Improvised fighting vehicle

An improvised fighting vehicle is the result of ad hoc modifications to a civilian or military non-combat vehicle, in order to give it a fighting capability. Such modifications usually consist in the grafting of armour plating and weapon systems.

Various militaries have procured such vehicles, ever since the induction of the first automobiles into military service.

During the early days, the absence of a doctrine for the military use of automobiles or of an industry dedicated to producing them, lead to much improvisation in the creation of early armoured cars, and other such vehicles.

Later, despite the advent of arms industries in many countries, several armies still resorted to using ad hoc contraptions, often in response to unexpected military situations, or as a result of the development of new tactics for which no available vehicle was suitable.

The construction of improvised fighting vehicles may also reflect a lack of means for the force that uses them. This is especially true in developing countries, where various armies and guerilla forces have used them, as they are more affordable than the more powerful armoured fighting vehicles.

Early use

An early improvised fighting vehicle was constructed for the British Army in Dublin during the Easter Rising in 1916. This used a three-ton Daimler truck commandeered from the Dublin Guinness brewery. An armoured body was mounted on the truck, built from the smokeboxes of several steam locomotives. The body had loopholes cut in it for riflemen to fire through and was painted with black spots that acted as dummy loopholes to confuse snipers. A steel box protected the truck driver and steel plating covered the truck radiator.

Construction took less than one day at the Great Southern Railways workshop. After the rising, the locomotive parts were returned to the railway and the truck returned to its owners.

World War II

See also NI Tank, KhTZ-16

AS jeeps

Created during the North African Campaign of World War II, the Special Air Service specialised in carrying out hit-and-run attacks, in particular against Axis airfields. As no vehicle was adapted to this kind of mission, the SAS were forced to build their own. Heavily modified Lend-Lease jeeps became the trademark weapon of the SAS. The windscreens were removed as well as the radiator grille bars and sometimes the bumper, in order to save weight and permit an extra payload to be carried. Different weapons arrays were carried, including different combinations of Browning and Vickers K machine guns.

The SAS jeeps were used during the whole North African Campaign, and later in Europe, where they were used for sabotage missions behind enemy lines.

Cold War period

Gun trucks

Post Cold-War period

Technicals

Technicals are non combatant vehcles modified for combat use.

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