Armored car

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An armored car ( or armoured car in British English) is one of several types of wheeled armoured vehicles: a civilian bullet-proof limousine, a military wheeled armored vehicle, or a special-purpose armored vehicle, for example for transporting valuables.

1 Military armoured cars
2 Civilian armoured cars
3 See also
4 External links

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Military armoured cars

Image:French VBL DSC00823.jpg A military armoured car is a type of armoured fighting vehicle having wheels (from four to eight large off-road wheels) instead of tracks, and usually light armor. Armoured cars are typically inexpensive and have superior speed and range compared to more heavily armoured military vehicles. Their normal use is for reconnaissance, command, control, and communications (liaison between forward units). They may have a machine gun, an autocannon, a small gun, or may even be unarmed. Image:Oconnell-street-fighting-1.jpg

At the beginning of the twentieth century a number of military armoured vehicles were manufactured by adding armour and weapons to existing vehicles: armoured tractors, armoured cars, and armoured trains are known. Most of the early designs were a large car chassis to which a body made of steel plates had been added. A spectacularly impractical early armoured ‘car’ was the Russian Tsar Tank of 1915, a sort of tricycle with nine-metre wheels.

Armoured cars have their use in peacekeeping or internal security duties where their appearance is less confrontational or threatening than tanks, their size and mobility fits better with an urban environment with good roads.

Image:Armoured Car Korfanty 1920.jpg

Civilian armoured cars

Civilian armoured cars are modified versions of normal cars, made by replacing the windows with bulletproof glass and inserting layers of armour under the outer skin of the car, a labor-intensive process that takes a few weeks and costs about $100,000 in the U.S. There is typically no apparent external difference between a non-armoured and armoured version of the same car, in order to not look conspicuous. In most cases aramid composite and ballistic steel plates are used and the increased mass is offset by a souped-up engine and brakes, as composite armour is considerably more expensive. The cars may also be equipped for their role: with a fire extinguisher, rims in the wheels allowing to drive on flat tires for typically 15 to 50 km, an explosion-resistant fuel tank, remote starting of the car, pressure and temperature control of the tires, a siren or alarm, and an intercom between the exterior and interior of the car. Sometimes they can also be sealed air-tight from inside, and carry an oxygen bottle, to protect against gas attacks (tear gas, etc).

Image:Mercedes s klasse 1 sst2.jpg Armoured cars are in common use by people who feel at risk and can afford them, for example politicians, enterpreneurs, ambassadors, or in higher-risk areas including Colombia, Iraq, Moscow, and Washington DC. They are very popular in Mexico City due to the level of violence there. Armoured cars can also help protect the passengers in a car accident.

Civilian armoured cars can be divided into two types:

cars or trucks used in transporting valuables, such as large quantities of money which are armored and equipped to resist attempts at highway robbery or the hijacking of the cargo. They may be manned with armed guards but do not mount weapons. Armoured cars are usually operated by security firms, which provide secure transport for clients' property.
Armoured versions of cars or SUVs used as protection from crime or violence either by individuals who fear they may become victims, or in high risk environments. Diplomatic missions typically use armoured cars as standard vehicles, and many manufacturers or after market firms offer armoured versions of their vehicles. They are typically indistinguishable from the regular version on casual inspection from a distance.

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