Quote Originally Posted by Distiller View Post

@ that Singaporean buggy: Never liked putting high-value toys on unprotected vehicles. Shrapnels and branches can damage that stuff. And when it rains it's also not good. Better take a Toyota Hilux and seat six missilemen on the flatbed instead of mounting the stuff on the buggy. And that buggy is very military, doesn't blend in very well. And terribly mobile it is neither - can't swim for example.
Having examined this vehicle in detail and talked to the crews, let me address a few issues. It is a mobility system. - so better than walking. It is not an armoured vehicle. It enables an ATGW platoon to do things THEY COULD NOT, if they did not have this vehicle. There have much better mobility than an SUV. Better power to weight and lower ground pressure. No, it can't swim, but you can lift it with UH-60 or smaller helo, and you can float is easily on a raft, if needed.

We tried that in the late 40s and early 50s. Didn't work too well, the mobility APC folks tended to think and act like taxi drivers -- who didn't want to go into bad neighborhoods -- and the tactical commanders never got enough experience to properly employ the vehicles and get full benefit of their combat power capability. Maintenance was also a major problem, a driver and a vehicle commander are not enough people to take care of a track (or even a multi-wheeled vehicle).
...but, the Royal Marines are doing this, and it works very well. If you have the right training all the problems go away.