Complex Urban Warfare Vehicles

[Feanor]

I'm interested in discussing complex urban warfare vehicles that have multiple light weapons mounted on them. I've noticed there are several specialized vehicles developed for this purpose.

They include the Nacgmachon APC which looks like a medieval castle tower on treads, and has multiple machinegun mounts. It's an Israeli APC built on a Centurion chassis.

Another example is the BMPT, which is a T-72/90 chassis mounting multiple weapons, with multiple weapons operators. While the main turret, housing two 30mm autocannons, and 4 ATGMs has to focus on a single target, the bow-mounted automatic grenade launchers are separate.

I'm sure there are other examples of specialized designs for urban environments, and prioritizing the COIN environment. Do they have a place in broader armed forces structures? Are they desperate attempts to make up for a lack of MRAPs, or a valuable addition to modern urban warfare?

 

[kato]

The 30-year-old German Fuchs has four separate stations where weapons can be mounted: Forward right, rear left, rear-mid right and mid-vehicle center. In standard infantry configuration the mid-vehicle position is equipped with a Milan ATGM launcher, the forward right position has a MG3 ring mount and the rear left position has a MG3 on a pintle mount. The fourth position supports installation of another pintle mount (just plug it in), but isn't used in standard infantry configuration. The Milan center position is also built to have other weapons installed up to two-man turrets; it's technically a hatch and pintle installed in a position supporting a full turret compartment. The rear MG3 is the dismount squad weapon and typically dismounts with them, the forward MG3 is the crew's MG; the Milan can be dismounted and placed on a tripod for better vehicle-independent positioning in combat.

The TPz 1A4 Fuchs with this configuration (and one without the Milan launcher) was initially introduced with armored recon infantry squads and combat engineers around 1981, then with light infantry including with specific urban combat roles around 1988. The full infantry version as described above with Milan and multiple MGs was used in all of these roles, in non-infantry roles as a support/overwatch vehicle supporting otherwise equipped Fuchs vehicles used by the rest of their company (in non-combat roles typically three with Milan per company of twelve Fuchs).

Further upgrades since then saw installation of an infantry battle management system (FAUST) with the infantry units equipped with them as well as several armour upgrades (incl. MEXAS) and in current deployments gun shields either just on the ring mount or also on the aft and center positions (usually built by the units themselves).

There were attempts to build an escort vehicle based on it by installing a turret with a 20mm gun on the center position in the early 90s; that failed for various reasons. Currently on offer from Rheinmetall is a MOUT version with a OWS (.50cal MG or 40mm GMG) on the center position, an eight-barrel 360-degree 76mm HE grenade launcher added in a rear right position and a microwave-based jammer/attack system to combat IEDs.

The Bundeswehr procured a total of 1031 Fuchs between 1979 and 1993, of which about 1016 serve till today. It's the mainstay medium vehicle of German deployments, and soldiers on these deployments like them considerably more than MRAP-like vehicles bought since then. Downsides for deployments that limit its use are its size - 7 meters long, 3 meters wide - and its weight of 19 to 22 tons. They have been in use in every single Bundeswehr deployment from Somalia to Afghanistan, and remain the primary combat vehicle of several infantry units until the Boxer will replace them in that role.