Special Purpose Vehicles
Specially-designed army machines.

1 AAVP7 / LVTP7 The LVTP7 was designed as a for the LVTP5 series of amphibious vehicles. The LVTP7 offered up performance benefits and an increased range all the while transporting 25 combat-ready marines from landing ships inland. The syste... 1972

2 Alvis FV104 Samaritan The FV104 Samaritan is the Armored Battlefield Ambulance of the Scorpion CVRT family. Built upon the same chassis, the Samaritan is equipped to take on up to two litters of wounded for transport back to safety. The FV104 Sama... 1976

3 Boston Dynamics BigDog BigDog robots operate on commands via remote control. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is considering plans such as weaponizing the BigDog robots and using them to carry extra gear to free Marines of the burden o... 2010

4 Chenowth Desert Patrol Vehicle (DPV) The DPV is a three man vehicle used for many long range desert operations including close air support or combat search and rescue missions. Originally designated as the FAV (Fast Attack Vehicle) the DPV has seen service prima... 1987

5 Dodge WC-54 3/4 Ton Ambulance The Model WC-54 3/4 Ton Ambulance was manufactured by the Chrysler Corporation (Dodge Brothers Division) from the years 1942 through 1945. The body work for the chassis was completed by the Wayne company. The system itself wa... 1942

6 FPI Cougar (MRAP) The Cougar has since expanded into a full line of militarized armored vehicles. This began with the base 4x4 and 6x6 series Cougar systems being offered in 2004 by FPI to the United States Marine Corps. The Badger ILAV (Iraqi... 2002

7 Half-Track Personnel Carrier M3 No image of the American Army effort in world war two is complete with the appearance of a half-track series vehicle. The system appeared in large numbers and was very similar in role to the German SdKfz 251 half-track, servi... 1941

8 HMMWV (High Mobility Multi-Purpose Wheeled Vehicle) / (Humvee) Aside from the M1 Abrams, perhaps no other American armored vehicle has represented the American Army more than the venerable Humvee series of four-wheeled vehicles. Since its inception, the Humvee has become a staple of mili... 1985

9 HMMWV M1114 UAH (Up-Armored Humvee) The M1114 UAH (Up-Armored Humvee) was a purpose-built version of the Humvee family line intended to provide better protection for crew and systems alike. Based on the successes of the up-armored M1109 HMMWV vehicle, the M1114... 1994

10 iRobot PackBot EOD The iRobot PackBot is a rugged and lightweight battlefield robot in service with the United States Marines. The system can conduct EOD, reconnaissance and other search-and-surveillance tasks. It utilizes a manipulator arm tha...

11 Jackal (MWMIK / EmWimmick) ... 2003

12 Little David In 1944, the United States War Department was planning for the invasion of the Japanese mainland and expecting to encounter very strong fortifications. As such, the Army wuld need a heavy weapon to combat such structures. Spe... 1944

13 M1068 SICPS The M1068 SICPS was designed from the M113A2 Gavin armored personnel carrier chassis and was a further modification of the M577A2 design. The M1068 SICPS variant was a mobile battlefield system complete with an expanded commu... 1962

14 M114 The M114 was originally designed as a battlefield recon vehicle. Poor off-road performance kept it from fulfilling the role successfully and thusly the system was entirely removed from service by the early 1980's. The extende... 1962

15 M270 MLRS The M270 MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) is a battlefield support weapon produced buy the Lockheed Martin Vought firm. The system yields an impressive assault armament of 12 tactical battlefield rockets and missiles with... 1983

16 M551 General Sheridan / Sheridan The M551 General Sheridan (or simply "Sheridan") was a light-armored and heavily-armed portable tank system utilized by the United States Army. The system evolved from the need to counter a similar Soviet design of the time a... 1968

17 M60A1 AVLB The M60A1 AVLB (Armored Vehicle Launched Bridge) is a battlefield engineering vehicle used for launching and retrieving a 60-foot scissors-type bridge. As with most combat engineering vehicles such as this, they are often jus... 1989

18 M9 ACE The M9 ACE is an armored Earthmover used to dig firing positions for various weapons systems. It is also used in the following battlefield functions: Minefield Breaching, Obstacle Removal, Trench Breaching, Bulldozing, Gradin... 1990

19 M93 Fox The M93 was based on the German Rheinmetall product TPz 1 Fuchs system and is designated as the M93 Fox in the US Army inventory. The system's primary mission is to survey, collect and process battlefield samples for traces o... 1998

20 Rocket Launcher, T34 (Sherman Calliope) The attempt to mate a multiple rocket launching system to a vehicle was nothing new by 1944. The Soviets were already finding successes with their Katyusha launchers against the Germans, who in turn had been fielding their Ne... 1944

21 Saxon AT105 APC ... 1983

22 Scorpion Fast Attack Vehicle (FAV) ... 1979

23 SdKfz 2 kleines Kettenrad ... 1941

24 SdKfz 251 mittlerer Schutzenpanzerwagen A 1932 directive set about to provide German infantry with a versatile vehicle able to keep pace with the mobile Panzer tank units while fulfilling other roles in the process. The resulting 1935 design of the Gp MTW appeared ... 1939

25 Shillelagh ...

26 SLU-FAE The SLU-FAE was an ill-fated attempt at producing a mine and obstacle-breaching system for the United States Marine Corps. The SLU-FAE prototype weapon system featured five road wheels on a track with a multiple launching ro... 1976

27 SS-1 SCUD The SCUD missile system was the Soviet military long-range missile mainstay throughout the 70's and 80's. The system gained notoriety during the first Gulf War in 1991, where Saddam Hussein launched attacks against Israel and... 1957

28 Type 653 ARV The Type 653 ARV is a basic battlefield Armored Recovery Vehicle (ARV) that is based on the Type 69 production MBT (Main Battle Tank - detailed elsewhere on this site) combat chassis. Unlike the Type 69, the Type 653 is field... 1969

29 Vickers Medium Mark I The Vickers Medium Mark I series of tanks was one of the few mass-produced tank systems to be found in the 1920s. With a war-weary world cutting back much in the way of military production, the Medium Mark I managed a relativ... 1923