Universal Carrier
The Universal Carrier, also known as the Bren Gun Carrier and sometimes simply the Bren Carrier from the light machine gun armament, is a common name describing a family of light armoured tracked vehicles built by Vickers-Armstrongs and other companies.
| Universal Carrier | |
|---|---|
Universal Carrier as mortar carrier with Bren mounted at front | |
| Type | Armoured personnel carrier/weapon carrier |
| Place of origin | United Kingdom |
| Service history | |
| Used by | United Kingdom and 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 |
|
| Length | 12 ft (3.65 m) |
| Width | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) |
| Height | 5 ft 2 inch (1.57 m) |
| Crew | 3 |
| Armour | 7–10 mm |
Main armament | Bren light machine gun or Boys anti-tank rifle |
Secondary armament | one Vickers machine gun/M2 Browning machine gun, or 2-inch mortar/3-inch mortar, or Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank carried |
| Engine | 3.9-litre (239 cu. in.) Ford V8 petrol 85 hp (63 kW) at 3,500 rpm |
| Suspension | Horstmann |
| Fuel capacity | 20 imp gal (91 L) |
Operational range | 150 miles (250 km) |
| Maximum speed | 30 mph (48 km/h) |
The first carriers – the Bren Carrier and the Scout Carrier with 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.
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