internal security vehicle An internal security vehicle (ISV), also known as an armoured security vehicle (ASV), is a combat vehicle used for suppressing civilian unrest. Security vehicles are typically armed with a turreted
heavy machine gun and auxiliary
medium machine gun. The vehicle is designed to minimize firepower dead space.
Non-lethal water cannons and
tear gas cannons can provide suppressive fire in lieu of unnecessary deadly fire. The vehicle must be protected against weapons typical of riots. Protection from
improvised incendiary devices is achieved though coverage of the air intake and exhaust ports as well as a strong locking mechanism on the fuel opening. Turret and door locks prevent access to the interior of the vehicle by rioters. Vision blocks, ballistic glass and window shutters and outside
surveillance cameras allow protected observation from within the vehicle. Wheeled 4x4 and 6x6 configurations are typical of security vehicles. Tracked security vehicles are often cumbersome and leave negative political connotations for being perceived as an imperial invading force .
Military light utility vehicle Military light utility vehicles are the lightest weight class of military vehicles. It refers to light
4x4 military vehicles with light or no armour and all-terrain mobility. This type of vehicle originated in the first half of the 20th century when horses and other
draft animals were replaced with mechanization. Light utility vehicles such as the
Willys Jeep were frequently mounted with .50-calibre machineguns and other small weapons for
hit-and-run tactics in World War II, especially by the
British Special Air Service who used Jeeps to raid
Axis airfields during the
North Africa campaign. After the war, vehicles like the
Toyota Mega Cruiser and
Humvee filled this role. In the 21st century,
improvised explosive devices continue to pose threat to mobile infantry resulting in light utility vehicles being made heavier and with more armour. File:1942Jeep.jpg|
Willys Jeep with a
37 mm gun M3 and
M1917A1 machinegun of the US Army's
3rd Infantry in
Newfoundland File:USMC-04325 (cropped).jpg|American
Humvee, the main US light utility armoured troop carrier since the 1980s
Improvised fighting vehicle An improvised fighting vehicle is a combat vehicle resulting from modifications to a civilian or military non-combat vehicle in order to give it a fighting capability. Such modifications usually consist of the grafting of
armour plating and
weapon systems. Various militaries have procured such vehicles, ever since the introduction of the first
automobiles into military service. During the early days, the absence of a doctrine for the military use of automobiles or of an industry dedicated to producing them, lead to much improvisation in the creation of early armoured cars, and other such vehicles. Later, despite the advent of
arms industries in many countries, several armies still resorted to using ad hoc contraptions, often in response to unexpected military situations, or as a result of the development of new
tactics for which no available vehicle was suitable. The construction of improvised fighting vehicles may also reflect a lack of means for the force that uses them. This is especially true in
underdeveloped countries and even in
developing countries, where various armies and
guerrilla forces have used them, as they are more affordable than military-grade combat vehicles. Modern examples include
military gun truck used by units of regular armies or other official government armed forces, based on a conventional
military cargo truck, that is able to carry a large weight of weapons and armour. They have mainly been used by regular armies to escort military convoys in regions subject to ambush by
guerrilla forces. "
Narco tanks", used by
Mexican drug cartels in the
Mexican drug war, are built from such trucks, which combines
operational mobility,
tactical offensive, and
defensive capabilities. File:Na KhTZ-16.jpg|
Soviet NI tank improvised fighting tractor of
WWII File:Free Syrian Army technical in the eastern Qalamoun Mountains (cropped).jpg|Technical armed with a
ZPU-2 heavy machine gun operated by the
Free Syrian Army during clashes with
ISIS in the eastern
Qalamoun Mountains, southern Syria, 2017 File:Gun Truck.jpg|A gun truck of the type used in Iraq, based on an
M939 five-ton truck File:Narco-tank-1.jpg|"Monstruo 2010", a narco tank based on a
Ford F-350 with a
turret captured by
Mexican Authorities in
Jalisco Troop carriers Troop-carrying AFVs are divided into three main types – armoured personnel carriers (APCs), infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and infantry mobility vehicles (IMV). The main difference between the three is their intended role – the APC is designed purely to transport troops and is armed for self-defence only – whereas the IFV is designed to provide close-quarters and anti-armour fire support to the infantry it carries. IMV is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier serving as a military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle.
Armoured personnel carrier Armoured personnel carriers (
APCs) are intended to carry infantry quickly and relatively safely to the point where they are deployed. In the
Battle of Amiens, 8 August 1918, the British
Mk V* tank (a lengthened Mark V) carried a small number of machine gunners as an experiment, but the men were debilitated by the conditions inside the vehicle. Later that year the first purpose-built APC, the British
Mk IX tank (Mark Nine), appeared. In 1944, the Canadian general
Guy Simonds ordered the conversion of redundant armoured vehicles to carry troops (generically named "
Kangaroos"). This proved highly successful, even without training, and the concept was widely used in the
21st Army Group. Post-war, specialised designs were built, such as the Soviet
BTR-60 and US
M113. File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-801-0664-37, Berlin, Unter den Linden, Schützenpanzer.jpg|
German WWII
Sd.Kfz. 251 half-tracked APC File:IM000656.jpg|
Israeli
Namer tracked APC File:GTK_Boxer_Fuehrungsfahrzeug_front.jpg|The
ARTEC Boxer armoured personnel carrier
Infantry fighting vehicle An
infantry fighting vehicle (
IFV), also known as a
mechanized infantry combat vehicle (
MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry
infantry into battle and provide
direct fire support. The first example of an IFV was the
West German Schützenpanzer Lang HS.30 which served in the
Bundeswehr from 1958 until the early 1980s. IFVs are similar to armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and
infantry carrier vehicles (ICVs), designed to transport a
section or
squad of infantry (generally between five and ten men) and their equipment. They are differentiated from APCswhich are purely "troop-transport" vehicles armed only for self-defencebecause they are designed to give direct fire support to the dismounted infantry and so usually have significantly enhanced armament. IFVs also often have improved
armour and some have firing ports (allowing the infantry to fire
personal weapons while mounted). They are typically armed with an
autocannon of 20 to 57 mm calibre, 7.62mm machine guns,
anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) and/or
surface-to-air missiles (SAMs). IFVs are usually
tracked, but some wheeled vehicles fall into this category. IFVs are generally less heavily armed and armoured than
main battle tanks. They sometimes carry anti-tank missiles to protect and support infantry against armoured threats, such as the NATO
TOW missile and Soviet
Bastion, which offer a significant threat to tanks. Specially equipped IFVs have taken on some of the roles of light tanks; they are used by reconnaissance organizations, and light IFVs are used by airborne units which must be able to fight without the heavy firepower of tanks. File:Puma, first series.jpg|The
German Puma infantry fighting vehicle File:BMP-2M.jpg|
Soviet BMP-2M amphibious IFV File:Royal Tank Museum 157.jpg|
South African Wheeled
Ratel IFV Infantry mobility vehicle AMZ Tur An
infantry mobility vehicle (
IMV) or
protected patrol vehicle (
PPV) is a wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) serving as a military patrol, reconnaissance or security vehicle. Examples include the
ATF Dingo,
AMZ Dzik,
AMZ Tur,
Mungo ESK, and
Bushmaster IMV. This term also applies to the vehicles currently being fielded as part of the
MRAP program. IMVs were developed in response to the threats of modern counterinsurgency warfare, with an emphasis on
Ambush Protection and
Mine-Resistance. Similar vehicles existed long before the term IMV was coined, such as the French
VAB and South African
Buffel. The term is coming more into use to differentiate light 4x4 wheeled APCs from the traditional 8x8 wheeled APCs. It is a
neologism for what might have been classified in the past as an armoured
scout car, such as the
BRDM, but the IMV is distinguished by having a requirement to carry dismountable infantry. The up-armoured
M1114 Humvee variant can be seen as an adaptation of the unarmoured Humvee to serve in the IMV role. File:CV9035 assessment (cropped).jpg|A
CV-9035 Swedish infantry fighting vehicle used by U.S. Army File:M113IraqiFreedom.jpg|The
M113, one of the most common tracked APCs, on duty during the
Iraq War File:Dingo 2.jpg|An
ATF Dingo of the
German Army is a mine-resistant and ambush-protected infantry mobility vehicle used by several European armed forces. File:278th MP Company's new ASVs.jpg|A United States
Army National Guard M1117 armoured security vehicle File:Nexter Aravis, place Jeanne Helbling, Strasbourg 2010 (2).jpg|A French
Nexter Aravis in
Strasbourg File:Norwegian Iveco LMV 02.jpg|Norwegian soldiers running operations in an
Iveco LMV in Faryab province, Afghanistan. The Iveco LMV is widely used by European militaries. File:Saxony State Police Survivor R (1).jpg|An
RMMV Survivor R used by the
Saxony State Police. In this configuration, it does not feature the .50 machine gun and grenade launcher remote weapon station used in the standard military configuration.
Amphibious vehicles Many modern military vehicles, ranging from light wheeled command and reconnaissance, through armoured personnel carriers and tanks, are manufactured with amphibious capabilities. Contemporary wheeled armoured amphibians include the French
Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé and
Véhicule Blindé Léger. The latter is a small, lightly armoured
4×4 all-terrain vehicle that is fully amphibious and can swim at 5.4 km/h. The VAB (''Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé'' – 'armoured vanguard vehicle') is a fully amphibious armoured personnel carrier powered in the water by two water jets, that entered service in 1976 and produced in numerous configurations, ranging from basic personnel carrier, anti-tank missile platform. During the
Cold War the
Soviet bloc states developed a number of amphibious APCs, fighting vehicles and tanks, both wheeled and tracked. Most of the vehicles the Soviets designed were amphibious, or could ford deep water. Wheeled examples are the
BRDM-1 and
BRDM-2 4x4 armoured scout cars, as well as the
BTR-60,
BTR-70,
BTR-80,
BTR-94 and
BTR-90 8x8 armoured personnel carriers. tank with flotation sections attached During the 1930s and 1940s, Japan produced a number of amphibious tank designs, including prototypes such as the
Sumida amphibious armored car (AMP),
SR I-Go,
SR II Ro-Go,
SR III Ha-Go,
Type 1 Mi-Sha (a/k/a Type 1 Ka-Mi) and
Type 5 To-Ku. Production amphibious tanks during World War II included the
Type 2 Ka-Mi, and
Type 3 Ka-Chi; production amphibious transports included the
F B swamp vehicle and
Type 4 Ka-Tsu APC. All production units were for use by the
Japanese Special Naval Landing Forces in campaigns in the Pacific with amphibious operations. The United States started developing a long line of
Landing Vehicle Tracked (LVT) designs from . The US Marine Corps currently uses the AAV7-A1
Assault Amphibious Vehicle, which was to be succeeded by the
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle, which was capable of planing on water and can achieve water speeds of 37–46 km/h. The EFV project has been cancelled. A significant number of tracked armoured vehicles that are primarily intended for land-use, have some amphibious capability, tactically useful inland, reducing dependence on bridges. They use their tracks, sometimes with added propeller or water jets for propulsion. As long as the banks have a shallow enough slopes to enter or leave the water they can cross rivers and water obstacles. Some heavy tanks can operate amphibiously with a fabric skirt to add
buoyancy. The
Sherman DD tank used in the
Normandy landings had this setup. When in water the waterproof float screen was raised and propellers deployed. Some modern vehicles use a similar skirt. File:DD-Tank.jpg|
M4 Sherman DD tank during WWII File:BTR-80 coming ashore.jpg|
BTR-80s coming ashore, engine snorkels and waterjet deployed File:AAV-australia.jpg|Two
U.S. Marine Corps Assault Amphibious Vehicles emerge from the surf onto the sand of
Freshwater Beach, Australia File:PKP trailer attached to the amphibian carrier
PTS-2 in Military-historical Museum of Artillery, Engineer and Signal Corps in Saint-Petersburg, Russia.jpg|PKP trailer File:PTS-M.jpg|Soviet
PTS-M landing craft
Airborne vehicles airdrops an
M551 light tank Lightweight armoured fighting vehicles designed or modified to be
carried by aircraft and delivered by air drop, helicopter lift, glider, or air landing with infantry to provide heavier tactical firepower and mobility. The air-equivalent to amphibious vehicles, the main advantage of airborne forces is their ability to be deployed into combat zones without land passage, as long as the
airspace is accessible. Airborne vehicles are limited only by the tonnage capacity of their
transport aircraft. Airborne vehicles typically lack the armour and supplies necessary for prolonged combat, so they are utilized for establishing an
airhead to bring in larger forces before carrying out other combat objectives. One modern example is the German
Wiesel AWC. The USA also created the
M22 Locust as a way to aid paratroopers/ being paradropped in as it was very lightly armoured and very small.
Armoured engineering vehicle combat engineering vehicle Modern engineering AFV's utilize chassis based on main battle tank platforms: these vehicles are as well armoured and protected as tanks, designed to keep up with tanks, breach obstacles to help tanks get to wherever it needs to be, perform utility functions necessary to expedite mission objectives of tanks, and to conduct other earth-moving and engineering work on the battlefield. These vehicles go by different names depending upon the country of use or manufacture. In the United States the term "combat engineer vehicle (CEV)" is used, in the United Kingdom the term "
Armoured Vehicle Royal Engineers (AVRE)" is used, while in Canada and other commonwealth nations the term "armoured engineer vehicle (AEV)" is used. There is no set template for what such a vehicle will look like, yet likely features include a large dozer blade or mine ploughs, a large calibre demolition cannon, augers, winches, excavator arms and cranes, or lifting booms. Although the term "armoured engineer vehicle" is used specifically to describe these multi-purpose tank-based engineering vehicles, that term is also used more generically in British and Commonwealth militaries to describe all heavy tank-based engineering vehicles used in the support of mechanized forces. Thus, "armoured engineer vehicle" used generically would refer to AEV, AVLB, Assault Breachers, and so on. Good examples of this type of vehicle include the UK
Trojan AVRE, the Russian IMR, and the US
M728 Combat Engineer Vehicle.
Rheinmetall Keiler. It uses a heavy-duty rotor-powered mine flail, which causes mines it comes in contact with to safely detonate.
Breaching vehicle A
breaching vehicle is especially designed to clear pathways for troops and other vehicles through
minefields and along
roadside bombs and other
improvised explosive devices. These vehicles are equipped with mechanical or other means for the breaching of man-made obstacles. Common types of breaching vehicles include mechanical
flails, mine plough vehicles, and mine roller vehicles.
Armoured bulldozer armoured bulldozer The armoured bulldozer is a basic tool of
combat engineering. These
combat engineering vehicles combine the earth moving capabilities of the bulldozer with armour which protects the vehicle and its operator in or near combat. Most are civilian bulldozers modified by addition of
vehicle armour/military equipment, but some are
tanks stripped of armament and fitted with a dozer blade. Some tanks have bulldozer blades while retaining their armament, but this does not make them armoured bulldozers as such, because combat remains the primary role – earth moving is a secondary task.
Armoured recovery vehicle An
armoured recovery vehicle (
ARV) is a type of
vehicle recovery armoured fighting vehicle used to repair battle- or mine-damaged as well as broken-down armoured vehicles during combat, or to tow them out of the danger zone for more extensive repairs. To this end the term
armoured repair and recovery vehicle (
ARRV) is also used. ARVs are normally built on the
chassis of a main battle tank (MBT), but some are also constructed on the basis of other armoured fighting vehicles, mostly armoured personnel carriers (APCs). ARVs are usually built on the basis of a vehicle in the same class as they are supposed to recover; a tank-based ARV is used to recover tanks, while an APC-based one recovers APCs, but does not have the power to tow a much heavier tank.
Armoured vehicle-launched bridge An
armoured vehicle-launched bridge (
AVLB) is a combat support vehicle, sometimes regarded as a subtype of
combat engineering vehicle, designed to assist militaries in rapidly deploying
tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles across rivers. The AVLB is usually a tracked vehicle converted from a tank chassis to carry a folding metal bridge instead of weapons. The AVLB's job is to allow armoured or infantry units to cross water, when a river too deep for vehicles to wade through is reached, and no bridge is conveniently located (or sufficiently sturdy, a substantial concern when moving 60-ton tanks). The bridge layer unfolds and launches its cargo, providing a ready-made bridge across the obstacle in only minutes. Once the span has been put in place, the AVLB vehicle detaches from the bridge, and moves aside to allow traffic to pass. Once all of the vehicles have crossed, it crosses the bridge itself and reattaches to the bridge on the other side. It then retracts the span ready to move off again. A similar procedure can be employed to allow crossings of small chasms or similar obstructions. AVLBs can carry bridges of or greater in length. By using a tank chassis, the bridge layer is able to cover the same terrain as main battle tanks, and the provision of armour allows them to operate even in the face of enemy fire. However, this is not a universal attribute: some exceptionally sturdy 6x6 or 8x8 truck chassis have lent themselves to bridge-layer applications.
Combat engineer section carriers Combat engineer section carriers are used to transport
sappers (
combat engineers) and can be fitted with
bulldozers' blades and other mine-breaching devices. They are often used as APCs because of their carrying ability and heavy protection. They are usually armed with
machine guns and grenade launchers and usually tracked to provide enough tractive force to push blades and rakes. Some examples are the U.S.
M113 APC,
IDF Puma,
Nagmachon, Husky, and U.S.
M1132 ESV (a
Stryker variant). File:French_army_EFA_DSC00859.jpg#/media/File:French_army_EFA_DSC00859.jpg|French
EFA Amphibious float bridge File:M60-panther-mcgovern-base.jpg|A remotely controlled Panther armoured mine clearing vehicle leads a column down a road in
Bosnia and Herzegovina, 16 May 1996. File:M1 Assault Breacher Vehicle.jpg|Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion launch a
M58 MICLIC from an
M1150 Assault Breacher Vehicle File:D9-IDF-2018-Zachi-Evenor-1.jpg|An armoured
IDF Caterpillar D9 bulldozer, nicknamed "דובי" ('
Teddy bear') in Israel. Its armour allows it to work under heavy fire. File:Bergepanzer Bueffel.jpg|BPz3 "Büffel" armoured recovery vehicle,
German Army File:M60A1 Armored Vehicle Landing Bridge.jpg|An
M60A1 armoured vehicle-launched bridge (AVLB), deploying its scissors-type bridge File:Stryker ESV front q.jpg|An
M1132 engineer squad vehicle (ESV) issued to combat engineer squads in the US Army Stryker brigade combat teams
Air defence vehicles An anti-aircraft vehicle, also known as a self-propelled anti-aircraft gun (SPAAG) or self-propelled air defense system (SPAD), is a mobile vehicle with a dedicated anti-aircraft capability. Specific weapon systems used include
machine guns,
anti-aircraft autocannons, larger anti-air guns, or
surface-to-air-missiles, and some mount both guns and longer-ranged missiles (e.g. the Pantsir-S1). Platforms used include both trucks and heavier combat vehicles such as armored personnel carriers and tanks, which add protection from aircraft, artillery, and small arms fire for front line deployment. Anti-aircraft guns are usually mounted in a quickly-traversing turret with a high rate of elevation, for tracking fast-moving aircraft. They are often in dual or quadruple mounts, allowing a high rate of fire. In addition, most anti-aircraft guns can be used in a direct-fire role against surface targets to great effect. In the early 21st century, missiles (generally mounted on similar turrets) largely supplanted anti-aircraft guns, though guns have recently shown revived utility against slow, low-flying drones. File:Brno, Řečkovice, transportér Praga V33 II.JPG|
Czechoslovak self-propelled anti-aircraft gun
M53/59 Praga developed in the late 1950s Image:Wirbelwind CFB Borden 2.jpg|
German Wirbelwind, a
20 mm Flakvierling quadmount on a
Panzer IV chassis File:Gepard 1a2 overview.jpg|
Flakpanzer Gepard, Germany File:JLTV 1.jpg|At AUSA 2017, a
JLTV Utility variant mounting
Boeing's
SHORAD Launcher File:2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade - 9K22 Tunguska.jpg|Typical of more modern designs, the
Tunguska-M1 mounts both
missiles and
autocannons.
Self-propelled artillery Self-propelled
artillery vehicles give mobility to
artillery. Within the term are covered
self-propelled guns (or
howitzers) and
rocket artillery. They are highly mobile, usually based on tracked chassis carrying either a large howitzer or other field gun or alternatively a
mortar or some form of rocket or missile launcher. They are usually used for long-range
indirect bombardment support on the battlefield. In the past, self-propelled artillery has included direct-fire "Gun Motor Carriage" vehicles, such as
assault guns and
tank destroyers (also known as self-propelled anti-tank guns). These have been heavily armoured vehicles, the former providing danger-close fire-support for infantry and the latter acting as specialized anti-tank vehicles. Modern self-propelled artillery vehicles may superficially resemble tanks, but they are generally lightly armoured, too lightly to survive in direct-fire combat. However, they protect their crews against
shrapnel and
small arms and are therefore usually included as armoured fighting vehicles. Many are equipped with
machine guns for defence against enemy infantry. The key advantage of self-propelled over towed artillery is that it can be brought into action much faster. Before towed artillery can be used, it has to stop, unlimber and the guns set up. To move position, the guns must be limbered up again and brought – usually towed – to the new location. By comparison, self-propelled artillery in combination with modern communications, can stop at a chosen location and begin firing almost immediately, then quickly move on to a new position. This ability is very useful in a mobile conflict and particularly on the advance. Conversely, towed artillery was and remains cheaper to build and maintain. It is also lighter and can be taken to places that self-propelled guns cannot reach, so despite the advantages of the self-propelled artillery, towed guns remain in the
arsenals of many modern armies. File:Destroyed german self-propelled gun carriage.jpg|A
Wespe destroyed in
Normandy, 1944 File:G6 Howitzer2.JPG|
G6 howitzer wheeled SPG File:Slovak Ground Forces Zuzana 2 first time outside Slovakia (1) (cropped).jpg|Slovak Self-propelled 155mm Howitzer model 2000
Zuzana File:April 9th rehearsal in Alabino of 2014 Victory Day Parade (558-34).jpg|A Russian
2S19 Msta-S in 2014
Assault gun An assault gun is a gun or howitzer mounted on a motor vehicle or armoured chassis, designed for use in the
direct fire role in support of
infantry when attacking other infantry or
fortified positions. Historically, the custom-built fully armoured assault guns usually mounted the gun or howitzer in a fully enclosed
casemate on a tank chassis. The use of a
casemate instead of a
gun turret limited these weapons'
field of fire, but allowed a larger gun to be fitted relative to the chassis, more armour to be fitted for the same weight, and provided a cheaper construction. In most cases, these turretless vehicles also presented a lower profile as a target for the enemy. File:ISU-152 at Victory Park in Moscow.jpg|
ISU-152K,
Victory Park,
Moscow, Russia File:Ikv 91 a.jpg|
Infanterikanonvagn 91, Swedish
turreted amphibious assault gun
Self-propelled siege gun firing in Warsaw,1944 Self-Propelled siege guns often carry cannons or mortars in excess of 400mm. The carrying platform could be multiple vehicles, built for use on train rails, or a purpose-built chassis.
Mortar carrier A mortar carrier, or self-propelled mortar, is a
self-propelled artillery vehicle carrying one or more
mortar as its primary weapon. Mortar carriers cannot be fired while on the move and some must be dismounted to fire. In U.S. Army doctrine, mortar carriers provide close and immediate indirect fire support for maneuver units while allowing for rapid displacement and quick reaction to the tactical situation. The ability to relocate not only allows fire support to be provided where it is needed faster, but also allows these units to avoid
counter-battery fire. Mortar carriers have traditionally avoided direct contact with the enemy. Many units report never using secondary weapons in combat. Prior to the
Iraq War, American 120 mm mortar platoons reorganized from six
M1064 mortar carriers and two M577 fire direction centres (FDC) to four M1064 and one FDC. The urban environment of Iraq made it difficult to utilize mortars. New technologies such as mortar ballistic computers and communication equipment and are being integrated. Modern era combat is becoming more reliant on
direct fire support from mortar carrier
machine guns. File:T5E1-motar-carrier-4.2inch-haugh.jpg|T5E1 4.2inch mortar carrier variant of the
M3 Scout Car File:ParkPatriot2015part11-150.jpg|
2S9 Nona-S 120 mm Soviet
self-propelled mortar, 2016 File:Stryker MCV-B.jpg|An American
M1129 mortar carrier Multiple rocket launcher A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided
rocket artillery system. Like other
rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower (sustained) rate of fire than batteries of traditional
artillery guns. However, they have the capability of simultaneously dropping many hundreds of kilograms of explosive, with devastating effect. The
Korean
Hwacha is an example of an early weapon system with a resemblance to the modern-day multiple rocket launcher. The first self-propelled multiple rocket launchers – and arguably the most famous – were the
Soviet BM-13 Katyushas, first used during World War II and exported to Soviet allies afterwards. They were simple systems in which a rack of launch rails was mounted on the back of a truck. This set the template for modern multiple rocket launchers. The first modern multiple rocket launcher was the
German 15 cm Nebelwerfer 41 of the 1930s, a small towed artillery piece. Only later in
World War II did the British deploy similar weapons in the form of the
Land Mattress.The Americans mounted tubular launchers atop
M4 Sherman tanks to create the
T34 Calliope rocket launching tank, only used in small numbers, as their closest equivalent to the Katyusha. File:Panzerwerfer alias Maultier.jpg|
German Panzerwerfer half-tracked MRLS used in ww2 File:BM-31-12 on ZIS-12 chassis at the Museum on Sapun Mountain Sevastopol 4.jpg|
Katyusha rocket launcher at the Museum (
Diorama) on Sapun Mountain,
Sevastopol File:9a52 smerch.jpg|
BM-30 Smerch 300 mm rocket launcher in raised position File:Army mlrs 1982 02.jpg|The
M270 MLRS conducts a rocket launch.
Missile vehicle Missile vehicles are trucks or tractor units designed to carry rockets or missiles. The missile vehicle may be a self-propelled unit, or the missile holder/launcher may be on a trailer towed by a prime mover. They are used in the military forces of a number of countries in the world. Long missiles are commonly transported parallel to the ground on these vehicles, but elevated into an inclined or vertical position for launching. • A
Transporter erector launcher (TEL) is a missile vehicle with an integrated prime mover (tractor unit) that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles. File:19-03-2012-Parade-rehearsal - Topol-M.jpg|Missile truck
MZKT 79221 under missile
Topol-M Image:sa-4.jpg|A
Soviet 2K11 Krug TEL File:MoscowParade2009 7.jpg|
S-300 missile system Tank destroyer Tank destroyers and tank hunters are armed with an
anti-tank gun or
anti-tank missile launcher, and are designed specifically to engage enemy armoured vehicles. Many have been based on a tracked tank chassis, while others are wheeled. Since World War II, main battle tanks have largely replaced gun-armed tank destroyers; although lightly armoured anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) carriers are commonly used for supplementary long-range anti-tank engagements. In post-
Cold War conflict, the resurgence of
expeditionary warfare has seen the emergence of gun-armed wheeled vehicles, sometimes called "protected gun systems", which may bear a superficial resemblance to tank destroyers, but are employed as direct fire support units typically providing support in low intensity operations such as Iraq and Afghanistan. These have the advantage of easier deployment, as only the largest air transports can carry a main battle tank, and their smaller size makes them more effective in urban combat. Many forces' IFVs carry anti-tank missiles in every infantry platoon, and attack helicopters have also added anti-tank capability to the modern battlefield. But there are still dedicated anti-tank vehicles with very heavy long-range missiles, or intended for airborne use. There have also been dedicated anti-tank vehicles built on ordinary armoured personnel carrier or armoured car chassis. Examples include the U.S. M901 ITV (Improved TOW Vehicle) and the Norwegian NM142, both on an
M113 chassis, several Soviet ATGM launchers based on the
BRDM scout car, the British FV438
Swingfire and
FV102 Striker and the
German Raketenjagdpanzer series built on the chassis of the
HS 30 and
Marder IFVs. File:M3 75mm gun motor carriage.jpg|American
M3 GMC half-tracked tank destroyer Image:M-36 tank destroyer at Dudelange, Luxembourg, 3 January 1945 (SC 198612).jpg|90mm m36 GMC during the Battle of the Bulge in January, 1945 File:Jagdtiger 1 Bovington.jpg|British-captured
German Jagdtiger in
The Tank Museum, the UK File:NM142 x 3.jpg|A Norwegian anti-tank platoon equipped with
NM142 TOW missile launchers File:Panzermuseum Munster 2010 0915.JPG|
West German missile tank destroyer
Raketenjagdpanzer 2 Armoured train An
armoured train is a railway train protected with
armour. They are usually equipped with rail cars armed with
artillery,
autocannons,
machine guns, tank
turrets and
anti-aircraft guns. They were mostly used during the late 19th to mid-20th century, when they offered an innovative way to quickly move large amounts of firepower. Their use was discontinued in most countries when road vehicles became much more powerful and offered more flexibility, and because armoured trains were too vulnerable to track sabotage and attacks from the air. However, the
Russian Federation used improvised armoured trains in the
Second Chechen War in the late 1990s and 2000s. Armoured trains carrying ballistic missiles have also been used. The rail cars on an armoured train were designed for many tasks, such as carrying artillery and machine guns, infantry units, anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. During World War II, the Germans would sometimes put a
Fremdgerät (captured AFVs such as the French
Somua S-35 or Czech
PzKpfw 38(t)), or obsolescent
Panzer II light tanks on a flatbed rail car, which could quickly be offloaded by means of a ramp and used away from the railway line to chase down enemy
partisans. Different types of armour were used to protect armoured trains from attack. In addition to various metal plates, concrete and sandbags were used in some cases on armoured trains. Armoured trains were sometimes escorted by a kind of rail-tank called a
draisine. One such example was the Italian 'Littorina' armoured trolley, which had a cab in the front and rear, each with a control set so it could be driven down the tracks in either direction. Littorina mounted two dual 7.92mm
MG13 machine gun turrets from
Panzer I light tanks. File:MÁV armoured train.jpg|
Hungarian MÁVAG armoured train in 1914 File:Pancierovy vlak-Zvolen.jpg|Replica of the
"Hurban" armoured train located in Zvolen, Slovakia File:Obrněná drezína Tatra T 18.gif|
Polish armoured
draisine Tatra T18 == See also ==