Infantry Fighting Vehicle

The infantry fighting vehicle represents the lesson post-war armies drew from World War II: infantry riding in unarmored trucks were massacred by artillery fragments and machine-gun fire, while those dismounting from armored carriers arrived ready to fight. The IFV takes that logic further — not just protected transport but a fighting platform armed with a light autocannon capable of destroying light vehicles and suppressing infantry while remaining in the fight itself. Cold War designs like the Soviet BMP-1 and the American M2 Bradley carried their passengers into fire and engaged targets at ranges no infantryman on foot could match. The combination of protected mobility and organic firepower made the IFV the backbone of mechanized formations on both sides of the Iron Curtain. In game it combines troop delivery with direct fire support, excelling against light vehicles and infantry but requiring tank cover against heavier armor.