Who has the best APC/IFV?
 

We have done tanks and aircraft best of, but I dont think we have ever done a "Best of APC" discussion. And well..Im at work and bored. :)

Ok here are the contenders.

M2A3/M3A3 BFV (Bradley Fighting Vehicle)

USMC AAVP7A1

British FV 510 Warrior

German Marder 1A3

USA/USMC/Canadian/Swiss Stryker/LAV-25/Coyote-Grizzly/MOWAG Pirahna

Russian BTR-90

Russian BMP-3

Chinese ZBD97

My vote is for the BMP-3

It is fairly well armored, low profile, has a 100mm low pressure gun, good for fire support roles and has a ATGM for anti-tank.

My primary requirement is amphibious, decent armor, can do fire support well, and can engage tanks if it has to, not that it would want to.

Well, I don't really know so much about APCs, but I think Germany is replacing the Marder with a new APC, the Puma. This new Puma is apparently rather large and difficult to airlift (you need one plane to transport the vehicle and another to transport additional modular armor).

Does the BMP-3 still hold extra fuel in the rear doors like the BMP-2 did? If so, you won't get me anywhere near it.


The best APC in my opinion is the Merkava, well it is kinda an APC. :p But of the choices, probably the BTR-90. It's fairly well armoured, pretty fast, eight wheel drive, holds as many men as the BMP-3, longer operational distance and is now being fitted with the same 100mm gun.

Gonna have to side with the BMP3. Has an autocannon for support, plenty of HE capability and has excellent agility because of its tracks. Turn radius on wheeled platforms is sometimes not ideal like in urban environments.

I voted for the BMP-3, but I since I know little to nothing about IFVs I just might have chosen the CV90 if it was on the list.
For a wheeled vehicle the Patria AMV ought to be good enough (even though I irrationally prefer the old Pasi), them crazy Poles, Croatians, Slovenians and South Africans bought it. :D

US M3 Bradley CFV, but I'm probably a little biased... To say the least.

The 25mm Sabot rounds are enough to kill a T-55 at the proper range, TOW-IIs rip up armor like it's wet paper. Not only that, but the electronics carried by this little ditty sure as hell outclass whatever the BMP-3 has.

Though, in truth, the M3 CFV is a scouting vehicle, and not an APC (it only carries a two man scout team) or IFV.

Anlushac, I fail to see why armor is all that important in an APC. Fact of the matter is, if a tank-caliber cannon hits any APC, it is going to die. No matter what type of shell is being fired. What is most crucial in an APC is it's ability to remain unseen, as well as move at the pace of the tanks it will be fighting alongside as part of a mechanized battle.

Armor is important because next to the AK47, the RPG7 in its various warheads is as ubiquitous on the battlefield as blood and sweat. Any vehicle not able to withstand repeated strikes from light AT weapons is a bad vehicle to ride into battle. The Bradley, for all its vaunted abilities was still able to be knocked out by this cheap widely available threat. So they started putting cages around them, good idea, just beats up on the poor things transmission because of the added weight.

The Bradley defends against weapons like this this with ERA. Mine was equipped with quite a bit of ERA. Saved my ass twice too.

Here's an M2 with ERA:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...M2_Bradley.jpg

However, I will give you this much. The aluminum structure of the Bradley does pretty much dissolve in the face of HEAT warheads.

Besides, I'll be damned if a BMP-3 simply shakes off a Javelin, or even AT4, hit.

You'd be surprised. Modern ERA has been proven to defeat DU rod style projectiles Such as the Abrams 120mm M829. This is protection for weapons that penetrate up to 550mm of RHA. At best, an AT4 can do about 420mm and thats with explosive, not concussive force so shooting at a target that is rolling around in ERA is very spotty with the AT4. The Javelin, being a dedicated MBT killer with top attack abilities of course does not suffer this penalty. Two different classes of weapons entirely.