Armored fighting vehicle
- This article is part of the Ardai universe.
An armored fighting vehicle (AFV), colloquially known as an armor, is an armed combat vehicle protected by armor, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities.
Evolution and designs
Siege engine
The earliest predecessors to the armored fighting vehicle were the mobile siege engines of the Middle Ages, with man-powered battering rams and siege towers bearing a slight resemblance to modern AFVs.
War wagon
War wagons were horse-drawn carts with thick wooden panels on the sides, typically featuring triangular slits to allow arquebusiers and crossbowmen to shoot through.
Steam wagon
The steam wagon was a natural evolution of the war wagon, first developed in the 16th century thanks to Renaissance steam tech inspired by ancient Solcian designs. Steam wagons were typically manned by a mixture of musketeers and pikemen, until the 18th century, when exclusively riflemen and gunners were used.
Armored car
A primitive armored car evolved in the the 19th century as a closed seat, metal-plated steam wagon that required only a small crew to operate thanks to its high caliber mounted gun, which made onboard riflemen redundant. It was later modernized with a diesel engine by the turn of the 20th century, enabling more powerful and efficient models to be invented.
Landship
- Main article: Landship
The Landship Era saw the greatest diversification of armor designs in history, with AFVs serving a variety of tactical roles in sizes ranging from miniature two-man reconnaissance cars to moving fortresses crewed by thousands. Such vehicles were known by a plethora of names, including armors, barrels, beetles, cataphracts, chariots, crabs, crawlers, elephants, landcruisers, rams, rhinos, rollers, rooks, terrapins, tortoises, turtles, tractors, treaders, trench-crossers, and wagons. Naval terminology was used for the large-scale models, the eponymous landships, which were given designations such as dreadnought, battleship, and carrier.