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Non-military armoured vehicles (or paramilitary armoured vehicles if used by a paramilitary) are armoured vehicles used outside professional armed forces. While primarily invented and used for defense/internal conflicts from an equally well armed organized force, armour technology has found a number of other uses outside of this military context.
Several sovereign states employ a standing security force, akin to a military force but separate from the official military. These official forces are often equipped with armoured cars, although often fitted with less lethal armaments, such as water cannon.
In countries that employ a territorial reserve force, only mobilized in times of war for civil defense, these forces may also be equipped with armoured cars. As the main heavy armaments may be out of the country or with the main army, the civil defense force may only have these military specification armoured cars as their best defense.
In France the paramilitary National Gendarmerie is amongst other vehicles equipped with 70 Berliets.
The United Kingdom police, particularly the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), has a great number of police role armoured vehicles based upon a range of base platforms including the Land Rover Defender and the OVIK Crossway. The internal security situation in Northern Ireland demands that the police operate up to 450 armoured vehicles which are optimised for public order duties. The PSNI uses OVIK PANGOLIN armoured public order vehicles.
In times of civil war or rebellion, factions or opposition groups without sufficient access to military armour, may convert civilian vehicles into fighting vehicles, adding improvised vehicle armour.
Mexican drug cartels used armed trucks with improvised vehicle armour to fight both law enforcement and rival cartels called narco tanks or Monstrou.
Bulldozers, excavators, and other equipment are sometimes armoured to protect operators from debris.
Fire engines used in HAZMAT and airport firefighting are sometimes armoured to protect firefighters from explosions.
Several domestic police forces possess armoured vehicles. These may exist as part of specific response units, such as SWAT. Other forces in specific trouble spots, such as apartheid South Africa, or Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, may routinely patrol in armoured vehicles.
In Israel, the Emergency medical services also have armoured ambulances for the protection of patients and crew.
In Germany, the Sonderwagen or Specialwagon is used for riot-control. An armoured 6x6 vehicle, the Sonderwagen emblazoned with POLIZEI demonstrates the additional paramilitary capability of the Bundespolizei, which has arrest powers like the U.S. FBI but paramilitary capability like the U.S. National Guard.
Lightly armoured vans and buses may also be used as Prisoner transport vehicles, as protection against attempts to break the prisoners out of custody.
In some cases, buses may also be fitted with armour. These can also be used by the regular military, but are still serving their main purpose of transporting people.
Armoured cars often find use in transporting valuable commodities, usually currency, in order to provide a defence against robbery.
Several VIPs such as businessmen, politicians and diplomats may choose to be transported, or provided with an armoured passenger car, as a protection against kidnap or assassination.
In the field of tornado study, a vehicle has been specially modified to be able to drive into the heart of tornados to take measurements while protecting the occupants from debris.
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).
A military armoredcar is a wheeled armoured fighting vehicle, historically employed for reconnaissance, internal security, armed escort, and other subordinate battlefield tasks. With the gradual decline of mounted cavalry, armored cars were developed for carrying out duties formerly assigned to light cavalry. Following the invention of the tank, the armoured car remained popular due to its faster speed, comparatively simple maintenance and low production cost. It also found favor with several colonial armies as a cheaper weapon for use in underdeveloped regions. During World War II, most armoured cars were engineered for reconnaissance and passive observation, while others were devoted to communications tasks. Some equipped with heavier armament could even substitute for tracked combat vehicles in favorable conditions—such as pursuit or flanking maneuvers during the North African campaign.
In the United States, a SWAT team is a generic term for a police tactical unit.
The Patria Pasi is a Finnish-made six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) originally designed for Finnish Defence Forces. The first variant was produced in 1983 and serial production began in 1984. It was designed to operate with ease of use, simple structure and low-cost maintenance. The basic appearance and configuration of the Pasi is similar to most other wheeled APCs. The XA-180 and XA-185 are fully amphibious, while other variants are not.
The Patria AMV is an 8×8 multi-role military vehicle produced by the Finnish defence industry company Patria.
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 French service in 1979 and around 5,000 were produced for the French Army as well as for export. It has seen combat in various conflicts in Africa, Asia as well as Europe and has also been exported to more than 15 countries.
The Saxon is an armoured personnel carrier formerly used by the British Army and supplied in small numbers to various overseas organisations. It was developed by GKN Sankey from earlier projects, AT 100 IS and AT104, and was due to be replaced by the Future Rapid Effect System.
Armoured warfare or armored warfare, is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war. The premise of armored warfare rests on the ability of troops to penetrate conventional defensive lines through use of manoeuvre by armoured units.
The FV603 Saracen is a six-wheeled armoured personnel carrier designed and produced by Alvis from 1952 to 1976. It has been used by a variety of operators around the world and is still in use in secondary roles in some countries. The Saracen became a recognisable vehicle as a result of its part in Operation Banner in Northern Ireland as well as for its role in the South African government's enforcement of apartheid.
A SWAT vehicle, police armored vehicle, or police rescue vehicle is a non-military armored vehicle used by police tactical units to respond to incidents. They are most often in configurations similar to military light utility vehicles, infantry mobility vehicles, or armoured personnel carriers. They are generally designed to have armor that can sufficiently block high-caliber rounds, space to carry the unit's equipment, and sufficient passenger seating; some also allow for additional personnel to hang onto the side of the vehicle in transit.
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).
The Cadillac Gage Commando, frequently denoted as the M706 in U.S. military service, is an American armored car designed to be amphibious. It was engineered by Cadillac Gage specifically for the United States Military Police Corps during the Vietnam War as an armed convoy escort vehicle. The Commando was one of the first vehicles to combine the traditionally separate roles of an armored personnel carrier and a conventional armored car, much like the Soviet BTR-40. Its notable height, amphibious capability, and waterproofed engine allowed American crews to fight effectively in the jungles of Vietnam by observing their opponents over thick vegetation and fording the country's deep rivers.
A huge number of M113 armored personnel carrier variants have been created, ranging from infantry carriers to nuclear missile carriers. The M113 armored personnel carrier has become one of the most prolific armored vehicles of the second half of the 20th century, and continues to serve with armies around the world in many roles.
The BOV, is an all-wheel drive armoured vehicle manufactured in the former Yugoslavia and today in Serbia. The second generation BOV is currently in development.
An improvised fighting vehicle is an ad hoc combat vehicle resulting from modified or upgraded civilian or military non-combat vehicle, often constructed and employed by civilian insurgents, terrorists, rebels, mobsters, guerrillas, partisans, drug cartels, criminal organizations or other forms of non-state militias and irregular armies. Such modifications usually consist of grafting improvised armour plating and fixed crew-served weapons such as heavy machine guns or antiaircraft autocannons mounted onto the back of a utility vehicle or pickup truck.
The Wolf Armoured Vehicle is an armoured personnel carrier, used mainly by the Israeli Defence Force. It was created to provide a better handling and better protected armoured vehicle than the M113 (Bardelas). The Wolf is a heavily armoured crew carrier, manufactured by the company Carmor. It combines a commercial truck's speed and maneuverability and APC-like armour, qualities necessary for low-intensity confrontation. The Wolf's chassis is based on a Ford F-550 truck, and is equipped with a 6-litre V8 engine capable of reaching 325 horsepower. The engine is combined with a 5-speed automatic transmission, which drives all four wheels, making this a four-by-four.
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.
The Peugeot armoured car was a four-wheeled armoured vehicle based on a commercial Peugeot truck that was quickly developed by the French in 1914 for use during the First World War.
The Tigr is a Russian 4×4 multipurpose all-terrain infantry mobility vehicle manufactured by Military Industrial Company, first delivered to the Russian Army in 2006.
The Tata Light Armored Troop Carrier (LATC) is an armored personnel carrier developed by Tata Motors, an automotive company in India. It is designed to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Armed Forces and paramilitary units, providing protection, mobility, and versatility for various operations.