What is "armoured personnel carrier"

n. (context British spelling English) (alternative spelling of armored personnel carrier English)

n. (military) an armored vehicle (usually equipped with treads) that is used to transport infantry [syn: armored personnel carrier, APC]

An armoured personnel carrier (APC) is a type of armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) designed to transport infantry to the battlefield. APCs are colloquially referred to as 'battle taxis' or 'battle buses', among other things. Armoured personnel carriers are distinguished from infantry fighting vehicles by the weaponry they carry.

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe defines them as "an armoured combat vehicle which is designed and equipped to transport a combat infantry squad and which, as a rule, is armed with an integral or organic weapon of less than 20 millimetres calibre." By convention, they are not intended to take part in direct-fire battle, but are armed for self-defence and armoured to provide protection from shrapnel and small arms fire.

Examples include the American M113, the French VAB, the Dutch-German GTK Boxer and the Soviet BTR.