The Effectiveness of Armoured Vehicles in Urban Warfare Conditions

Abstract

Since the Second World War, the major armed conflicts have been occurred in or in the vicinity of the urban areas rather than rural areas, amongst conventional armies and armed groups or terrorists/insurgents. The architectural and construction characteristics of the urban area increase the opportunities for armed groups to ambush, easily escape, conceal, relocate and attack. Additionally, the narrow streets, the blocked roads by the debris of buildings, and IED threats make the urban areas one of the most dangerous conditions for infantries and armoured vehicles. The majority of present armoured combat vehicle types due to the limited visibility, low manoeuvre capability, and limited firing power, they are insufficient for performing the standalone operation without infantry forces and combat engineer support in urban warfare conditions. In this study, 13.400 data belonging to 676 attacks towards armoured vehicles during the counter-terrorism operations against PKK/PYD and ISIS in the urban areas were analysed within the perspective of forensic science techniques such as forensic ballistics and shooting reconstruction. According to the examinations and analyses carried out within the scope of this study; the leading critical features that an armoured combat vehicle that will operate in the urban areas may be listed under five general headings: Structure, Ballistic Protection and Armour, Self Defence and Weapon Systems, Situational/peripheral Awareness and C4I2 Systems and Integrated Warfare Systems.