Editing Mechanized infantry (section)

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2023}}
{{Short description|Units with transport and combat vehicles}}
[[Image:US Army infantrymen unload from an M113, 1985.jpg|upright=1.35|right|thumb|U.S. Army mechanized infantry dismount from an [[M113 armored personnel carrier]] during training in 1985.]]
{{War}}
'''Mechanized infantry''' are [[infantry]] units equipped with [[Armoured personnel carrier|armored personnel carriers]] (APCs) or [[infantry fighting vehicle]]s (IFVs) for transport and [[combat]] (see also [[armoured corps]]).

As defined by the [[United States Army]], mechanized infantry is distinguished from [[motorized infantry]] in that its vehicles provide a degree of armor protection and armament for use in combat, whereas motorized infantry are provided with "soft-skinned" wheeled vehicles for transportation only.<ref name=IDTBT>Infantry Division Transportation Battalion and Transportation, Tactical Carrier Units.&nbsp;(1962).&nbsp;United States:&nbsp;Headquarters, Department of the Army. p. 15</ref>  Most APCs and IFVs are fully tracked or are [[all-wheel drive]] vehicles ([[6×6]] or [[8×8]]), for mobility across rough ground. Some militaries distinguish between mechanized and '''armored''' (or '''armoured''') '''infantry''', designating troops carried by APCs as mechanized and those in IFVs as armored.

The support weapons for mechanized infantry are also provided with motorized transport, or they are built directly into combat vehicles to keep pace with the mechanized infantry in combat. For units equipped with most types of APC or any type of IFV, [[fire support]] weapons, such as [[Machine gun|machine guns]], [[autocannon]]s, [[small-bore]] [[Direct fire|direct-fire]] [[howitzer]]s, and [[anti-tank guided missile]]s are often mounted directly on the infantry's own transport vehicles.

Compared with "light" truck-mobile infantry, mechanized infantry can maintain rapid tactical movement and, if mounted in IFVs, have more integral firepower. They require more combat supplies ([[ammunition]] and especially [[fuel]]) and [[Materiel|ordnance]] supplies (spare vehicle components), and a comparatively larger proportion of manpower is required to crew and maintain the vehicles. For example, most APCs mount a section of seven or eight infantrymen but have a crew of two. Most IFVs carry only six or seven infantry but require a crew of three. To be effective in the field, mechanized units also require many [[Mechanic|mechanics]], with specialized maintenance and recovery vehicles and equipment.