Page "Armoured fighting vehicle" Paragraph 5

The level of armour protection between AFVs varies greatly-a main battle tank will normally be designed to take hits from other tank guns and anti-tank missiles, whilst light reconnaissance vehicles are often only armoured " just in case ".

Whilst heavier armour provides better protection, it makes vehicles less mobile ( for a given engine power ), limits its air-transportability, increases cost, uses more fuel and may limit the places it can go-for example, many bridges may be unable to support the weight of a main battle tank.

A trend toward composite armour is taking place in place of steel-composites are stronger for a given weight, allowing the tank to be lighter for the same protection as steel armour, or better protected for the same weight.

Armour is being supplemented with active protection systems on a number of vehicles, allowing the AFV to protect itself from incoming projectiles.