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| Armoured fighting vehicles of Canada | |
|---|---|
| Name | Canadian armoured fighting vehicles |
| Caption | Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicle in Canadian Army service |
| Origin | Canada |
| Type | Armoured fighting vehicle |
| Service | 1916–present |
| Used by | Canadian Expeditionary Force, Canadian Army, Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Armed Forces |
| Designer | Various |
| Manufacturer | General Motors Canada, General Dynamics Land Systems, Bombardier Inc., Arms Corporation of Canada |
| Production date | 1916–present |
| Variants | Tank, reconnaissance vehicle, armoured personnel carrier, infantry fighting vehicle, armoured car, self-propelled artillery |
Armoured fighting vehicles of Canada cover the development, procurement, deployment, and preservation of tanks, armoured cars, armoured personnel carriers, reconnaissance vehicles, and combat support vehicles fielded by Canadian Expeditionary Force, Canadian Army, and Canadian Armed Forces from World War I to the present. Canadian AFVs have been influenced by procurement relationships with United Kingdom, United States, and Nazi Germany through captured equipment, and have seen service in major operations including Battle of Vimy Ridge, Dieppe Raid, Italian Campaign (World War II), North-West Europe campaign, Korean War, Gulf War, War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and various United Nations and NATO peacekeeping missions.
Canada's AFV history began with trials in 1916 using British designs such as the Mark I tank, with Canadian units forming under the Canadian Expeditionary Force and incorporating equipment from Royal Tank Regiment formations. Interwar developments were limited by the Great Depression (1929) but resumed with acquisition of Valentine tank and Matilda II designs through ties to United Kingdom. During World War II Canadian factories and formations expanded rapidly, producing vehicles like the Ram tank—a Canadian-built chassis adapted for Sherman tank turrets—and operating Churchill tank units in the Italian Campaign (World War II). Postwar rearmament saw Canada inherit Centurion (tank) examples from British Army stocks and later adopt the Leopard 1 through procurement links with West Germany and NATO. Cold War doctrine and continental defense cooperation with United States under North Atlantic Treaty Organization and North American Aerospace Defense Command influenced acquisition of vehicles such as the M113 armored personnel carrier and the domestic AVGP series. The post–Cold War era redirected focus to expeditionary capabilities for deployments under United Nations and NATO, culminating in modern choices like the LAV III/Coyote (vehicle) family and procurement debates over the Leopard 2 and the Armoured Combat Support Vehicle (ACSV) programs.
Canadian AFVs encompass a range of classes: main battle tanks such as the Leopard 2 and Centurion (tank), reconnaissance vehicles like the Coyote (vehicle) and Fox (vehicle), armoured personnel carriers including the M113 armored personnel carrier and LAV III, infantry fighting vehicles derived from Bradley Fighting Vehicle concepts during interoperability studies, armoured cars such as the Fox (vehicle) and earlier Daimler Armoured Car used in training, and specialised platforms including armoured recovery vehicles like the M88 Recovery Vehicle, self-propelled artillery such as the FV433 Abbot SPG, engineer vehicles like AVGP Cougar variants, and command post vehicles adapted from GM Diesel chassis. Support roles include ambulance variants, maintenance carriers, and bridging vehicles modeled on Churchill AVRE concepts and M3 Bridging Tank influences.
Canadian AFV production involved firms such as General Motors Canada which produced Ram tanks and Beaver armoured cars, Canadian Car and Foundry which built Valentine tanks and produced components for Sherman tank manufacture, and later companies like Bombardier Inc. and Arms Corporation of Canada engaged in wheeled AFV work. Industrial partnerships linked Canadian contractors with General Dynamics Land Systems for the LAV series, and with Thales Group and BAE Systems for subsystems and upgrades. Wartime production leveraged facilities across Ontario and Quebec, with design input from military establishments including National Research Council (Canada) and testing at ranges such as Camp Borden and Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.
Canadian AFVs have seen action in major 20th-century campaigns: remnant Mark I tank use in World War I training units, extensive operations with Churchill tank and Sherman tank formations in the Italian Campaign (World War II) and North-West Europe campaign, and Cold War readiness in West Germany under NATO commitment at garrisons like CFB Lahr. Korea featured support from armoured units cooperating with United States Army divisions. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries Canadian AFVs deployed to Gulf War (1991), Bosnian War, Kosovo War, and War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), where LAV fleets and heavy armour supported coalition operations with ISAF and Operation Athena (Canada). Peacekeeping missions in Sierra Leone and Haiti utilized M113 and light armoured vehicles under United Nations mandates.
Modernization programs have included upgrades to the Leopard 2 fleet, enhancement of LAV III into LAV 6.0 standards via contractors like General Dynamics Land Systems, survivability improvements such as added applique armour, mine-resistant upgrades inspired by MRAP developments, and electronics overhauls integrating systems from Thales Group, Raytheon Technologies, and Elbit Systems. Communications upgrades tied into NATO interoperability standards and the adoption of command systems compatible with Allied Command Operations. Ongoing procurement debates have considered replacement of legacy platforms with options from manufacturers including Rheinmetall, BAE Systems, and Lockheed Martin for tracked and wheeled solutions.
Preservation efforts maintain historical Canadian AFVs at institutions like the Canadian War Museum, the Army Museum of the Canadian Military Engineers at CFB Gagetown, the Museum of Military History (Victoria) and the Ontario Regiment Museum at Borden Military Museum where restored Ram tanks, Sherman variants, and Leopards are exhibited. Private collections and memorials in locales such as Vimy Ridge Memorial (France) and regional museums across Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia preserve vehicles for commemoration of engagements like the Battle of Vimy Ridge and the Dieppe Raid. Enthusiast groups collaborate with heritage bodies including the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and veterans' associations to restore and display AFVs for education and remembrance.
Category:Military vehicles of Canada Category:Armoured fighting vehicles by country