armored personnel carrier

An armored vehicle, usually equipped with treads, used to transport infantry.

APCs (armoured personnel carriers) are, as the term suggests, vehicles designed primarily to transport troops, while at the same time affording those carried some protection against small arms, light support weapons, blast, and nuclear, bacteriological, and chemical attack. Unlike MICVs, they are not designed to be fought from and any offensive armament they may carry is usually an afterthought. There are three main types of APC: wheeled, tracked, and half-tracked (although the last is now largely obsolete). The Wehrmacht led the way in the development of APCs, blitzkrieg requiring mobile infantry to keep up with tanks. The Hanomag-designed Schutzenpanzerwagen (SPW) series was based on a three-quarter tank chassis, with its tracks bearing most of the vehicle's weight, while front wheels combined with the tracks to steer it. The SPW was capable of carrying a squad of eight to nine men plus a driver and commander. Britain's Universal or ‘Bren Gun’ Carrier provided her and Commonwealth forces with a fully tracked APC, while the US army's White and International half-tracks provided the Allies with an equivalent to the SPW and were employed extensively during the latter stages of the war.

Half-tracked APCs were generally difficult to steer and complicated to maintain and post-war APC manufacture has concentrated on either fully tracked or wheeled types. The most popular tracked APC must be the US army's M113. Adopted throughout NATO, with the exception of France, Britain, and Portugal, the aluminium alloy armoured M113 remains in general use in many of the world's armies. Britain also built a tracked APC, the FV 432, to meet the same operational requirements while the French opted for wheeled vehicles, such as the Panhard M3/VTT and Berliet VAB. The decision to adopt either a wheeled or tracked APC is largely dependent on the role in which it will be employed. Armoured warfare on the plains of west and central Europe is very different from internal security operations in an urban area or patrolling across desert wastes in the sub-Sahara. Tracked APCs are generally more heavily armoured and have better cross-country capabilities than wheeled vehicles, which are lighter and faster on most surfaces, while also less expensive to manufacture and maintain. The jury is still out on whether the hybrid MICV can deliver the infantry support punch that the APCs were built to provide.

— Peter MacDonald

A highly mobile full-tracked vehicle with light armor. Capable of amphibious travel, it can also be dropped into a target area. It is used primarily for moving personnel and their equipment during tactical operations, and can be modified, either by modifications during production or the use of special kits, making it suitable for use as a mortar carrier, command post, flame thrower, antiaircraft artillery chassis, or limited recovery vehicle.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

(DOD) A lightly armored, highly mobile, full-tracked vehicle, amphibious and air-droppable, used primarily for transporting personnel and their individual equipment during tactical operations. Production modifications or application of special kits permit use as a mortar carrier, command post, flame thrower, antiaircraft artillery chassis, or limited recovery vehicle. Also called APC.

It has been suggested that Infantry mobility vehicle be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Armoured personnel carriers (APCs) are armoured fighting vehicles developed to transport infantry on the battlefield. They usually have only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), or mortars. They are not really designed to take part in a direct-fire battle, but to carry the troops to the battlefield safe from shrapnel and ambush. They may have wheels or tracks. Examples include the American M113 (tracked), the British FV 432 (tracked), the French VAB (wheeled), the German GTK Boxer (wheeled) and the Soviet BTR (wheeled). More heavily armed and armoured are Infantry fighting vehicles, which are designed for direct combat.

History

The M113, one of the most common tracked APCs, on duty during the Vietnam War.

Some forces practiced very dangerous tank desant tactics before the widespread adoption of APCs

During World War I, when the tank was developed, the British Mark V* tank was designed with a small passenger compartment to carry troops. By some definitions this can be considered the first armoured personnel carrier. The first specialised APC was the Mark IX of 1918.

During World War II, half-tracks such as the American M3 and the German SdKfz 251 played a role similar to the armoured personnel carriers that were developed later on. Another forerunner to the APC during this time was the British Universal Carrier also known as the Bren Carrier for the weapon it was designed to carry. Often, APCs were simply armoured cars with the capacity for carrying troops, but they evolved into purpose-built vehicles to suit the demands of motorised warfare from World War II.

In 1944, the commander of 2nd Canadian Corps, General Guy Simonds, ordered the conversion of 72 US-produced M7 Priest self-propelled howitzers to personnel carriers. They were, at the time, being replaced by the British Ordnance QF 25 pounder, and no future plans had been drawn up for them. The howitzer was removed, and the resulting hole was plugged with whatever steel was available. The vehicle was called Kangaroo, after the workshop which did the conversion, which was codenamed Kangaroo. Later in the war Canadian-built Ram tanks were used as a basis for the majority of conversions, as they were replaced by US Sherman tanks, and the original Kangaroos were converted back to self-propelled howitzers and returned to American forces.

After the war different specialised APCs were developed. The United States developed a series of tracked vehicles, culminating in the M113 "box on tracks", of which 80,000 were made. The Soviet Union developed the wartime BTR-40 into a series of 8-wheeled APC.

At the end of the 1980s, Israel converted captured T-55 tanks to APCs, reminiscent of WWII conversions. The result is one of the best protected APCs in the world, called IDF Achzarit.

The infantry fighting vehicle is a development of the armoured personnel carrier concept.

Technology

Polish Dzik-3s of the Iraqi Army

GTK Boxer of the German Army

A French VAB, one of the most common wheeled APCs

Most armoured personnel carriers use a diesel engine comparable to that used in a large truck or in a typical city bus (APCs are often known to troops as 'Battle Taxis' or 'Battle Buses'). The M113 for instance used the same engine as the standard General Motors urban bus.

Most APCs are amphibious. Usually tracked APCs are powered by their tracks in the water, and wheeled APCs have propellors or water jets. Preparations for amphibious operations usually comprises checking the integrity of the hull and folding down a trim vane in front. Swimming required fairly still waters, and good entry and exit points. Speed in water is typically 3-6 km/h.

Armour on APCs are usually composed of simple steel or aluminium, sufficient for protection against small arms fire and most shell fragments. Just about any type of anti-tank weapon can defeat the armour of an APC.

The usual armament for an APC is a 12.7 (.50") or 14.5 mm heavy machine gun. This is mounted on top of the vehicle, either on a simple pintle mount, sometimes with a gun shield, or a small turret. Sometimes an automatic grenade launcher is used instead.

See also

• Half-track
• Infantry fighting vehicle
• List of modern armoured fighting vehicles

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Armoured personnel carrier

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