• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

CHAPTER 1

THE ARMORED PERSONNEL CARRIER

Section I. INTRODUCTION

The mechanized infantry will often fight in conjunction with armor to form a combined arms team.

The armored personnel carrier (APC) provides the infantry with mobility similar to that of the M60 tank, but the APC has less firepower and protection.

Mechanized infantry complements tanks by providing a dismount capability that enables the company team to reduce obstacles and to hold ground.

There will be times when infantrymen can observe the battlefield, fire their weapons, and be protected by the vehicle's armor, but the APC is not invulnerable. The armor does protect against some small arms fire and shell fragments; it does not protect against tanks or antitank guns, missiles, or rockets. This means that the infantry leader must carefully analyze every situation and weigh the advantages and disadvantages of mounted and dismounted combat. The APC is highly vulnerable to the predominant tank and fighting vehicle threat; therefore, many combat tasks can only be performed dismounted.

In the offense, the APC allows the infantrymen to fight mounted as long as possible and to dismount when confronted by close terrain, obstacles that prevent movement, or a strong antiarmor defense that cannot be bypassed or suppressed.

In the defense, the APC allows the infantrymen to fight mounted or dismounted. The decision to fight mounted or dismounted is dependent upon the situation and the required mobility.

These fundamental factors are synonymous with the five basic rules of combat: secure, move, shoot, communicate, and sustain.

Section II. THE APC AND ITS CHARACTERISTICS

The APC is lightweight aluminum, air-transportable, air-droppable, and amphibious. This section discusses the vehicle's characteristics and gives a brief overview of some of its capabilities.

The APC has the following characteristics:

The mechanized infantry will often fight in conjunction with armor to form a combined arms team.

The maximum road speed of the APC is 42 miles per hour (mph). Under favorable terrain conditions, it can travel cross country at speeds similar to those of the M60 tank.

The APC's protective armor does not have the same protective capability as that of the M60 tank, but it will protect the infantry from some small arms fire, hand grenades, and shell fragments.

The APC can minimize the threat of antiarmor weapons by--

The APC's main armament is the caliber .50 heavy machine gun. This weapon provides each vehicle with suppressive firepower and a light-vehicle-killing capability.

Each squad is also equipped with a Dragon antiarmor missile, which can be fired from the vehicle or dismounted and fired from a ground position.

The platoon will also have:

The APC's communication system provides the platoon with communication during either mounted or dismounted operations.

All platoon vehicles are equipped with an AN/GRC-160 radio that can be backpacked in an AN/PRC-77 configuration. Additionally the platoon leader's vehicle may be equipped with two AN/GRC-160 radios or with one AN/GRC-46 and one AN/GRC-160.

The platoon leader, platoon sergeant, and each of the three squads are also equipped with an AN/PRC-88.

The APC can swim most water obstacles with minimal preparation. The vehicle has a maximum swimming speed of 3.6 mph. The vehicle's trim vane requires about 2 seconds to be extended.

The APC carries a variety of limited visibility observation devices. These sophisticated surveillance, target acquisition, and night observation (STANO) devices increase the platoon's ability to accomplish its mission during limited visibility

STANO devices that may be available to the platoon include: