Protected vehicle

FPI Cougar HE during an impact test

Protected vehicles are a class of military vehicles .

Features and demarcation

Protected vehicles are used to transport people and, to a certain extent, material. The basis of these vehicles with standard wheeled chassis are 4 × 4 - off-road vehicles or light trucks with 4 × 4, 6 × 6 or 8 × 8 drive , which - according to STANAG 4569 protection levels for occupants of logistics and light armored vehicles - are protected by a Passenger cell with vehicle windows made of armored glass offer protection against booby traps , USBV and mines as well as against fire with handguns in the event of a fire attack or ambush .

Protected vehicles are also counted as armored transport vehicles or wheeled armored vehicles, but must be distinguished from these as a separate sub-category, as, unlike armored transport vehicles, they have no combat mission and are not or only partially protected against anti-tank weapons and not against anti-tank weapons . The distinguishing feature is that a transport tank can be retrofitted with a BMK turret to become an infantry fighting vehicle, a protected vehicle does not offer this option due to its configuration. Protected vehicles are also to be distinguished from tankettes that have a combat mission, such as the weapon carrier Wiesel .

The advantage of protected vehicles over armored vehicles is their greater mobility on roads and paths with lower fuel consumption and lower maintenance requirements . In addition, the damage to paved roads is significantly less than with tracked vehicles . The latter need, in order to keep the wear and the need for repairs low, for transport over long distances tank transport - low loader .

history

A mamba

Forerunners of the protected vehicles were called armored cars and were armored automobiles.

The first vehicles of this type, like the Casspir and Mamba , were used by the South African Army in the Bush War.

The MRAP vehicles ( English : Mine Resistant Ambush Protected-Vehicle ; German : Mine and ambush-protected vehicle) of the US armed forces were the first program family of protected military vehicles.

Subspecies

Protected vehicles can be divided into vehicles with a

short, protected passenger cell and Light amoured Patrol Vehicle as

Leading vehicle C4I or C2 with an extended telecommunications equipment
Reconnaissance vehicles like the Fennek
reconnaissance vehicle or the Véhicule Blindé Léger - unlike a reconnaissance tank
, these have no combat mission
- Scout vehicle too
- Patrol vehicle , mostly as a protected terrain vehicle with a crew size to 5 soldiers, as a transport vehicle VIP , military police squad , engineer reconnaissance vehicle , Messages field squad , Tactical Feuerleittrupp fire support ,

Anti-tank and fire support vehicle with an anti-tank guided weapon or grenade machine weapon ,

or long, protected passenger compartment as

Group transport vehicle with a crew of up to 11 soldiers,
Transport vehicle specialized forces u. a. Ambulance or BAT vehicle , command post vehicle , EOD squad with grip - and excavator , pioneer group vehicle or battle damage repair vehicle
Protected recovery vehicle such as the Bison recovery vehicle
protected supply vehicle with loading area such as swap body system Multi , Mercedes-Benz Zetros , Iveco Trakker .

Heavy load transporter of the Bundeswehr SLT 2 "Mammut" is a protected vehicle for the transport of armored vehicles.

In addition, “armored”, ie protected, pioneer vehicles such as the IDF Bulldozer D9 can also be assigned to this category from commercially available construction machines .

A special form of protected vehicles are caterpillars like the Häglund Husky Bv206S represents.

Self-propelled artillery pieces such as the Archer self-propelled howitzer , whose driver and command cabin is protected and the loaded gun is partially protected, are a specialty .

Worldwide, the police use protected vehicles as special vehicles with hundreds of riot police and in tactical special units of police authorities such as the various SWAT of the federal and city authorities in the USA and other countries.