Armored car (military)

"Light Armored Vehicle" redirects here. For series of vehicles produced by General Dynamics Land Systems, see LAV (armoured vehicle).
U.S. T17E1 Staghound armoured car of World War II
AMX-10RC, a modern armoured car of the French Army
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A military armored (also spelled armoured) car is a wheeled armoured fighting vehicle, historically employed for reconnaissance, internal security, armed escort, and other subordinate battlefield tasks.[1] With the gradual decline of mounted cavalry, armored cars were developed for carrying out duties formerly assigned to light cavalry.[2] 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.[3] 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.[3]

Since World War II the traditional functions of the armored car have been occasionally combined with that of the armoured personnel carrier, resulting in such multipurpose designs as the BTR-40 or the Cadillac Gage Commando.[2] Postwar advances in recoil control technology have also made it possible for a few armoured cars, including the B1 Centauro, the Panhard AML, the AMX-10 RC and EE-9 Cascavel, to carry a large cannon capable of threatening many tanks.[4]

  1. ^ Lepage, Jean-Denis G.G. (7 March 2007). German Military Vehicles of World War II: An Illustrated Guide to Cars, Trucks, Half-Tracks, Motorcycles, Amphibious Vehicles and Others (2007 ed.). McFarland & Company. pp. 169–172. ISBN 978-0786428984.
  2. ^ a b Bull, Stephen (2004). Encyclopedia of Military Technology and Innovation (2004 ed.). Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 19–20. ISBN 978-1573565578.
  3. ^ a b Bradford, James (2006). International Encyclopedia of Military History (2006 ed.). Routledge Books. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-0415936613.
  4. ^ Dougherty, Martin J. (15 December 2012). Modern Weapons: Compared and Contrasted: Armored Fighting Vehicles (2012 ed.). Rosen Central. pp. 34–36. ISBN 978-1448892440.