1) Armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) first emerged in World War 1 as tanks were developed to help break trench warfare deadlocks. 2) Over the decades, AFVs evolved significantly through different wars and conflicts. New models incorporated lessons learned and adapted to changing threats and technologies. 3) AFVs fill an important role in modern combat by providing protected mobility, firepower, and the ability to transport troops across difficult terrain. They have been integral to operations in conflicts like the Gulf War, Afghanistan, and the Battle of 73 Easting.

1. Evolution of Armoured Fighting
Vehicles
Presented by
RGR Kavanagh JAVELIN PLT

2. CONTENTS
• The First AFV`S
• Through The Years
• Necessity
• Deployments
• Notable Wars and Conflicts
• Today
• Future

3. The First AVF`s
• Designed during the First World War was the MK1
• the tank was hastily built separately but simultaneously
by the French and the British as the need to help break
the dead lock of trench warfare became more apparent
• Their first ever use in combat was by the British Army
on September 15, 1916 at the battle of Flers-Courcelette
how ever only 36 of the new MK1 tanks deployed made
it to the start line of the battle 10 of these were hit by
enemy fire and damaged sufficiently enough not to take
part and another 7 slightly damaged
• at the battle Flers-Courcelette the use of the new tanks
helped the attack but overall the effect was the same.

4. General Charactistics
• Have a top speed of 4 mph on flat land
• The ability to turn sharply at top speed
• The ability to climb a 5-feet parapet
• The ability to cross an eight feet gap
• A working radius of 20 miles
• A crew of ten men with two machine guns
on board and one light artillery gun

5. Evolution of AFV
Through The Years

6. Some of the first AFV`S of WW1

7. 1910 - 1919

8. 1920 - 1929

9. 1930 -1939

10. 1940 - 1949

11. 1950 - 1959

12. 1960 - 1969

13. 1970 - 1979

14. 1980 -1989

15. 1990 - -1999

16. 2000 - 2009

17. 2010 - 2014

18. Then And Now

20. Necessity

21. Necessity Of AFV`S In Battle
The AFV is a combat vehicle designed to have
strong armour, armed with weapons and
combine mobility, tactical offensiveness and
defensive capabilities into one or many vehicles.
The term AFV is used to describe any Armoured
Fighting Vehicle, but its classification is not
determined until its role has been established.
(what it is designed to do, capabilities and
armaments, troop carrying capacity ETC)

22. Necessity Of AFV`S In Battle
As all wars and conflicts progress so does the
technology we use to fight them.
The AFV`S origins started back in WW1 and
we are still using it over 100 years later,
granted the types, shapes, and roles have all
changed but the original principle is till there
and has become more apart of the current
theatre of operations we are in today.

23. The Need For AFV`S
• Mobile and can carry heavy equipment no
need to have it on foot
• Can transport troops long distances In
protected vehicles (APC, IFV)
• Can take ground not always accessible to non
mobile units (APC`s and IFV`s)
• Have a detrimental effect on enemy forces
• Able to engage targets at longer distances

24. Deployments

25. Falkland's
During the Falkland's war the scimitar saw
service. The scimitar played a vital role in
supplying intelligence in day and night
operations and its 30mm cannon worked well
against Argentine targets.
The scimitar participated in the battle for
wireless ridge on the 13th of June to the 14th
which resulted in British victory.

26. Iraq
Gulf war 1 + 2
The Iraq war saw many different types of AFV used as
it was an invasion by a coalition of different
nations.
Most known:
• Challenger 1 and 2
• Scimitar
• Warrior
• M1 Abrahams
• M2 Bradley
• M3 Bradley

27. Afghanistan
• Jackal 1,2
• Mastiff 1,2,3
• Ridge Back
• Foxhound
• Wolfhound
• Rwmik
• Warrior
• Husky
• Scimitar
• Warthog
Over the period of the Afghanistan conflict
many new and improved types of AFV came
into theatre to help counter the IED threat and
to enable troops to conduct operations within
Helmand.

28. Notable Wars And Conflicts

29. “ The Battle of Cambrai ranks as one of the
most thrilling episodes of the whole war.
Tanks at last came into their kingdom. The
notion that the Hindenburg Line was
impregnable was exploded"
Captain Stair Gillon: The Story of the 29th
Division: a record of gallant deeds
1917 Battle of Cambrai

30. • One of biggest early tank battles, fought between
British and Germans. The British attempted to
break through the Hindenburg Line. The tank corps
deployed their entire force of 476 machine 350 of
which were armed fighting tanks, both sides lost
about 45,000 soldiers. It was the first time that
AFV`S were used on a large scale of the war.
Douglas Haig came up with a plan to use the new
AFV`s by moving around the back of the German
lines and encircling them.
• At this point the tanks being used still had their
critics as they believed that they had not yet been
proved in battle. The skeptics' of the new machines
were well founded as muddy terrain and bad
weather proved to be the tanks undoing.

31. "Before Alamein we never had a victory. After
Alamein we never had a defeat."
Sir Winston Churchill
1942 The First and Second
Battle of El Alamein

32. • More than 1,000 Allied tanks fought 547 Axis
counterparts
• Tanks played a key role, with Allied forces
receiving 300 Sherman tanks from the US.
• The first battle raged from 1-27 July 1942 and
the second battle on the 23 of October to the 5
November 1942 and resulted in an Allied victory
• The victory turned the tide of the North African
campaign which saw the Germans effectively
lose their battle for possession of Egypt and the
much-prized Suez Canal.

33. Failures

34. The first battle of El Alamein (1-27 July 1942) was fought on the northern
coast of Egypt between the German axis forces and the allied forces. The
battle which was a stale halted a second advance by the axis forces how
ever they were only 106km away in El Alamein they still had control of
the Sues Canal this was to dangerously close for the allies to allow, a
second battle would have to be fought.
On the 26/27 July general Auchinleck launched operation MANHOOD in
the north as a final attempt to break the axis forces. The axis forces were
expecting the attack.
This was a hurried and poorly planned attack .
reports from the battle front regarding mine field gaps were confused and
conflicting as a result of this the 2ND armoured brigade was delayed which
left the initial attackers exposed when the daylight hours came.
Under general Rommel the axis forces launched an immediate counter
attack and over ran the two forward battalions of the 69th brigade.
The 8th army was exhausted and on the 31st July Auchinleck ordered an
end to offensive operations and a strength of defensive measures to
meet a major counter offensive of the axis forces.

35. Success's

36. Auchinleck was replaced by LT General Montgomery, his plan was to use light
infantry to advance across the minefields (Operation Lightfoot) which would
allow engineers to open up to routes for armoured vehicles to get through.
Once though the armoured units would reform whilst the infantry defeated
the initial axis defences.
On the night of October 23 1942 “Monty's” plan began he started with a five
hour bombardment of the axis forces whilst behind this the engineers
cleared the land mines by 2.00am the armoured advance began however
progress was slow as traffic jams developed. Though their advance was
bogged down the British forces defeated these assaults and the first major
tan k battle of the assault was fought. Having made a gap of six miles wide
“Monty” began to push more forces through into the offensive.
At this point Rommel's army was stretched with only three days of fuel
remaining. Even after moving fuel reserves up from the south Rommel found
that he even lacked the fuel to withdraw.
On the 4th of November “Monty” launched his final assaults with the 1st, 7th
and 10th armoured divisions clearing the axis lines. After the battle of El
Alamein Rommel's armoured units effectively ceased to exist and the battle
was won.

37. 1991 Battle of 73 Easting
“ The last great tank battle of the
20th century”

38. •Decisive tank battle fought both US and
British forces against the Iraqi Tawakalna
Division
• Derives its name “73 EASTING” from the
location it took place
• Occupied the day of 26 February 1991
(said due to the intensity of the fighting it
felt like days)
•The 1991 Battle of 73 Easting is the most
studied tank battle of modern times

39. Failures

40. Even though the Iraqi`s out numbered the
Coalition forces in number of Armoured
Fighting Vehicles they did not have the same
level of new technology equipped to
successfully combat the invading US and UK
forces.
As a result of this the fighting was fairly one
sided with extremely limited mobility kills from
the Iraqi forces on coalition forces.
How ever despite this British and American
forces suffered more casualties from friendly
fire (BLUE ON BLUE) than enemy actions in
armoured vehicles alone.

41. Successes

42. Successes
On the night of the 23-24 February 1991 general
Schwarzkopf`s plan for the ground assault began to
move east “Operation Desert Sabre” but dubbed the
“Hail Mary” had begun.
The 2nd Armored Cavalry Division was successful.
Within a little over an hour, at least 29 Iraqi tanks had
been destroyed.
It is estimated that by the end of the Battle of 73
Easting, at least 600 Iraqi soldiers were killed or
wounded and more than 160 tanks were destroyed
by Coalition Forces.
.

43. Lessons Learned
Bad
• Communication
• Deconflicting
reports
• Timings
• Proper use of
assets
• Blue on Blue
• Awareness
Good
• Planning
• Momentum
• Competent users
• Superior training
• Overwhelming
force
• Will to fight and
win

44. "Those Brits are a strange old race, they show
affection by abusing each other, will think
nothing of casually stopping in the middle of a
fire fight for there "brew up" and eat food
that I wouldn't give to a dying dog! but fuck
me, I would rather have one British squaddie
on side than a entire battalion of spetznaz!!!...
Why? Because the British are the only people
in the world who when the chips are down
and there seems like no hope left, instead of
getting sentimental or hysterical, will strap on
there pack, charge there rifle, light up a smoke
and calmly and wryly grin "well are we going
then you wanker??"

46. Today

47. The nature of the Armoured Fighting
Vehicle today has come a long way form
its humble origins in WW1 to today in
conflicts like Iraq And Afghanistan. It
finds it self in more and more demand
in current military operations world
wide and has been said to be an in
valued asset for troops on the ground
and commanders alike.

48. Future

49. As with anything give it enough time a new types of
AVF will emerge.
Some may very possibly not require a crew and
operate completely independently as an a
unmanned vehicle (like a drone) there fore
decreasing the risk to human life on the
battlefield.
Some could potentially not use kinetic weaponry
systems but use electronic systems to disable
targets.
The future for the AFV is wide open and possibly
limitless depending on its need in conflicts in the
future