Infantry Fighting Vehicle

Overview

An infantry fighting vehicle, or IFV, carries a squad of infantry into battle and then fights alongside them once they are on the ground. It is the step beyond an armored personnel carrier: where a carrier is a protected taxi, an IFV mounts a turret with a cannon and missiles so it can suppress and destroy targets that threaten the dismounts. The design balances three jobs that pull against each other: carry a squad, fight with real firepower, and keep pace with the tanks it operates beside. The result is a tracked vehicle of 25 to 40 tonnes with a two-man turret over a rear troop compartment.

The major systems are the Armored Hull that forms the structure, the Weapon Turret that holds the weapons, the Power Pack and Running Gear that provide mobility, and the Troop Compartment that carries the squad.

Hull and layout

The Armored Hull is a welded armored box, often aluminum for weight with steel where the threat is highest. The sloped Glacis Plate gives the thickest protection at the front where the vehicle most often faces fire, Hull Side Plate plates resist autocannon and heavy machine-gun fire across the flank, and a shaped Belly Plate resists mine blast from below. The squad enters through a powered Rear Ramp at the back. A Turret Ring in the roof carries the turret, and a Spall Liner catches fragments thrown off the armor.

The turret and its weapons

The Weapon Turret is what makes this a fighting vehicle. Its Autocannon of 25 to 40 mm engages light armor, fortifications, and low aircraft with armor-piercing and air-burst rounds, fed from a Dual Ammunition Feed that lets the gunner switch belts without reloading. A Coaxial Machine Gun handles soft targets at close range, and a Anti-Tank Missile Pod gives the vehicle a chance against main battle tanks beyond cannon range. The turret turns on a Turret Traverse Drive using a Servo Motor and Helical Gear Pair, protected by Turret Armor Panel panels.

Mobility

The Power Pack is built as one removable unit so a damaged engine can be swapped in the field. A compact Turbodiesel Engine of 400 to 600 kW gives the power-to-weight to keep up with tanks, driving a hydromechanical Hydromechanical Transmission that both propels and steers by varying track speed, through a Final Drive on each side. A Cooling Group rejects heat in the confined bay, and a self-sealing Protected Fuel Cell keeps fuel away from the crew.

The Running Gear carries it over terrain. Dozens of Track Link units form the track band, Road Wheel units carry the weight onto it, a Drive Sprocket propels it, and a Idler Wheel sets tension. Each wheel is suspended on a Torsion Bar, with a Rotary Damper at the hardest-worked stations. Tracks are chosen over wheels for this class because they spread the weight over a long contact patch, giving low ground pressure that keeps a heavy vehicle from bogging in soft ground, and because they handle obstacles and trenches that would stop a wheeled vehicle. The cost is higher maintenance and a lower road speed, which is why lighter carriers that follow paved routes are often wheeled instead.

Carrying the squad

The Troop Compartment holds the dismount squad. Each soldier rides a Bench Seat mounted off the floor to cushion mine blast, and a Firing Port with a periscope lets him observe and fire from inside. A Crew HVAC Unit keeps the sealed compartment habitable in extreme climates, and a Stowage Bin secures the squad ammunition and kit. The compartment is a design compromise in itself: every soldier carried is one fewer cubic metre for fuel, ammunition, or armor, so an IFV typically carries a smaller squad than a plain personnel carrier of the same size, trading dismount numbers for the firepower of the turret.

Hitting the target

The Fire Control System system lets the crew hit moving targets while themselves moving. The gunner uses a stabilized Gunner Primary Sight with day and thermal channels, while the commander searches independently through a Commander Sight. A Laser Rangefinder measures range, a Ballistic Computer combines it with target motion and round type to lay the gun, and a Gun Stabilizer holds the aim while the vehicle pitches over terrain.

Protection and electronics

The Protection Suite layers defenses. An Appliqué Armor Module module raises the base level, a Reactive Armor Tile disrupts shaped-charge jets, and a Laser Warning Sensor sensor cues the Smoke Launcher to screen the vehicle when a missile designates it. A Fire Suppression Unit unit quenches a crew-bay fire before it reaches stowed rounds.

Tying it together is the Vehicle Electronics. A Vetronics Unit links the powerpack, turret, and sensors, a Combat Net Radio carries encrypted traffic, a Battle Management Terminal shows the shared tactical picture, and a Navigation Unit keeps position even where satellite signals are jammed.