47-415: Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle ( MRAPV ), also known as MRAP Vehicle, is a type of armoured personnel carrier that are designed specifically to withstand improvised explosive device (IED) attacks and ambushes to save troops life. Some Infantry mobility vehicle also have MRAPV capabilities. Specialized light armored vehicles designed specifically to resist land mines were first introduced in
94-531: A 2-inch mortar . By 1943, each Universal Carrier had a crew of four, an NCO, driver-mechanic and two riflemen. The Boys anti-tank rifle was also replaced by the PIAT anti-tank weapon. The Universal Carrier's weapons could be fired from in- or outside the carrier. A carrier platoon had a higher number of light support weapons than a rifle company. To allow the Universal to function as an artillery tractor in emergencies,
141-541: A 15-cwt GS truck). Each Universal Carrier had a non-commissioned officer (NCO), a rifleman and a driver-mechanic. One Universal Carrier in each section was commanded by a sergeant, the other two by corporals. All the Universal Carriers were armed with a Bren gun and one carrier in each carrier section also had a Boys anti-tank rifle . By 1941, the carrier platoon had increased in strength to contain four carrier sections; one carrier in each carrier section also carried
188-452: A Mk 19 grenade launcher) are in fully enclosed turrets (turrets typically have optics which make them more accurate). More recently, APCs have been equipped with remote weapon systems . The baseline Stryker carries an M2 on a Protector remote weapons system. APCs may be used as armoured ambulances , to conduct evacuations of wounded personnel. These vehicles are equipped with stretchers and medical supplies. According to article 19 of
235-733: A family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies. The first carriers – the Bren Gun Carrier and the Scout Carrier which had specific roles – entered service before the war, but a single improved design that could replace these, the Universal, was introduced in 1940. The vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War . Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms. The origins of
282-465: A horizontal axis. Small turns moved the crosstube that carried the front road wheel bogies laterally, warping the track so the vehicle drifted to that side. Further movement of the wheel braked the appropriate track to give a tighter turn. The hull in front of the commander's position jutted forward to give room for the Bren light machine gun (or other armaments) to fire through a simple slit. To either side of
329-531: A large explosive charge, these would be driven up to enemy positions under remote control and detonated, destroying both themselves and the target. Twenty-nine of both kinds were deployed in 1942 during the Siege of Sevastopol . They achieved some success in destroying Soviet trenches and bunkers, but a significant number were destroyed by artillery. Others were disabled by land mines before reaching their target or were lost because of mechanical breakdowns. A difficulty for
376-484: A low-silhouette vehicle that could still fire over obstacles. A one-man design based on Carden Loyd suspension was not adopted, but the inventor was encouraged to design a two-man version. This version was built in 1943, based on the Universal Carrier. The hull was replaced with an enclosed metal-box structure with enough room for a driver and a gunner lying prone. This box, pivoting from the rear, could be elevated. At
423-513: A rule, is armed with an integral or organic weapon of less than 20 millimetres calibre." Compared to infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), which are also used to carry infantry into battle, APCs have less armament and are not designed to provide direct fire support in battle. Infantry units that travel in APCs are known as mechanized infantry . Some militaries also make a distinction between infantry units that use APCs and infantry units that use IFVs, with
470-688: A towing attachment that could allow it to haul the Ordnance QF 6 pounder anti-tank gun was added from 1943. Normally the Loyd Carrier – which was also used as a general utility carrier – acted as the tractor for the 6-pdr. In Motorised Infantry Battalions in the British Army of the Rhine (BAOR) in the early 1950s the Universal was issued one per platoon carrying the Platoon Commander, driver, signaller and
517-533: A whole were produced in large numbers. Czechoslovakia and Poland together developed the universal amphibious OT-64 SKOT . The BMP series is termed as infantry fighting vehicles , but it has a designed role of carrying troops to the battlefield. The BMP-1 , 2 , and 3 all possess the ability to transport troops. By convention, armoured personnel carriers are not intended to take part in direct-fire battle, but are armed for self-defence and armoured to provide protection from shrapnel and small arms fire. An APC
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#1733085997087564-508: Is a broad type of armoured military vehicle designed to transport personnel and equipment in combat zones. Since World War I , APCs have become a very common piece of military equipment around the world. According to the definition in the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe , an APC is "an armoured combat vehicle which is designed and equipped to transport a combat infantry squad and which, as
611-420: Is either wheeled or tracked , or occasionally a combination of the two, as in a half-track . Wheeled vehicles are typically faster on road and less expensive, however have higher ground pressure which decreases mobility offroad and makes them more likely to become stuck in soft terrains such as mud, snow or sand. Tracked vehicles typically have lower ground pressure and more maneuverability off-road. Due to
658-757: Is the heavily armoured Israeli Achzarit , converted from captured T-55s tanks, the concept culminating in the Namer . Meanwhile, the Warsaw Pact developed their own versions of the APC. The Soviet Union termed theirs the Bronetransporter ( Russian : бронетранспортер ), better known as the BTR series. It comprised the BTR-40 , BTR-152 , BTR-60 , BTR-70 , BTR-80 , and the BTR-90 , which as
705-579: The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in France during 1939–1940 were equipped with Scout Carriers – 44 carriers and 28 light tanks in each regiment. There were 10 Bren Carriers in each infantry battalion in the same period. The Reconnaissance Corps regiments – which replaced the cavalry regiments in supporting Infantry divisions after 1940 – were each equipped with 63 carriers, along with 28 Humber Scout Cars . Universal Carriers were issued to
752-499: The Cold War , more specialized APCs were developed. The United States introduced a series of them, including successors to the wartime Landing Vehicle Tracked . The most numerous was the M113 armored personnel carrier , of which more than 80,000 were produced. Western nations have since retired most M113s, replacing them with newer APCs, many of these wheeled. A cold war example of a "Kangaroo"
799-649: The Geneva Conventions , "mobile medical units of the Medical Service may in no circumstances be attacked, but shall at all times be respected and protected by the Parties to the conflict". Although article 22 allows them to carry defensive weaponry, they are typically unarmed. Under Article 39, the emblem of the medical service "shall be displayed ... on all equipment employed in the Medical Service." As such, armoured ambulances are marked with International Committee of
846-452: The KPV , PKT and NSV machine guns are common options. In "open top" mounts the gunner sticks out of the vehicle and operates a gun on a pintle or ring mount. Ring mounts allow the gun to traverse 360 degrees, a pintle mount has a limited field of fire. It can be preferable to an enclosed gunner because it allows a greater field of view and communication using shouts and hand signals. However,
893-538: The Thornycroft company. With the introduction of the Universal, production in the UK was undertaken by Aveling-Barford , Ford, Sentinel, Thornycroft, and Wolseley Motors . By 1945 production amounted to approximately 57,000 of all models, including some 2,400 early ones. The Universal Carriers, in different variants, were also produced in allied countries. Ford Motor Company of Canada manufactured about 29,000 vehicles known as
940-804: The 1970s by the Rhodesian Army , and were further developed by South African manufacturers starting in 1974 with the Hippo armored personnel carrier (APC). The first step by the South African Defence Force (SADF) was the Bosvark, a Unimog fitted with a shallow mine-deflecting tub on the chassis to protect the crew. Then came the first generation of purpose-built vehicles, including the Hippo and various other light vehicles. They were essentially armoured V-shaped hulls mounted on truck chassis. The next generation
987-643: The 2-inch Mortar group Nos 1 & 2. Universal and the earlier Bren carriers were used by Australian Army units in the Western Desert campaign . Australian Universal Carriers were deployed to the Western Desert, Egypt during August 1942 serving as command vehicles for the 9th Divisional Cavalry Regiment . Captured Universal Carriers were used in various roles by German forces. A total of around sixty Bren No.2 Carriers and Belgian Army Vickers Utility Tractors were converted into demolition vehicles. Carrying
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#17330859970871034-532: The American M3 and German Sd.Kfz. 251 played a role similar to post-war APCs. British Commonwealth forces relied on the full-tracked Universal Carrier . Over the course of the war, APCs evolved from simple armoured cars with transport capacity to purpose-built vehicles. Obsolete armoured vehicles were also repurposed as APCs, such as the various " Kangaroos " converted from M7 Priest self-propelled guns and from Churchill , M3 Stuart and Ram tanks . During
1081-777: The Ford C01UC Universal Carrier. Smaller numbers of them were also produced in Australia (about 5,000), where hulls were made in several places in Victoria and by South Australian Railways workshops in Adelaide, South Australia. About 1,300 were also produced in New Zealand. Universal Carriers were manufactured in the United States for allied use with GAE and GAEA V-8 Ford engines. About 20,000 were produced. The Universal Carrier
1128-481: The French VAB . Armoured personnel carriers are designed primarily for transport and are lightly armed. They may be unarmed, or armed with some combination of light , general-purpose , heavy machine guns, or automatic grenade launchers . In Western nations, APCs are frequently armed with the .50 calibre M2 Browning machine gun , 7.62mm FN MAG , or 40mm Mk 19 grenade launcher . In former Eastern bloc nations,
1175-529: The Germans using these foreign-built vehicles was the lack of spare parts. The widespread production of the Carrier allowed for several variants to be developed, manufactured and/or used by different countries. An attempted conversion to self-propelled artillery consisting of a single T16 carrier fitted with a six- Model 1968 recoilless gun mount was developed in the late 1960s or early 1970s. American production of
1222-541: The Israeli IDF Namer has as much armour as Merkava main battle tank . Armour is usually composed of steel or aluminium . They will also use ballistic glass . Many APCs are equipped with CBRN protection, which is intended to provide protection from weapons of mass destruction like poison gas and radioactive/nuclear weapons. Generally APCs will be lighter and less armoured than tanks or IFVs, often being open topped and featuring doors and windows, as seen in
1269-505: The Red Cross ( ICRC ) recognized symbols . The infantry fighting vehicle is a derivative of the APC. Various classes of infantry fighting vehicles may be deployed alongside tanks and APCs, in armoured and mechanized forces. The fundamental difference between an APC and IFV is the role they are designed for. The CFE treaty stipulates an infantry fighting vehicle is an APC with a cannon in excess of 20 mm, and with this additional firepower
1316-527: The Universal Carrier family can be traced back generally to the Carden Loyd tankettes family, which was developed in the 1920s, and specifically the Mk VI tankette. In 1934, Vickers-Armstrongs produced, as a commercial venture, a light tracked vehicle that could be used either to carry a machine gun or to tow a light field gun . The VA.D50 had an armoured box at the front for driver and a gunner and bench seating at
1363-683: The Universal followed the same design as the British Marks I to III In 1942, at the request of the Italian Army ( Regio Esercito ), Fiat produced a prototype carrier copied from a captured Universal Carrier; it was known as the Fiat 2800 or CVP-4. It is uncertain whether production vehicles were manufactured. Bren carriers captured by the Italians in the field were often fitted with Breda M37 machine guns. The Praying Mantis came from an attempt to produce
1410-406: The back for the gun crew. The War Office considered it as a possible replacement for their Vickers "Light Dragon" artillery tractors and took 69 as the "Light Dragon Mark III". One was built as the "Carrier, Machine-Gun Experimental (Armoured)", carrying a machine gun and its crew. The decision was made to drop the machine gun and its team and the next design had a crew of three—driver and gunner in
1457-454: The engine was an area in which passengers could sit or stores could be carried. Initially, there were several types of Carrier that varied slightly in design according to their purpose: "Medium Machine Gun Carrier" (the Vickers machine gun ), "Bren Gun Carrier", "Scout Carrier" and "Cavalry Carrier". The production of a single model came to be preferred and the Universal design appeared in 1940; this
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1504-408: The front sitting side by side; the driver to the right. The Ford V8 sidevalve engine with four speed gearbox was placed in the centre of the vehicle with the final drive (a commercial Ford axle ) at the rear. The suspension and running gear were based on that used on the Vickers light tank series using Horstmann springs . Directional control was through a vertical steering wheel which pivoted about
1551-455: The front, third crew-member on the left in the rear and the right rear open for storage. Fourteen of this design were built in mild steel as "Carrier, Machine-Gun No 1 Mark 1" and entered service in 1936. Six were converted into pilot models for the Machine gun Carrier No.2, Cavalry Carrier and Scout Carrier designs – the remainder were used for training. The carrier put the driver and commander at
1598-560: The gunner is poorly protected and at risk of injury in the event of vehicle rollover. During the Vietnam War , M113 gunners often suffered heavy casualties. Enclosed vehicles are equipped with turrets that allow the crew to operate the weapons system while protected by the vehicle's armour. The Soviet BTR-60 has an enclosed turret mounted with a KPV heavy machine gun with a PKT coaxial machine gun. The U.S. Assault Amphibious Vehicle, Personnel ( AAVP7 's) machine guns (an M2, .50 caliber MG and
1645-519: The infantry following—who were needed to consolidate the territory acquired—still faced small arms and artillery fire. Without infantry support, the tanks were isolated and more easily destroyed. In response, the British experimented with carrying machine-gun crews in the Mark V* tank , but it was found that the conditions inside the tanks rendered the men unfit for combat. During World War II, half-tracks like
1692-544: The integrity of the hull and folding down a trim vane in front. Water traverse speed varies greatly between vehicles and is much less than ground speed. The maximum swim speed of the M113 is 3.6 mph (5.8 km/h), about 10% its road speed, and the AAVP-7 can swim at 8.2 mph (13.2 km/h). Armoured personnel carriers are typically designed to protect against small arms and artillery fire. Some designs have more protection;
1739-609: The latter being known as armoured infantry. One of the first armored vehicles to be used in combat was the Spanish Schneider-Brillié , which saw action in Morocco. It was built from the chassis of a Schneider P2-4000 bus and could carry 12 passengers. The genesis of the armoured personnel carrier was on the Western Front of World War I. In the later stage of the war, Allied tanks could break through enemy trenches , but
1786-443: The limited service life of their treads , and the wear they cause on roads, tracked vehicles are typically transported over long distances by rail or trucks . Many APCs are amphibious , meaning they are able to traverse bodies of water. To move in water they will often have propellers or water jets , be propelled by their tracks, or driving on the river bed. Preparing the APC to operate amphibiously usually comprises checking
1833-454: The program's vehicles. These vehicles have good off-road mobility, armour protection against small arms fire, improvised explosive device (IED) and anti-personnel mines. These armored vehicles generally have distinctive V-shaped hull (for mine protection) and a wheeled chassis. This military -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Armoured personnel carrier An armoured personnel carrier ( APC )
1880-452: The roof or sides of the vehicle. Many feature a remote weapon system . Usually four-wheel drive, these IMVs are distinct from 8-, 6-, and 4-wheeled APCs (such as the VAB ), being closer in appearance to civilian armoured money and gold transporters . Universal Carrier The Universal Carrier , a development of the earlier Bren Gun Carrier from its light machine gun armament , was one of
1927-423: The support companies in infantry rifle battalions for carrying support weapons (initially 10, 21 by 1941, and up to 33 per battalion by 1943 ). A British armoured division of 1940–41 had 109 carriers; each motor battalion had 44. A British Carrier platoon originally had ten Universal Carriers with three carrier sections of three Universal Carriers each plus another Universal Carrier in the platoon HQ (along with
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1974-703: The top end was a machine-gun turret (with two Bren guns). The intention was to drive the Mantis up to a wall or hedgerow, elevate the gun, and fire over the obstacle from a position of safety. It was rejected after trials in 1944. An example of the Mantis is preserved in The Tank Museum . Many variants of the British Universal Carrier have been fielded and used by the armed forces of the following countries, amongst many others: Background: British armoured fighting vehicle production during World War II , Tanks in
2021-402: The uparmoured M1114 HMMWV is a clear example of this. The addition of armour provides protection to passengers. M1114s have been largely replaced by purpose-built Mine Resistant Ambush Protected ( MRAP ) vehicles. IMVs generally feature a v-shaped underbelly designed to deflect mine blasts outwards, with additional crew protection features such as four-point seat belts, and seats suspended from
2068-535: The vehicle is more involved in combat, providing fire support to dismounted infantry. "Infantry mobility vehicle" (IMV) is a new name for the old concept of an armoured car, with an emphasis on mine resistance. They are primarily used to protect passengers in unconventional warfare . The South African Casspir was first built in the late 1970s. In the 21st century, they gained favour in the post-Cold-War geopolitical climate. Identical to earlier High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) in design and function,
2115-545: Was represented by the Buffel , a Unimog chassis with a mine-protected cab and a mine-protected crew compartment mounted on it. These early vehicles overloaded their chassis and they were clumsy off-road. The Casspir Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle was developed for the SADF after 1980; this was the inspiration for the American and other military MRAPV program and the basis for some of
2162-489: Was the most widely produced of the carriers. It differed from the previous models in that the rear section of the body had a rectangular shape, with more space for the crew. Production of carriers began in 1934 and ended in 1960. Before the Universal design was introduced, the vehicles were produced by Aveling and Porter , Bedford Vehicles , Ford of Britain , Morris Motors Limited , the Sentinel Waggon Works , and
2209-577: Was ubiquitous in all the theatres during the Second World War with British and Commonwealth armies, from the war in the East to the occupation of Iceland . Although the theory and policy was that the carrier was a "fire power transport" and the crew would dismount to fight, practice differed. It could carry machine guns, anti-tank rifles, mortars, infantrymen, supplies, artillery and observation equipment. The seven mechanized divisional cavalry regiments in
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