Infantry fighting vehicle

An infantry fighting vehicle (IFV), also known as a mechanized infantry combat vehicle (MICV),^[1] is a type of armoured fighting vehicle used to carry infantry into battle and provide direct-fire support.^[2] The 1990 Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe defines an infantry fighting vehicle as "an armoured combat vehicle which is designed and equipped primarily to transport a combat infantry squad, and which is armed with an integral or organic cannon of at least 20 millimeters calibre and sometimes an antitank missile launcher".^[3] IFVs often serve both as the principal weapons system and as the mode of transport for a mechanized infantry unit.^[3]

Infantry fighting vehicles are distinct from armored personnel carriers (APCs), which are transport vehicles armed only for self-defense and not specifically engineered to fight on their own.^[1] IFVs are designed to be more mobile than tanks and are equipped with a rapid-firing autocannon or a large conventional gun; they may include side ports for infantrymen to fire their personal weapons while on board.^[4]

The IFV rapidly gained popularity with armies worldwide due to a demand for vehicles with higher firepower than APCs that were less expensive and easier to maintain than tanks.^[4] Nevertheless, it did not supersede the APC concept altogether, due to the latter's continued usefulness in specialized roles.^[1] Some armies continue to maintain fleets of both IFVs and APCs.^[1]