Armored car (military)

For other uses, see Armored car (disambiguation).

For tracked, armored military vehicles, see Armored fighting vehicle. An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged

A 1906 Austro-Daimler Armoured Fighting Vehicle - Prototype

A Rolls Royce armoured car 1920 pattern

Railway shop workers built this vehicle for use by the Danish resistance movement near the end of World War II

Kubuś, a replica of a Polish WWII armored vehicle made by the Home Army

A modern French VBL reconnaissance vehicle

A military armored (or armoured) car (see spelling differences) is a wheeled armored vehicle, lighter than other armored fighting vehicles, primarily being armored and/or armed for self-defence of the occupants. The Danish Resistance Movement (Modstandsbevægelsen was an underground insurgency movement to resist the German Occupation of Denmark during World War II. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including Kubuś was a Polish World War II armoured car and Armoured personnel carrier (APC made by the Home Army during the Warsaw Uprising Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Panhard Véhicule Blindé Léger ("Light armoured vehicle" is a wheeled 4x4 American and British English spelling differences are one aspect of American and British English differences. Other multi-axled wheeled military vehicles can be quite large, and actually be superior to some smaller tracked vehicles in terms of armour and armament.

History

At the beginning of the twentieth century a number of military armored vehicles were manufactured by adding armor and weapons to existing vehicles. Most of the early designs were a large car chassis to which a body made of steel plates had been added such as the Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

Military use

See also: List of military armored cars

A military armored car is a type of armoured fighting vehicle having wheels (from four to ten large off-road wheels) instead of tracks, and usually light armor. The Rolls-Royce armoured car was a British armoured car developed in 1914 and used in World War I and in the early part of World War II. List of military armoured cars. Australia ASLAV - Australian version of the Mowag Piranha An armoured fighting vehicle ( AFV) is a military Vehicle, protected by armour and armed with Weapons Most AFVs are equipped for driving in rugged A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis facilitating movement or transportation whilst supporting a load ( Mass) or performing labour in machines Continuous tracks are large (modular tracks used on the so-called caterpillar Tanks construction equipment and certain other off-road vehicles For body armour see Armour, for armoured forces see Armoured warfare, for other uses see Armour (disambiguation. Armored cars are typically less expensive and have superior speed and range compared to tracked military vehicles. Most are not intended for heavy fighting; their normal use is for reconnaissance, command, control, and communications, or for use against lightly armed insurgents or rioters. Reconnaissance (also scouting) is a military and medical term denoting exploration conducted to gain information Only some are intended to enter close combat, often accompanying convoys to protect soft-skinned vehicles. They usually mount a machine gun, autocannon, or small tank gun. For other uses of the phrase see Machine Gun (disambiguation. An autocannon is a rapid fire projectile Weapon. Autocannon often have a larger Caliber (calibre than a Machine gun (i Other uses include as a way to move (or tow) various long-range rocket, missile, or mortar batteries through dangerous areas while giving some protection to the crew.

Armored cars are popular for peacekeeping or internal security duties. Their appearance is less confrontational and threatening than tanks, and their size and manoeuvrability is more compatible with tight urban spaces designed for wheeled vehicles. They can also be much more easily air-deployed in cargo planes. Cargo airlines (or airfreight carriers, and derivatives of these names are Airlines dedicated to the Transport of Cargo.

Many modern forces now have their dedicated armored car designs, to exploit the advantages noted above. Examples would be the M1117 Armored Security Vehicle of the USA or Alvis Saladin of the post-World War II era in the United Kingdom. The M1117 Guardian Armored Security Vehicle, or ASV is an all-wheel drive armored vehicle manufactured by Cadillac Gage of The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Saladin (FV601 was a six-wheeled armoured car built by Alvis and used by the British Army. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Alternatively, civilian vehicles may be modified into improvised armored cars in ad-hoc fashion. Many militias and irregular forces adapt civilian vehicles into AFVs (Armoured Fighting Vehicles) and troop carriers, and in some regional conflicts these "technicals" are the only combat vehicles present. A technical is a type of Improvised fighting vehicle, typically a civilian or military non-combat vehicle modified to On occasion, even the soldiers of national militaries are forced to adapt their civilian-type vehicles for combat use, often using improvised armor and scrounged weapons.