Continuing the "Top 10" rating from the Discovery Channel, I would like to draw your attention to one more amusing selection. This time, the experts' attention was paid to "Armored Personal Carriers" - a general designation for all types of armored vehicles intended for the transport of personnel. The review included both light armored personnel carriers weighing 5 tons and heavy infantry fighting vehicles. Despite the seeming absurdity, this is quite logical - all this equipment, tracked or wheeled, regardless of its size, performs the same task - it transports people and goods in military conflicts, protecting them with their armor. For example, there are no strict distinctions, for example, between an armored personnel carrier or an infantry fighting vehicle. The only thing that distinguished them in theory was that the infantry fighting vehicle is capable of supporting the infantry in battle, while the armored personnel carrier only delivers them to the battlefield. With the disappearance of a clearly marked front line, and this is exactly what is observed in all local conflicts of the last quarter of the twentieth century, an armored personnel carrier and an infantry fighting vehicle now perform the same functions. Modern armored vehicles, regardless of their mass, often carry the same weapons, and serve as a platform for the creation of specialized military equipment - from command-staff and ambulances to self-propelled howitzers and multiple launch rocket systems.
In contrast to the controversial and controversial rating "10 best tanks according to the Military Channel", the rating "10 best armored vehicles", in my opinion, is quite adequate and generally correct: it contains really worthy vehicles. It would not be superfluous to add that you should not take such ratings seriously - after all, this is an infotainment program. Therefore, dear readers, I recommend that you pay attention not so much to the places in the rating, but to the cars themselves. For example, I myself, not being an expert in the field of armored vehicles, did not suspect the existence of many of them. And yet, in this review there is a serious conclusion - the review shows the most promising directions for the development of armored vehicles, the correct decisions and mistakes of designers. After all, if the landing party prefers to move ON the armor, and not UNDER the armor, then something really is wrong with the armored vehicles.
The comparison criteria, as always, will be technical excellence, innovative solutions in creating this sample, manufacturability and mass production and, of course, the chief judge is the experience of combat use.
Well, this is probably all that I wanted to add on my own, this is the end of the prelude, let's move on to the rating. There are many decent cars in the world, but exactly 10 fit in the top ten.
10th place - Marder
Bundeswehr infantry fighting vehicle, combat weight - 33 tons. Year of adoption for service - 1970. Crew - 3 people + 7 people landing.
It was created as a response to the Soviet BMP-1. The armament complex includes a 20 mm Rheinmetall-202 automatic cannon and a Milan ATGM. Speed (up to 75 km / h on the highway), excellent security, German quality - what else is needed for a good BMP? The general picture is slightly spoiled by Marder's lack of combat experience - with the exception of occasional participation in operations in Afghanistan, this armored vehicle almost never traveled outside the FRG autobahns.
In total, the Germans collected 2,700 of their miracle infantry fighting vehicles, including a self-propelled air defense system based on them. Good car in all respects. Tenth place.
9th place - M1114
American armored vehicle. As you might have guessed from the pictures, this is the legendary Humvee with a set of armor. By the mid-90s, from the experience of the combat use of the M998 chassis, it became clear that the army needed a light armored personnel carrier based on it, having anti-splinter armor and, most importantly, stable mine protection. The M1114 possessed all these qualities, combining mobility, security and firepower with a total weight of less than 5 tons. The set of removable weapons for the M1114 includes everything from light machine guns on the roof, to remote-controlled 12.7 mm machine gun mounts, MANPADS and anti-tank missile systems.
From here, you should make a small excursion into the history of "Humvee" (aka - chassis М998 HMMWV). Adopted by the United States in 1981 as a "highly mobile, multipurpose wheeled vehicle," the Humvee has become one of the symbols of the American army, appearing in all conflicts over the past 30 years. According to General Motors, 200,000 of all Humvees have been produced to date. One of the most important properties of this semi-thunderbolt-semi-jeep was the versatility of the design. Here are just some of the machines based on it:
M998 - open cargo truck, M998 Avenger - variant with the "Stinger" anti-aircraft missile system, M966 - armored jeep with TOW anti-tank complex, M1097 - two-seater pickup, M997 - ambulance jeep with a four-seater cabin, M1026 - variant with a fully enclosed four-seater body and a winch, M1035 - sanitary version with a four-door cab, M1114 - light armored personnel carrier, one of the most massive versions of the Humvee
The designers of General Motors were able to find the optimal balance between the carrying capacity, allowing it to perform all the functions of a universal army vehicle, mount a variety of weapons and armor protection, and, at the same time, did not unnecessarily overweight the car, keeping the size of a large jeep. The Humvee has become a benchmark in its class. Now army SUVs in all countries of the world borrow its technical solutions, layout and appearance.
Military equipment a priori cannot be successful in the civilian market in conditions of free competition. This axiom always serves as proof of the justification for exorbitant military spending: "If you do not want to feed your army, you will feed someone else's", and so on. in the same spirit. In the case of the "Hummer", we see the opposite - a stylish army car, retaining the main components (including a 6-liter engine, transmission, suspension), became a successful commercial project - in 1992 its civilian version "Hummer H1" with minimal cosmetic changes, later evolving to the iconic luxury SUV "Hummer H2" with a luxury-salon and automatic transmission.
The armored army version of the Humvee M1114 fought a lot around the world, often came under fire, burned, exploded, got stuck in the mud, but nevertheless saved the lives of the soldiers sitting inside. This is what is required of real military equipment.
8th place - The Universal Carrier
British multipurpose armored personnel carrier-tractor - the main assistant of the British soldier. An unassuming-looking car with a crew of 5 people dashingly moved at a speed of up to 50 km / h on the battlefields of the Second World War. The Universal Carrier has fought on all fronts, from Europe and the Eastern Front to the Sahara and the jungles of Indonesia. Later he managed to take part in the war on the Korean Peninsula and gloriously ended his career in the 1960s.
Weighing only 4 tons, The Universal Carrier had decent maneuverability and was protected by 10 mm of armor. The armament of the linear armored personnel carriers included a 14 mm anti-tank rifle and / or a 7, 7 mm Bren machine gun. In addition to the basic version, the troops received the Wasp flamethrower vehicle and self-propelled guns with a 40 mm gun, created on its platform.
In total, over the years of serial production from 1934 to 1960. factories in the UK, USA, Australia and Canada have produced 113,000 of these small but useful machines.
7th place - Sonderkraftfahrzeug 251
A formidable combat vehicle, crushing the countries of Europe, the sands of North Africa and the icy expanses of Russia with its wheels and tracks.
The SdKfz 251 half-track armored personnel carrier fully corresponded to the Blitzkrieg strategy - a fast, roomy and well-protected vehicle with high maneuverability. Crew - 2 people + 10 troops, road speed 50 km / h, wheeled-caterpillar propulsion, circular armor up to 15 mm thick. Like any German technology, the armored personnel carrier was equipped with a huge variety of options and equipment to perform any task. The German engineering genius sold out in full force, here's an estimate of the scale: SdKfz 251 were equipped with a variety of observation and communication devices, cranes and winches, radio stations of all types and frequencies, assault bridges, sets of removable armor and a variety of weapons, among which there was even such exotic as jet multiple launch rocket systems Wurframen 40 caliber 280 mm.
A great variety of specialized vehicles were created on the SdKfz 251 platform: in addition to the base model, ambulance and command and staff vehicles, observation and communication vehicles, mobile telephone exchanges, positions of artillery spotters, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns with automatic 20 mm MG 151/20 guns, flamethrower vehicles were produced, movable firing points with 37 mm and 75 mm anti-tank guns, engineering technology …
Among these designs were truly unique examples of armored vehicles, such as the Schallaufnahmepanzerwagen - a sound direction finder to determine the position of enemy artillery positions out of sight, or the Infrarotscheinwerfer - a self-propelled infrared searchlight for illuminating the night sights of Panther tanks.
From myself, I can add the following: lovers of revelations and followers of Vladimir Rezun's creativity, meticulously counting the number of German armored vehicles, somehow always forget to include in their lists 15,000 SdKfz 251 armored personnel carriers produced by the German industry, although these armored vehicles were superior in their capabilities to many tanks of that period …
By the way, the SdKfz 251 armored personnel carrier was so good that it was produced in Czechoslovakia until 1962.
6th place - M1126 "Stryker"
The youngest recruit in the US Army. The Stryker family of wheeled combat vehicles was created specifically for low-intensity conflicts and “colonial wars”, when the use of heavy armored vehicles, Abrams tanks or Bradley infantry fighting vehicles is redundant, and light brigade combat groups are not effective enough. The fighting on the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan confirmed the correctness of this decision.
The basic version of the M1126 became the first wheeled armored vehicle of this class in the American army. Due to its exceptional smoothness, the armored personnel carrier received the nickname "Shadow" among the troops. When creating the M1126, special emphasis was placed on increasing the protective properties of the machine. Steel spaced armor was supplemented with mounted MEXAS-type armor modules weighing 1700 kg. This type of armor contains a ceramic layer glued to a layer of high-strength Kevlar fibers. The purpose of the aluminum oxide ceramic layer is to destroy the projectile and distribute kinetic energy over a larger area of the base. In terms of resistance, MEXAS, with the same mass as steel armor, is twice as strong. Much attention was paid to mine protection - double bottom of the vehicle, depreciation, additional booking of the most vulnerable places - all this, according to American designers, should reduce the likelihood of hitting the crew of an armored vehicle.
The armored personnel carrier is equipped with a high-tech weapon system, which includes a remotely controlled installation with a.50 caliber machine gun and a 40 mm Mark-19 automatic grenade launcher with 448 grenade ammunition. The detection and target designation module includes a night sight and a laser rangefinder.
The 18-ton armored personnel carrier develops a speed of up to 100 km / h on the highway, and the 8x8 wheel arrangement and the tire pressure reduction system ensure sufficient cross-country ability. A serious drawback for this type of car is that the Stryker cannot swim.
The Stayker family, in addition to the armored personnel carrier, includes
combat reconnaissance and patrol vehicle М1127, fire support vehicle М1128 with 105 mm cannon, 120-mm self-propelled mortar М1129, КШМ М1130, artillery corrective post М1131, engineering vehicle М1132, armored medical evacuator М1133, self-propelled anti-tank missile system М1134 with ATGM 2 , and a radiation, chemical and biological reconnaissance vehicle М1135.
Since 2003, "Strikers" have been serving in Iraqi territory.
5th place - אכזרית (Achzarit)
Heavy tracked armored personnel carrier of the Israel Defense Forces. It is the most protected armored vehicle of this class in the world.
The 200 mm armor of the Soviet tank (you won't believe it, but the Achzarit are captured Syrian T-54 and T-55 with their turrets removed) was reinforced with perforated steel sheets with carbon fibers, and an ERA kit was installed on top. The total weight of the additional armor was 17 tons, which, combined with the low silhouette of the vehicle, provided an exceptionally high level of protection for the armored personnel carrier.
The Soviet engine was replaced by a more compact 8-cylinder General Motors diesel, which made it possible to equip a corridor along the starboard side of the tank, leading from the troop compartment to the aft armored door. When the stern ramp is folded back, part of the roof is lifted hydraulically, making it easier for the landing party to dismount. In addition, the partially open aft door is used as an embrasure.
The Achzarit is equipped with a Rafael OWS (Overhead Weapon Station) remote-controlled machine gun. As additional weapons, three 7.62-mm machine guns are used: one on the pivot mount of the commander's hatch and two on the hatches in the back.
As a result, the 44-ton monster is an excellent vehicle for combat in urban environments, where an RPG grenade launcher can be in the opening of each window. Achzarit is not afraid of point-blank fire from all weapons in service with Hezbollah and Hamas militants, reliably covering 10 crew members with its armor.
For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the most protected armored personnel carrier in the world is still the Namer (weighing more than 50 tons) on the chassis of the Merkava tank, but only Namers were produced in a symbolic amount - 60 pieces, unlike Achzarit, in which 500 T-54/55 tanks were converted.
4th place - BMP-1
The armored infantry vehicle (this is exactly how, according to American experts), significantly increased the offensive power of motorized rifle units. The ingenious concept of the BMP-1 was to increase the mobility and security of the infantry, operating in conjunction with tanks. The car was demonstrated to the world public during the parade on Red Square in 1967.
The BMP-1 hull was welded from armor plates 15 … 20 mm thick, according to calculations this was enough to provide all-round protection against bullets fired from small arms, and at the heading angles protection even from small-caliber cannon shells was provided.
The 13-ton combat vehicle developed up to 65 km / h on the highway and up to 7 km / h afloat (to increase buoyancy, even the track rollers were hollow). Inside were 3 crew members and 8 paratroopers. The armament complex consisted of a 73 mm 2A28 Thunder smoothbore grenade launcher, a PKT machine gun and a 9M14M Malyutka anti-tank missile system. For the paratroopers sitting inside, separate embrasures were equipped. All this, in theory, turned the BMP-1 into a universal vehicle of a new generation.
Alas, everything turned out to be more complicated. The Americans severely criticized the decisions of the Soviet designers, especially the design of the rear doors of the troop compartment (indeed, very dubious): “Perhaps this is thick armor that reliably protects the crew of the vehicle? No! These are fuel tanks! When the vehicle was hit, this arrangement turned the BMP into a fire trap.
Based on the results of the battles in the Middle East and Afghanistan, it quickly became clear that the designers had saved in vain on armor - the BMP was confidently hit by the DShK machine gun. Low protection against mines, small arms and grenade launchers led to the fact that the soldiers prefer to move while sitting on the armor, not daring to go down to the fighting compartment of the vehicle. The lack of weapons also made themselves felt - in the mountainous area, "Thunder" was useless due to the small angle of elevation.
Soviet designers made an attempt to correct errors in the next generation machine. The new BMP-2 received an automatic 30 mm cannon with an elevation angle of 85 degrees. The next model, BMP-3, despite loud calls from the military to increase security, was the apotheosis of absurdity: possessing almost tank armament, it still has "cardboard" armor.
And yet it is worth paying tribute to the Soviet designers. The infantry fighting vehicle has become a fundamentally new class of armored vehicles. Despite its innovativeness, the BMP-1 has gone through more than a dozen military conflicts around the world. In addition, it was cheap and massive: a total of 20,000 cars of this type were produced.
3rd place - MCV-80 "Warrior"
British infantry fighting vehicle. There is more to her name than just Warrior. Combat weight - 25 tons. Highway speed - 75 km / h. The MCV-80 armored body is welded from rolled sheets of aluminum-magnesium-zinc alloy and protects against 14.5-mm bullets and fragments of 155-mm high-explosive fragmentation shells, and the bottom - from 9 kg of anti-tank mines. The sides and chassis are covered with rubber anti-cumulative screens. The armored hull of the "Warrior" has an internal lining that protects the crew from fragments of armor, which is also soundproof. The space between the backs of the landing seats and the sides of the hull is used for stowing spare parts and equipment for infantrymen, which creates additional protection for the troop compartment. Outside, the armor is reinforced with dynamic protection. Armament: 30 mm L21A1 "Rarden" automatic cannon, coaxial machine gun, 94 mm LAW-80 grenade launcher. The crew of the car is 3 people. Troopers - 7 people.
The British command had high hopes for their promising infantry fighting vehicles. And the "Warrior" did not disappoint its creators - of the 300 vehicles that took part in the "Desert Storm", not one was lost in battle. A noteworthy incident occurred in Al-Amar (Iraq) on May 1, 2004: 14 RPG grenades hit the patrol "Warrior". The heavily damaged vehicle managed to fight back and got out of the fire on its own, saving the lives of the soldiers inside it (the entire crew was burned and wounded). BMP commander Johnson Gedeon Biharri was awarded the Victoria Cross.
In 2011, the UK government allocated 1.6 billion pounds for the modernization of MCV-80 under the WCSP program. In particular, it is reported that the BMP will receive a new armament complex with a 40 mm automatic gun.
This is the MCV-80 "Warrior" - the machine that the soldiers trust.
2nd place - M2 "Bradley"
American infantry fighting vehicle. Combat weight - 30 tons. Speed - 65 km / h on the highway, 7 km / h afloat. Crew - 3 people. Troopers - 6 people.
Multi-layer armor made of steel and aluminum 50 mm thick provides all-round protection against small-caliber artillery shells. The hinged reactive armor system serves as a reliable barrier against RPG rocket-propelled grenades. The case has a Kevlar lining on the inside to prevent the formation of splinters. On the latest modifications, 30 mm steel screens are additionally mounted on the sides.
Armament: 25 mm automatic cannon M242 "Bushmaster" with a computerized fire control system, ATGM "TOW" and 6 machine guns M231 FPW. The equipment of the armored vehicle includes such excesses as the tactical navigation system TACNAV, the ELRF laser rangefinder, the infrared passive anti-ATGM protection system and the MRE (Meal, Ready-to-Eat) food ration heater.
At the time of its appearance, in 1981, the American military doubted the fighting qualities of the new BMP. But in 1991, during Desert Storm, all doubts were dispelled: Bradley, using shells with depleted uranium cores, destroyed more Iraqi tanks than the main battle tanks M1 Abrams. And only 1 BMP was lost from enemy fire.
The well-deserved combat vehicle has become one of the most massive infantry fighting vehicles in the world - a total of 7000 M2 "Bradley" were produced. It also produces the M3 combat reconnaissance vehicle, the M6 self-propelled air defense system and the M270 MLRS launcher for MLRS and tactical missiles.
1st place - М113
Floating tracked vehicle weighing 11 tons. All-round protection is provided by 40 mm aluminum armor. Excellent capacity - 2 crew members and 11 paratroopers. Standard armament - M2 heavy machine gun. Fast (speed on the highway - up to 64 km / h), passable and easy to maintain, the car has become the world's most famous armored personnel carrier. 85000 М113 of all modifications were in service with 50 countries of the world. The M113 went through all the conflicts from the Vietnam War to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and as of today is still in production and is the main armored personnel carrier of the US Army.
In addition to the armored personnel carrier, the M113 existed in the form of a command and staff vehicle, a self-propelled 107 mm mortar, an anti-aircraft self-propelled installation (armed with everything from the six-barreled Vulcan to the Chapparel air defense system), a repair and evacuation, ambulance vehicle, a tank destroyer with a TOW ATGM, machines for radiation and chemical reconnaissance and launcher MLRS.
