Armoured Fighting Vehicle
Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) – an infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV), is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide fire support. The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe defines infantry fighting vehicle as "an armoured combat vehicle which is designed and equipped primarily to transport a combat infantry squad, which is armed with an integral or organic cannon of at least 20 millimeters calibre and sometimes an antitank missile launcher."
IFVs are similar to armoured personnel carriers (APCs), designed to transport a section or squad of infantry (generally between six and nine men) and their equipment. While APCs are purely transport vehicles armed only for self-defence, IFVs are designed to give direct fire support to the dismounted infantry and therefore have significantly enhanced armament. IFVs also often have improved armour and some have firing ports (allowing the infantry to fire personal weapons while mounted). They are typically armed with a calibre 20 to 40 mm autocannon, a coaxial 7.62 mm machine gun and sometimes anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). IFVs are usually tracked, but some wheeled vehicles fall into this category too. IFVs are much less heavily armed and armoured than main battle tanks, but if they carry anti-tank guided missiles they pose a significant threat to main battle tanks.
The IFV rapidly gained popularity with armies worldwide due to a demand for vehicles with higher firepower than APCs that were less expensive and easier to maintain than tanks. Nevertheless, it did not supersede the APC concept altogether due to the latter's continued usefulness in specialized roles [Foss, p.271].
Fighting vehicle - the military vehicle fitted with partial or complete armor plating for protection against bullets, shell fragments, and other projectiles. Armored military vehicles can move on wheels or on continuous tracks. The tank is the principal fighting armored vehicle. Other types armed with large-caliber main guns include tank destroyers and assault guns. This article traces the development of armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, and other armored vehicles designed primarily as platforms for assault troops [Encyclopedia Britannica].
Martin J. Dougherty, Chris McNab (2010). Combat Techniques: An Elite Forces Guide to Modern Infantry Tactics. Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-36824-1. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
Retrieved from: https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Infantry_fighting_vehicle.
Foss, C., (1991). Versatile roles of the APC and MICV. Jane's Defence Weekly. 173-178. London: Jane's Information Group.
Mansoor, P. (2015). Armoured vehicle. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved from: https://www.britannica.com/technology/armoured-vehicle