A reconnaissance vehicle, also known as a scout vehicle, is a military vehicle

Military vehicle

A military vehicle is a vehicle that includes all land combat and transportation vehicles, which are designed for or are in significant use by military forces throughout the world. Vehicles that are armored or intended for combat are often referred to as armoured fighting vehicles....

 used for forward reconnaissance

Reconnaissance

Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....

.

Design

Smaller caliber weapons help reduce the vehicle's profile and noise signatures. In contrast, French doctrine was to fit reconnaissance vehicles, such as the EBR

Panhard EBR

The Panhard EBR is a light armoured car designed by Panhard for the French Army and later used across the globe, notably by the French Army during the Algerian War and the Portuguese Army during the Portuguese Colonial War in Angola, Mozambique and Guinea-Bissau.The EBR is an 8x8 wheeled...

 and the AMX 10 RC

AMX 10 RC

The AMX-10RC is a wheeled recon vehicle and tank destroyer built by GIAT. Over 300 are in service in the French Army. 120 additional vehicles were sold to Morocco and Qatar ....

, with the heaviest weaponry possible on their light chassis, so as to allow them a further role for defence of the flanks.

History

During the Second World war, the British generally used armoured cars for reconnaissance, from the machinegun armed Humber Light Reconnaissance Car

Humber Light Reconnaissance Car

The Humber Light Reconnaissance Car, also known as Humberette or Ironside, was a British armoured car produced during the Second World War....

 and Daimler Dingo

Daimler Dingo

-external links :*** has a Daimler Dingo in its exposition.* wwiivehicles.com**...

 to the 6-pdr (57 mm) gun equipped AEC Armoured Car

AEC Armoured Car

AEC Armoured Car is a series of heavy armoured cars built by the Associated Equipment Company during the Second World War.-History:AEC of Southall, Middlesex was a manufacturer of truck and bus chassis and its Matador artillery tractor was used for towing medium field and heavy anti-aircraft guns...

. Post war the British Army

British Army

The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...

 used the Ferret Scout Car

Ferret armoured car

The Ferret armoured car, also commonly called the Ferret Scout car, is a British armoured fighting vehicle designed and built for reconnaissance purposes. The Ferret was produced between 1952 and 1971 by the UK company, Daimler...

.

The U.S. and UK experimented with the Future Scout and Cavalry System (FSCS) and Tactical Reconnaissance Armoured Combat Equipment Requirement (TRACER) programs in the 2000s aimed at creating a stealth

Stealth ground vehicle

Ground vehicles utilizing stealth technology have come to fruition at various times in history. The Challenger 2 features a redesigned hull and turret offering lower radar observability over its predecessor. More recently, the joint U.S./British Future Scout Cavalry System concept was experimented...

 reconnaissance vehicle capable of C-130 airlift.

Role

Reconnaissance of enemy positions can involve firing upon the enemy in hopes of receiving return fire that gives away the enemy's position. This can make the reconnaissance vehicle vulnerable to return fire that may destroy the vehicle before the enemy's position can be relayed.

Dismounted operations by armed scouts include observation post

Observation post

An observation post, temporary or fixed, is a position from which soldiers can watch enemy movements, to warn of approaching soldiers , or to direct artillery fire...

 manning, reconnaissance of areas not traversable by vehicle, and marking enemy mine fields.

CBRN reconnaissance vehicles can also detect weapons of mass destruction

Weapons of mass destruction

A weapon of mass destruction is a weapon that can kill and bring significant harm to a large number of humans and/or cause great damage to man-made structures , natural structures , or the biosphere in general...

. They accompany regular reconnaissance vehicles and are fully protected against airborne threats.