Universal Carrier

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Universal Carrier
preserved Universal Carrier as mortar carrier, 2008
Type	Armoured personnel carrier / weapon carrier
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
Used by	United Kingdom British Commonwealth France
Wars	World War II Indonesian National Revolution Indochina War 1948 Arab–Israeli War Costa Rican Civil War Korean War Suez Crisis Biafran War
Production history
No. built	113,000
Specifications (Universal Carrier, Mk 1)
Mass	3 ton 16 cwt (3.86 t) laden[1] 3 ton 5 cwt (3.3 t) unladen
Length	12 ft (3.66 m)[1]
Width	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)[1]
Height	5 ft 2 in (1.57 m)
Crew	3
Armour	7–10 mm
Main armament	Bren light machine gun / Boys anti-tank rifle
Secondary armament	one Vickers machine gun / M2 Browning machine gun / 2-inch mortar/3-inch mortar / Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank
Engine	3.9-litre (238 cu in) Ford V8 petrol[2] 85 hp (63 kW) at 3,500 rpm[2]
Suspension	Horstmann
Fuel capacity	20 imp gal (91 L)[1]
Operational range	150 mi (240 km)[2]
Maximum speed	30 mph (48 km/h)[2]

The Universal Carrier, a development of the earlier Bren Gun Carrier from its light machine gun armament,^[3] was one of a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies.

The first carriers – the Bren Gun Carrier and the Scout Carrier which had specific roles – entered service before the war, but a single improved design that could replace these, the Universal, was introduced in 1940.

The vehicle was used widely by British Commonwealth forces during the Second World War. Universal Carriers were usually used for transporting personnel and equipment, mostly support weapons, or as machine gun platforms.