IFV Armament

The concept of armoured vehicle use by infantry has evolved as has the size and purpose of its armament. Not only has calibre size grown but also the weapon’s purpose.

- Stephen W. Miller

The first half-track carriers which appeared during World War II, such as the German Sd.Kfz.251 Hanomag had limited ballistic protection and typically mounted a medium machine gun. However, post-war armoured combat vehicles have been fielded with progressively larger armament. In addition, the number of infantry carried has often been reduced to accommodate these weapon systems. These changes reflected a shift in focus from the infantry section to the vehicle itself and its firepower capability, especially in those designated as infantry fighting vehicles (IFV).

Modern infantry combat vehicles reflect a range of armament from medium to heavy machine guns, automatic grenade launchers (AGL) and up to medium calibre auto-cannon. Each reflects a different expectation in their tactical employment. Those with machine guns and AGLs are generally infantry carrier vehicles (ICVs) while those with autocannon are more often classified as IFVs. The General Dynamics US Army M1126 Stryker with its .50 Protector Remote Weapon Station is an example of the former while the German Kraus-Maffei Wegmann/Rheinmetall Marder and US M2 Bradley with 20mm and 25mm auto-cannon respectively are the later. The primary role of the armament on the infantry carrier has been to support its dismounted infantry. This meant suppressive fires against enemy positions and in particular opposing machine guns, and this was met with guns like the M-2 .50 cal. In the European Cold War period, the emphasis of combat shifted to attrition, i.e. killing more of the enemy. Here it seemed more efficient to target and destroy the vehicles that carried the enemy, which was reflected in the IFV’s role being defined as accompanying main battle tanks and complementing them against opposing light armoured vehicles.