Military vehicle

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A military vehicle is any vehicle for land-based military transport and activity, including combat vehicles, both specifically designed for or significantly used by military. [1] Most military vehicles require off-road capabilities and/or vehicle armor, [1] making them heavy. Some have vehicle tracks instead of just wheels; half-tracks have both. Furthermore, some military vehicles are amphibious, constructed for use on land and water, and sometimes also intermediate surfaces.

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Military vehicles are almost always camouflaged, or at least painted in inconspicuous color(s). In contrast, under the Geneva Conventions, all non-combatant military vehicles, such as military ambulances and mobile first aid stations, must be properly and clearly marked as such. Under the conventions, when respected, such vehicles are legally immune from deliberate attack by all combatants.

Historically, militaries explored the use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) vehicles, both to gain experience with commercially available products and technology, and to try to save time in development, and money in procurement. A subtype that has become increasingly prominent since the late 20th century is the improvised fighting vehicle, often seen in irregular warfare.

Military trucks

DAC military trucks operated by the Romanian Armed Forces DAC military trucks Nanesti Vrancea floods.jpg
DAC military trucks operated by the Romanian Armed Forces

A military truck is a vehicle designed to transport troops, fuel, and materiel along asphalted roads and unpaved dirt roads. Military trucks are a crucial part of military logistics. Several countries have manufactured their own models of military trucks, each of which has its own technical characteristics. These vehicles are adapted to the needs of the different armies on the ground. In general, these trucks are composed of a chassis, a motor, a transmission, a cabin, an area for the placement of the load and the equipment, axles of transmission, suspensions, direction, tires, electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic, engine cooling systems, and brakes. They can be operated with a gasoline engine or with a diesel engine, there are four-wheel drive (4x4) vehicles, six wheeled (6x6), eight wheeled (8x8), ten wheeled (10x10) and even twelve wheeled vehicles (12x12).

Types of military vehicles

Land combat and non-combat vehicles include:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armoured fighting vehicle</span> Combat vehicle with both armament and armour

An armoured fighting vehicle or armored fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked. Examples of AFVs are tanks, armoured cars, assault guns, self-propelled artilleries, infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), and armoured personnel carriers (APC).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tank</span> Tracked heavy armoured fighting vehicle

A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; usually their main armament is mounted in a turret. They are a mainstay of modern 20th and 21st century ground forces and a key part of combined arms combat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amphibious vehicle</span> Vehicle capable of transport on both land and over/under water

An amphibious vehicle is a vehicle that is a means of transport viable on land as well as on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious bicycles, ATVs, cars, buses, trucks, railway vehicles, combat vehicles and hovercraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Half-track</span> Land vehicle with both regular wheels and continuous tracks

A half-track is a civilian or military vehicle with regular wheels at the front for steering and continuous tracks at the back to propel the vehicle and carry most of the load. The purpose of this combination is to produce a vehicle with the cross-country capabilities of a tank and the handling of a wheeled vehicle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé</span> French armoured personnel carrier

The Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé or VAB is a French armoured personnel carrier and support vehicle designed and manufactured by Renault Trucks Defense. It entered service in 1976 and around 5,000 were produced. It has seen combat in various conflicts in Africa, Asia as well as Europe and has also been exported to more than 15 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mowag</span>

Mowag is a Swiss company founded in 1950, which develops, designs and produces armoured fighting vehicles for military applications in both land-only and amphibious configurations. These vehicles have gross vehicle weights ranging from 9 tonnes to 30 tonnes. In 2003, the company was acquired by General Dynamics, and is now known as GDELS-Mowag, part of General Dynamics European Land Systems (GDELS).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M29 Weasel</span> American light tracked vehicle

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">K200 KIFV</span> Armored personnel carrier

The K200 KIFV is a South Korean armored personnel carrier, originally produced by Daewoo Heavy Industries as a domestic replacement for older armored personnel carriers, such as the M113, in front line service with the Republic of Korea Armed Forces at the time of the K200's development. Since 2009 the K200 has been supplemented by the K21. A total of 2,383 K200 vehicles of all configurations were produced between 1985 and 2006, among which are 111 K200A1 vehicles exported to Malaysia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of transport</span> Overview of and topical guide to transport

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to transport:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZ-551</span> Armoured fighting vehicle

The WZ-551 is a Chinese wheeled infantry fighting vehicle family. The name WZ-551 actually covers two families of vehicles with the official designations in the People's Liberation Army (PLA) – Type 90 and Type 92. Over 3,000 WZ-551s are in service with the PLA, where they are used by medium mechanized infantry units.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Armoured personnel carrier</span> Transport vehicle for combat zones

An armoured personnel carrier (APC) 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type 85 AFV</span> Armoured personnel carrier

The Type 85 is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle produced by Chinese company Norinco. It is an improved version of the Type 63 armoured personnel carrier. The vehicle is bigger, has additional firing ports and periscopes, a longer chassis with an additional road wheel on each side, and is equipped with an NBC protection system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Type 08</span> Chinese wheeled armoured fighting vehicle family

The Type 08 is a family of eight-wheeled amphibious, modular armored vehicle developed by Norinco for infantry fire support, battlefield logistics, and quick reaction operations. Developed in the early 2000s, the modern Chinese vehicle family were produced for more than 6000 hulls and widely deployed by the People's Liberation Army Ground Force and People's Liberation Army Marine Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TATA Kestrel</span> Wheeled armored personnel carrier

The TATA Kestrel, also known as the IPMV , is a family of armoured personnel carriers developed by Tata Advanced Systems and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO). It was developed to replace Soviet-era BMP-1 and BMP-2 and APCs in service with the Indian Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ZBD-03</span> Chinese infantry fighting vehicle

The ZBD-03 or Type 03 is a Chinese airborne infantry fighting vehicle. It features a light-weight chassis and hydropneumatic suspension for airborne operations. Early prototypes received the designation ZLC-2000.

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