Editing Infantry fighting vehicle (section)

== History ==
===Early Cold War===
[[File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F027418-0012, Schützenpanzer HS-30 (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|West German troops aboard a [[Schützenpanzer Lang HS.30]], the world's first well-known IFV. (1965)]]

The infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) concept evolved directly out of that of the [[armored personnel carrier]] (APC).<ref name="MICV" /> During the [[Cold War]] of 1947-1991 armies increasingly fitted heavier and heavier weapons systems on an APC chassis to deliver [[suppressive fire]] for infantry debussing from the vehicle's troop compartment.<ref name="MICV" /> With the growing mechanization of infantry units worldwide, some armies also came to believe that the embarked personnel should fire their weapons from inside the protection of the APC and only fight on foot as a last resort.<ref name="MICV" />{{refn|During the [[Six-Day War]], for example, [[Ba'athist Syria|Syrian]] motorized infantry used their [[BTR-152]] and [[BTR-40]] APCs as firing platforms and rarely debarked to fight on foot.<ref name=Campbell>{{cite book |last= Campbell|first= David|title= Israeli Soldier vs Syrian Soldier: Golan Heights 1967–73|date=2016|pages=1–61|publisher= Osprey Publishing|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1-4728-1330-5}}</ref>|name=ASK|group=note}} These two trends led to the IFV, with firing ports in the troop compartment and a crew-operated weapons system.<ref name="MICV" /> The IFV established a new niche between those combat vehicles which functioned primarily as armored weapons-carriers or as APCs.<ref name="USMC">{{cite journal |last= Besch |first= Edwin |title= Infantry Fighting Vehicles: Their Evolution and Significance |journal=[[Marine Corps Gazette]] |pages=50–60 |publisher=[[Marine Corps Association]] |location=[[Marine Corps Base Quantico]] |date=July 1983}}</ref>

During the 1950s, the Soviet, US, and most European armies had adopted tracked APCs.<ref name="USMC" /> In 1957, however, France's {{Lang|fr|[[Ministère des Armées]]|italic=no}} adopted the [[AMX-VCI]] (VCI for ''Véhicule de Combat d'Infanterie,'' literally ''Infantry Fighting Vehicle''), which resembled a small, conventional tracked APC but carried a turret-mounted 20&nbsp;mm autocannon that enabled it to engage other armored vehicles.<ref>{{cite book |title=Tanks and armored fighting vehicles |date=2012 |publisher=Chartwell Books |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-7858-2926-3 |page=300 |edition=visual encyclopedia |url=https://search.worldcat.org/title/785874088}}</ref> The AMX-VCI was the first purpose-built IFV, renamed from ''AMX-VTT'' in 1957, One year before German SPz-12-3, the second true IFV.<ref name=Guardia>{{cite book |last= Guardia|first= Mike|title= Bradley Versus BMP: Desert Storm 1991 |date=2016 |pages= 8–29, 30–32 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford |isbn=978-1-4728-1520-0}}</ref><ref name="Coffey">{{Cite thesis |last=Coffey |first=Rod |year=2000 |title=Doctrinal Orphan or Active Partner? A History of US Mechanized Infantry Doctrine |type=Master's thesis |location=Fort Leavenworth, KS |publisher=Army Command and General Staff College |id={{DTIC|ADA384122}} |oclc=465212839}}</ref>

The {{lang|fr|Ministère des Armées}}'s doctrine called for mounted infantry to fight and maneuver alongside tank formations rather than the previously well-known heavy armor doctrine.<ref name="AMX-VCI">{{cite web |title=AMX-VCI (1957) |url=https://tank-afv.com/coldwar/France/AMX-VCI.php |website=tank-afv.com |publisher=Tank Encyclopedia}}</ref> AMX-VCI could carry ten troops in addition to a three-man crew.<ref name="Pint-Sized Battle Taxi">{{cite news |last1=Garden |first1=David |title=Pint-Sized Battle Taxi |url=https://www.keymilitary.com/article/pint-sized-battle-taxi |work=David Garden Pictures |agency=Key Publishing Ltd |publisher=Key Publishing Ltd |date=2020-03-19}}</ref>

As the AMX-VCI and SPz-12-3 were being inducted into service, the Austrian army adopted new APCs which possessed firing ports, allowing embarked infantry to observe and fire their weapons from inside the vehicle.<ref name="USMC" /> These were known as the [[Saurer 4K 4FA|Saurer 4K]].<ref name="USMC" /> Austria subsequently introduced an IFV variant of the Saurer 4K which carried a 20&nbsp;mm autocannon, making it the first vehicle of this class to possess both firing ports and a turreted weapons-system.<ref name="USMC" />

In the early to mid-1960s, the [[Swedish Army]] adopted two IFVs armed with 20&nbsp;mm autocannon turrets and roof firing hatches: [[Pansarbandvagn 301]] and [[Pansarbandvagn 302]], having experimented with the IFV concept already during WWII in the [[Terrängbil m/42 KP]] wheeled machine gun armed proto-IFV.<ref name="ointres">{{Cite web |title=Terrängbil m/42 KP |url=http://www.ointres.se/terrangbil_m_42_kp.htm | access-date=2021-11-15 |website=ointres.se }}</ref> Following the trend towards converting preexisting APCs into IFVs, the Dutch, US, and Belgian armies experimented with a variety of modified [[M113 armored personnel carrier|M113s]] during the late 1960s; these were collectively identified as the [[AIFV]] (Armored Infantry Fighting Vehicle).<ref name="USMC" />

The first US M113-based IFV appeared in 1969; known as the XM765, it had a sharply angled hull, ten vision blocks, and a cupola-mounted 20&nbsp;mm autocannon.<ref name="USMC" /> The XM765 design, though rejected for service, later became the basis for the very similar Dutch YPR-765.<ref name="USMC" /> The YPR-765 had five firing ports and a 25&nbsp;mm autocannon with a co-axial machine gun.<ref name="USMC" />

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 183-1988-1007-009, Berlin, 39. Jahrestag DDR-Gründung, Parade crop.jpg|thumb|An East German [[BMP-1]] with eight passengers (1988)]]

The [[Soviet Army]] fielded its first tracked APC, the [[BTR-50]], in 1957.<ref name=Guardia /> Its first wheeled APC, the [[BTR-152]], had been designed as early as the late 1940s.<ref name=Guardia /> Early versions of both these lightly armored vehicles were open-topped and carried only general-purpose machine guns for armament.<ref name="USMC" /> As Soviet strategists became more preoccupied with the possibility of a war involving [[weapons of mass destruction]], they became convinced of the need to deliver mounted troops to a battlefield without exposing them to the radioactive fallout from an atomic weapon.<ref name=Guardia /> The IFV concept was received favorably because it would enable a Soviet infantry squad to fight from inside their vehicles when operating in contaminated environments.<ref name=Guardia /> [[BMP development|Soviet design work on a new tracked IFV]] began in the late 1950s and the first prototype appeared as the ''Obyekt 765'' in 1961.<ref name=Guardia /> After evaluating and rejecting a number of other wheeled and tracked prototypes, the Soviet Army accepted the ''Obyekt 765'' for service. It entered serial production as the [[BMP-1]] in 1966.<ref name=Guardia />

The BMP-1 was heavily armed and armored, combining the qualities of a [[light tank]] with those of the traditional APC.<ref name=Russia>{{Cite book |last=Rodgers |first=Russell |date=2014 |editor-first=Timothy |editor-last=Dowling |title=Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond |location=Santa Barbara, Calif. |publisher=ABC-CLIO, Publishers |pages=135–137 |isbn=978-1-59884-947-9}}</ref> In addition to being amphibious and superior in cross-country mobility to its predecessors, the BMP-1 carried a [[2A28 Grom|73mm smoothbore cannon]], a co-axial [[PK machine gun|PKT machine gun]], and a launcher for [[9M14 Malyutka]] anti-tank missiles.<ref name=Guardia /> Its hull had sufficiently heavy armor to resist .50 caliber armor-piercing ammunition along its frontal arc.<ref name="USMC" /> Eight firing ports and vision blocks allowed the embarked infantry squad to observe and engage targets with rifles or machine guns.<ref name="USMC" /> The BMP-1's use of a relatively large caliber main gun marked a departure from the Western trend of fitting IFVs with automatic cannon, which were more suitable for engaging low-flying aircraft, light armor, and dismounted personnel.<ref name="USMC" />

The Soviet Union produced about 20,000 BMP-1s from 1966 to 1983,<ref name=Russia /> at which time it was considered the most widely adopted IFV design in the world.<ref name="USMC" /> In Soviet service, the BMP-1 was ultimately superseded by the more sophisticated [[BMP-2]] (in service from 1980) and by the [[BMP-3]] (in service from 1987).<ref name=Russia /> A similar vehicle known as the [[BMD-1]] was designed to accompany Soviet airborne infantry and for a number of years was the world's only airborne IFV.<ref name="USMC" />

In 1971 the {{lang|de|Bundeswehr}} adopted the [[Marder (IFV)|Marder]], which became increasingly heavily armored through its successive marks and – like the BMP – was later fitted as standard with a launcher for anti-tank guided missiles.<ref name="USMC" /> Between 1973 and 1975 the French and Yugoslav armies developed the [[AMX-10P]] and [[BVP M-80]], respectively – the first amphibious IFVs to appear outside the Soviet Union.<ref name="USMC" /> The Marder, AMX-10P, and M-80 were all armed with similar 20&nbsp;mm autocannon and carried seven to eight passengers.<ref name="USMC" /> They could also be armed with various anti-tank missile configurations.<ref name="USMC" />

=== Late Cold War ===
[[File:Ratel 90 armyrecognition South-Africa 008 (cropped).jpg|thumb|250px|The [[Ratel IFV|Ratel]], the first wheeled IFV, introduced a number of novel features, such as a mine-protected hull.<ref name=SurviveRide>{{cite book|last1=Camp|first1=Steve|last2=Helmoed-Römer|first2=Heitman|title=Surviving the Ride: A pictorial history of South African Manufactured Mine-Protected vehicles|date=November 2014|pages=166–179|publisher=30 Degrees South|location=Pinetown|isbn=978-1-928211-17-4}}</ref>]]

Wheeled IFVs did not begin appearing until 1976,<ref name="USMC" /> when the [[Ratel IFV|Ratel]] was introduced in response to a [[South African Army]] specification for a wheeled combat vehicle suited to the demands of rapid offensives combining maximum firepower and strategic mobility.<ref name=Harmse>{{cite book|last1=Harmse|first1=Kyle|last2=Dunstan|first2=Simon |title=South African Armour of the Border War 1975–89|date=23 February 2017|pages=21–31|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1-4728-1743-3}}</ref> Unlike European IFVs, the Ratel was not designed to allow mounted infantrymen to fight in concert with tanks but rather to operate independently across vast distances.<ref name=Harmse /> South African officials chose a very simple, economical design because it helped reduce the significant logistical commitment necessary to keep heavier combat vehicles operational in undeveloped areas.<ref name=Harmse /> Excessive track wear was also an issue in the region's abrasive, sandy terrain, making the Ratel's wheeled configuration more attractive.<ref name=Harmse /> The Ratel was typically armed with a 20&nbsp;mm autocannon featuring what was then a unique twin-linked ammunition feed, allowing its gunner to rapidly switch between armor-piercing and high-explosive ammunition.<ref name=Harmse /> Other variants were also fitted with mortars, a bank of anti-tank guided missiles, or a 90&nbsp;mm cannon.<ref name=SurviveRide /> Most notably, the Ratel was the first mine-protected IFV; it had a blastproof hull and was built to withstand the explosive force of anti-tank mines favored by local insurgents.<ref name=SurviveRide />

Like the BMP-1, the Ratel proved to be a major watershed in IFV development, albeit for different reasons: until its debut wheeled IFV designs were evaluated unfavorably, since they lacked the weight-carrying capacity and off-road mobility of tracked vehicles, and their wheels were more vulnerable to hostile fire.<ref name="USMC" /> However, improvements during the 1970s in power trains, suspension technology, and tires had increased their potential strategic mobility.<ref name="USMC" /> Reduced production, operation, and maintenance costs also helped make wheeled IFVs attractive to several nations.<ref name="USMC" />

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the [[United States Army]] had gradually abandoned its attempts to utilize the M113 as an IFV and refocused on creating a dedicated IFV design able to match the BMP.<ref name=Guardia /> Although considered reliable, the M113 chassis did not meet the necessary requirements for protection or stealth.<ref name=Guardia /> The US also considered the M113 too heavy and slow to serve as an IFV capable of keeping pace with tanks.<ref name=Guardia /> Its [[MICV-65]] program produced a number of unique prototypes, none of which were accepted for service owing to concerns about speed, armor protection, and weight.<ref name=Guardia /> US Army evaluation staff were sent to Europe to review the AMX-10P and the Marder, both of which were rejected due to high cost, insufficient armor, or lackluster amphibious capabilities.<ref name=Guardia />

In 1973, the [[FMC Corporation]] developed and tested the XM723, which was a 21-ton tracked chassis which could accommodate three crew members and eight passengers.<ref name="Guardia" /> It initially carried a single 20&nbsp;mm autocannon in a one-man turret<ref name="Guardia" /> but in 1976 a two-man turret was introduced; this carried a 25&nbsp;mm autocannon like [[M242 Bushmaster|M242]] or [[Oerlikon KBA]], a co-axial machine gun, and a [[BGM-71 TOW|TOW]] anti-tank missile launcher.<ref name="USMC" /> The XM723 possessed amphibious capability, nine firing ports, and spaced laminate armor on its hull.<ref name="USMC" /> It was accepted for service with the US Army in 1980 as the [[Bradley Fighting Vehicle]].<ref name="USMC" /> Successive variants have been retrofitted with improved missile systems, gas particulate filter systems, Kevlar spall liners, and increased stowage.<ref name="Guardia" /> The amount of space taken up by the hull and stowage modifications has reduced the number of passengers to six.<ref name="Guardia" />

By 1982 30,000 IFVs had entered service worldwide, and the IFV concept appeared in the doctrines of 30 national armies.<ref name="USMC" /> The popularity of the IFV was increased by the growing trend on the part of many nations to mechanize armies previously dominated by light infantry.<ref name="USMC" /> However, contrary to expectation the IFV did not render APCs obsolete.<ref name="MICV" /> The US, Russian, French, and German armies have all retained large fleets of IFVs and APCs, finding the APC more suitable for multi-purpose or auxiliary roles.<ref name="MICV" />

The [[British Army]] was one of the few Western armies which had neither recognized a niche for IFVs nor adopted a dedicated IFV design by the late 1970s.<ref name="USMC" /> In 1980, it made the decision to adopt a new tracked armored vehicle, the [[Warrior tracked armoured vehicle|FV510 Warrior]].<ref name="USMC" /> British doctrine is that a vehicle should carry troops under protection to the objective and then give firepower support when they have disembarked. While normally classified as an IFV, the Warrior fills the role of an APC in British service and infantrymen do not remain embarked during combat.<ref name="USMC" />