Power armored infantry

Power armored infantry are infantry equipped with powered exoskeletons, generally armored and usually featuring movement assist functionality to aid the wearer in moving and lifting heavy loads. Depending on the country, power armored infantry can combine characteristics of mechanized, motorized, or air assault infantry, but can also operate as pure light foot infantry.

In most militaries, power armored infantry are a relatively niche capability, but are fielded at scale. They're often used as an alternative to mechanized infantry in complex terrain due to their enhanced ability to navigated heavily wooded or built up areas. However, due to their weight and ground pressure issues, they are ideally employed in rocky terrian, dry ground, or paved environments. In some cases they are employed from helicopters due to their superior airmobility compared to an armored vehicle, although this generally requires heavier cargo helicopters to execute. Though due to their relatively slow tactical mobility if not mechanized or motorized in addition, power armored infantry rarely support tanks and other armored vehicles by design unless operating in urban or other close terrain.

Power armor is distinct from powered mobility aids, which help users bear heavy loads and travel long distances on foot, but are not protected. Powered mobility aids are more widely used, especially in light units.

Limitations

• Power armor suits are an additional piece of complex equipment that adds cost to units. Due to the cost, and other factors such as lift limitations, power armor infantry units are generally smaller in terms of manpower than light or even motorized equivalents. However, they make for this in some respects due to their operators' ability to carry heavier weapons and more ammunition.
• Power armored infantry, even when lacking additional transportation, are more logistically stressful than light infantry. Power armored infantry units generally contain additional logistics units to furnish batteries and sometimes even power generation units to charge them on-site. This not only requires more resources, but limits the range of action of power armored infantry units. For units lacking organic transport to be operationally mobile, they usually require augmentation or temporary service by a heavy truck or tank transporter unit due to the heavy weight of a unit's numerous power armor suits. This may stretch the tank transporter resources of militaries, especially due retrograde operations.
• Power armor operators are still vulnerable to heavy weapons and often light support weapons heavier than 8mm. Dismount power armored infantry are also slow. Thus, they maneuver more like light infantry than mechanized infantry and are usually not used to support the rapid maneuver of tanks unless also mechanized.
• The heavy weight of power armor can create ground pressure issues and limit the types of terrain and weather they can operate in. In some models, sand and mud can also jam joints and render them inoperable. While some models of power armor can ford water, this is considered to be highly dangerous as if a power armor user accidentally steps into deep water they will sink and often not be able to exit their armor by themselves in obscured conditions.

By country

France

In the French Army, power armored infantry are contained within the Corps de Blindés à Pied. They are mainly used as a secondary type of infantry in Infantry Divisions (alongside motorized infantry) and Light Armored Divisions (alongside wheeled mechanized infantry) for operations in forests and cities.

There are currently only 5 active and 1 cadre powered armored infantry regiments (the size of battalions) in the French Army and are one of their least numerous types of infantry battalion. They carry the traditions of former Combat Tank Regiments (RCCs) which were converted into Foot Blinde Regiments (RBPs) after the transfer of tanks to the cavalry arm and power armor to the infantry arm in the 1970s:

• 501^e régiment de blindés à pied (501^e RBP), 7^e division légère blindée (7^e DLB)
• 504^e régiment de blindés à pied (504^e RBP) (cadre), 12^e division légère blindée – école (12^e DLB) (cadre)
• 507^e régiment de blindés à pied (507^e RBP), 15^e division d'infanterie (15^e DI)
• 509^e régiment de blindés à pied (509^e RBP), 15^e division d'infanterie (15^e DI)
• 503^e régiment de blindés à pied (503^e RBP), 8^e division d'infanterie (8^e DI)
• 505^e régiment de blindés à pied (505^e RBP), 8^e division d'infanterie (8^e DI)

United Kingdom

The British Army operates two types of power armored infantry units: Type A and Type B Powered Infantry Battalions. Type A battalions are essentially a form of mechanised infantry battalion, with each infantry section carried in a Boarhound PIC-W wheeled power armor-capable armored personnel carrier. Type B battalions are mostly footmobile power armor battalions, with only one PIC Platoon in their HQ Companies capable of lifting one of their organic companies. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles are an example of a Type B battalion.

One Type B Powered Infantry Battalion is intended to support an Airmobile Brigade's two Light Role Infantry Battalions specialized in the air assault mission. They would provide protected fire support in situations where armored vehicles cannot be present, utilizing the ABPI's high level of protection against small arms and assisted lift capability to enable a high concentration of support weapons. There are currently three Type B Powered Infantry Battalions in the British Army, with one rotationally supporting 48 (Gurkha) Airmobile Brigade, one rotationally supporting 5 Airborne Brigade, and one permanently posted to 5 Airborne Brigade. Type A battalions on the otherhand essentially replace unpowered wheeled mechanised infantry in certain brigades. Originally the Ministry of Defence intended to replace all Wheeled Mechanised Infantry Battalions with Type A Powered Infantry Battalions, but had to walk this goal back over the years due to budgetary constraints and the high cost of the Armour Body Powered Infantry (ABPI) power armor system. There are currently six Type A Powered Infantry Battalions in the British Army and two are Territorial Army units.

United States

In the United States Army, 1 Power Armored Infantry Battle Group the size of a large battalion is included in non-airborne/airmobile Light Divisions and 3 are included in Motorized Divisions. In the case of Light Divisions, the purposes of power armored infantry is to provide an organic armored capability to otherwise unprotected foot infantry units, produce shock effect, and haul heavy weapons in complex terrain. In Motorized Divisions, where power armored infantry fight alongside units equipped with wheeled armored personnel carriers, the intent is to enhance the divisions' fighting capability in urban terrain. As the Chinese cities these divisions are aligned to are abundant with paved surfaces that can support power armor and roads increase the risk of units getting fired upon while in enfilade, power armor units are doctrinally ideal for this type of environment. However, other than the airborne infantry, Power Armored Infantry Battle Groups are among the least common. There are an equal amount of Lunar Infantry Battle Groups in the U.S. Army, all contained within the 12th Infantry Division.

In the Regular Army, the following are the U.S. Army's power armored infantry battle groups:

• 1st Squadron, 12th Cavalry — 1st Cavalry Division (Motorized)
• 2nd Squadron, 12th Cavalry — 1st Cavalry Division (Motorized)
• 3rd Squadron, 12th Cavalry — 1st Cavalry Division (Motorized)
• 1st Battle Group, 19th Infantry — 24th Infantry Division (Light) (Amphibious)
• 1st Battle Group, 14th Infantry — 25th Infantry Division (Light) (Jungle)
• 1st Battle Group, 168th Infantry — 34th Infantry Division (Motorized)
• 2nd Battle Group, 168th Infantry — 34th Infantry Division (Motorized)
• 3rd Battle Group, 168th Infantry — 34th Infantry Division (Motorized)