How to recognise armoured personnel carriers
19 armoured personnel carriers in Spotrep’s field guide, each with a photo, where it comes from, who uses it and the details that tell it apart from the rest.
Practise in Classic- AMPVAPCs · USA
Bradley running gear with six road wheels under a taller, turretless box hull; replaces the M113.
- BoxerAPCs · Germany / Netherlands
Eight wheels, very tall box-shaped hull with near-vertical sides.
- BTR-60APCs · Soviet Union
Eight-wheeled boat-shaped APC with a long pointed nose and a small conical turret; no side doors, only roof hatches.
- BTR-80APCs · Soviet Union
Eight wheels, boat-shaped hull, small conical machine-gun turret, side doors between the second and third axles.
- BTR-82AAPCs · Russia
Eight wheels, boat-shaped hull, side doors between the second and third axles, small turret with a long 30 mm cannon.
- M113APCs · USA
Simple aluminium box on five road wheels, sloped front plate, flat roof with a cupola and a large rear ramp.
- MT-LBAPCs · Soviet Union
Very low, flat tracked carrier with six road wheels, a small turret at front right and two rear doors.
- NamerAPCs · Israel
A Merkava tank hull without a turret: a high, heavily armoured box with a remote weapon station and a rear ramp.
- Pandur IIAPCs · Austria
Six- or eight-wheeled APC with a long, flat-sided hull, a short sloping nose and a weapon station or small turret.
- Patria AMVAPCs · Finland
Eight wheels, long hull with a sloped front glacis, turret mid-hull.
- Patria XA-180 / XA-185APCs · Finland
Six-wheeled APC with a steep, angular hull and a sloping front; a common sight on UN missions.
- Piranha VAPCs · Switzerland
Eight evenly spaced wheels, tall hull with a steep sloped front.
- TPz FuchsAPCs · Germany
Six-wheeled, boat-shaped APC with a pointed nose, large armoured windscreens and two propellers at the rear for swimming.
- VABAPCs · France
Boxy wheeled APC with a big angled windscreen and a square, cab-like nose; looks like an armoured truck.
- No photo yetBTR-4APCs · Ukraine
Eight wheels, high box-shaped hull with the crew cab at the very front, engine in the middle and troop doors at the rear.
- No photo yetBTR-70APCs · Soviet Union
Eight-wheeled boat-shaped APC with a small conical turret; a big gap between the second and third axles with a small low exit hatch in it instead of a full side door.
- No photo yetBvS10 VikingAPCs · Sweden
Two tracked cars joined by an articulated steering unit: the crew rides in the front car, troops in the rear.
- No photo yetPiranha IIICAPCs · Switzerland
Eight-wheeled APC with a boat-shaped bow and a small turret or weapon station; smaller and lower than the Piranha V.
- No photo yetStrykerAPCs · USA
Eight wheels, boxy hull with angled sides, remote weapon station on the roof, ramp at the rear.
