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Armored Mechanized Forces

Armored, mechanized, forces...? Tanks. Essentially. The Armored mechanized forces represents Armored Ground units in the military- Artillery, Missile Launchers, Tanks, Armored Transport units, HumVEE's, basically all of the land vehicles available. The Armored Mechanized Forces is essentially, to exploit this modern ground technology for the advantage of the military as a whole.




Main and Light Tanks

A tank is a tracked, armored fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and tactical offensive and defensive capabilities. Firepower is normally provided by a large-caliber main gun in a rotating turret and secondary machine guns, while heavy Armour and all-terrain mobility provide protection for the tank and its crew, allowing it to perform all primary tasks of the armored troops on the battlefield.

Today, tanks seldom operate alone, as they are organized into armored units which involve the support of infantry, who may accompany the tanks in armored personnel carriers or infantry fighting vehicles. They are also usually accompanied by reconnaissance or ground-attack aircraft.

Due to its formidable capabilities and versatility the battle tank is generally considered a key component of modern armies. However, the prevalence of unconventional and asymmetric warfare have led to some questioning the utility of the traditional armored force.



Mobile Artillery

Self-propelled artillery (also called mobile artillery or locomotive artillery) vehicles are a way of giving mobility to artillery. Within the term are covered self-propelled guns (or howitzers) and rocket artillery. They are high mobility vehicles, usually based on caterpillar track carrying either a large howitzer or other field gun or alternatively a mortar or some form of rocket or missile launcher. They are usually used for long-range indirect bombardment support on the battlefield.

In the past, self-propelled artillery has included direct fire vehicles such as assault guns and tank destroyers. These have been heavily armored vehicles, the former providing close fire-support for infantry and the latter acting as specialized anti-tank vehicles.

Modern self-propelled artillery vehicles may superficially resemble tanks, but they are generally lightly armored, too lightly to survive in direct-fire combat. However, they protect their crews against shrapnel and small arms and are therefore usually included as armored fighting vehicles. Many are equipped with machine guns for defense against enemy infantry.

The key advantage of self-propelled over towed artillery is that it can be brought into action much faster. Before the towed artillery can be used, it has to stop, unlimber and set up the guns. To move position, the guns must be limbered up again and brought — usually towed — to the new location. By comparison self-propelled artillery can stop at a chosen location and begin firing almost immediately, then quickly move on to a new position. This ability is very useful in a mobile conflict and particularly on the advance.

Conversely, towed artillery was and remains cheaper to build and maintain. It is also lighter and can be taken to places that self-propelled guns cannot reach, so despite the advantages of the self-propelled artillery, towed guns remain in the arsenals of many modern armies.



Long Range Missile Launcher

A transporter erector launcher (TEL) is a vehicle with an integrated prime mover that can carry, elevate to firing position and launch one or more missiles. Such vehicles exist for both surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles. Early such missiles were launched from fixed sites and had to be loaded onto trucks for transport, making them more vulnerable to attack since once they were spotted by the enemy they couldn't easily be relocated, and if they were it often took hours or even days to prepare them for launch once they reached their new site.

A transporter erector launcher and radar (TELAR) is the same as a TEL but also incorporates part or all of the radar system necessary for firing the missile(s). Such vehicles have the capability of being autonomous, greatly enhancing their effectiveness. With this type of system each vehicle can fight regardless of the state or presence of support vehicles. The TEL/TELAR may have a rotating turntable that it can use to aim the missiles. The vehicle may have to turn to aim the missiles, or they may fire straight up.

Conversely, a transporter launcher and radar (TLAR) is the same as a TELAR without the erector capability (presumably because the missile does not need to be erected for launch).


Anti-Air

Man-Portable Air Defence Systems (MANPADS) are the smallest of SAMs and are capable of being carried and launched by a single person. They are sometimes attached to vehicles in order to increase their mobility. Soviet MANPADS have been exported around the world and can still be found in many of their former client states. Other nations have developed their own MANPADS.

Larger land-based SAM's can be deployed from fixed installations or mobile launchers. In the case of mobile launchers, they are either revealed or tracked. The tracked vehicles are usually armored vehicles specifically designed to carry SAMs. Larger SAMs may be deployed in fixed launchers, but can be towed/re-deployed at will.

Ship-based SAMs are also considered surface to air. Virtually all surface warships can be armed with SAMs. In fact, naval SAMs are a necessity for all front-line surface warships. Some warship types specialist in anti-air warfare e.g. Ticonderoga-class cruisers equipped with the Aegis combat system or Kirov class cruisers with the S-300PMU Favorite missile system.

Artillery

Artillery is a military combat arm that employs weapons capable of discharging large projectiles in combat. They are generally capable of adding considerable fire power to the military capability of an armed force. Artillery is also a system of scientific research and its application towards design, capability and combat use of the above matériel. Over the course of military history the projectiles were manufactured from a wide variety of materials, made in a wide variety of shapes, and used different means of inflicting physical damage and casualties to defeat specific types of targets. The engineering designs of the means of delivery have likewise changed significantly over time, and have become some of the most complex technological application today.

In some armies the weapon of artillery is the projectile, not the piece that fires it. The process of delivering fire onto the target is called gunnery. The actions involved in operating the piece are collectively called "serving the gun" by the gun crew (or detachment), and can be either direct artillery fire, or indirect artillery fire. The manner in which artillery units or formations are used is called artillery support, and may at different periods in history refer to weapons designed to be fired from ground, naval, and even air weapons platform.

Although the term also describes soldiers and sailors with the primary function of using artillery weapons, the individuals who operate them are called gunners irrespective of their rank, however 'gunner' is the lowest rank in artillery arms. There is no generally recognized generic term for a gun, howitzer, mortar, and so forth: some armies use 'artillery piece', while others use 'gun'. The projectiles fired by artillery are typically either 'shot' (if solid) or 'shell' if not. Shell is a widely used generic term for a projectile, which is a component of munitions.





MECHANIZED INFANTRY TRANSPORT


Light assault Vehicles

Light assault vehicles generally pertain to light armed vehicles that intend to carry out a similar jobs as any other armored vehicle would. The difference is usually in the concept that the Light Assault Vehicle is not quite a tank, but not to the class of a Jeep- it's somewhere in between. Normally, a light assault vehicle is a heavily armored Armored Personnel Carrier, with larger guns and a more emphasis on protection then an armored personnel carrier, but less protection and size then a tank. Basically, it's usually somewhere between a Tank and APC in function and size- it carriers a large bore gun or another heavy weapon, has a large amount of armor, but rather than carry 20 troops or only 3-4, it instead is designed to carry 6-9. While not all light assault vehicles are heavily armed low carry APC's, the mixture in size and strength comparison is roughly around the area.

Armored Personal Carrier

An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is an armoured fighting vehicle designed to transport infantry to the battlefield.

APCs are usually armed with only a machine gun although variants carry recoilless rifles, anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs), or mortars. They are not usually designed to take part in a direct-fire battle, but to carry troops to the battlefield safe from shrapnel and ambush. They may have wheels or tracks.

Most armoured personnel carriers use a diesel engine comparable to that used in a large truck or in a typical city bus (APCs are often known to troops as 'Battle Taxis' or 'Battle Buses'). The M113 for instance used the same engine as the standard General Motors urban bus.

Many APCs are amphibious. Usually tracked APCs are powered by their tracks in the water, and wheeled APCs have propellors or water jets. Preparations for amphibious operations usually comprises checking the integrity of the hull and folding down a trim vane in front. Swimming required fairly still waters, and good entry and exit points. Speed in water is typically 3–6 km/h.

Armour on APCs are usually composed of simple steel or aluminium, sufficient for protection against small fire arms and most shell fragments. Just about any type of anti-tank weapon can defeat the armour of an APC.

The usual armament for an APC is a 12.7 (.50") or 14.5 mm heavy machine gun. This is mounted on top of the vehicle, either on a simple pintle mount, sometimes with a gun shield, or a small turret. Sometimes an automatic grenade launcher is used instead.

Jeep/Hummer

Light Utility Vehicle is a general term for small, jeep-like military trucks for tactical use. They are generally short, relatively light compared to other trucks and cars, unarmored with 4-wheel drive and short body overhangs for all-terrain mobility and at least 4 passenger capacity. [1] Civilian adaptations of the Jeep and Land Rover were the first Sport utility vehicles, and some SUVs such as the Chevy Blazer have been used as military Light Utility Vehicles.