The HS-30 is an armored personnel carrier of German origin. The HS-30 design was acquired as infantry fighting vehicle to accompany the Panzergrenadiers in combat. For its time it was very well armed. The thought was that the HS-30 could engage enemy positions and light vehicles, allowing tanks to focus on enemy tanks. Over 10.000 vehicles were to be acquired but due to mechanical problems only 2.176 were delivered before the program was cancelled, leading to the HS-30 political scandal.

The HS-30 is a rather small vehicle with a low silhouette. Due to its size it could only carry 5 infantry. The crew of three is seated in the front and the turret with 20mm autocannon is mounted on the right. The infantry compartment is in the middle and is entered through roof hatches. The engine and drive train are mounted at the rear.

The main armament of the HS-30 is a 20mm HS-820 autocannon placed in a one man turret. A total of 2.000 rounds are carried. Compared to other armored personnel carriers of its time it is very powerful. For this reason the HS-30 can be considered the first infantry fighting vehicle. There is no secondary armament although a 106mm recoilless rifle can be fitted. Variants include a tank destroyer with SS-11 missiles and mortar carriers.

The HS-30 is well armored, especially over the frontal arc. The steel armor is up to 30mm thick and protects the crew from small arms fire and shell splinters. Over the frontal arc heavy machine gun rounds up to 14.5mm are resisted. Two banks of 4 smoke grenade dischargers are fitted.

The HS-30 has a limited mobility. The tracked chassis performed well off road but the engine was to weak for a vehicle of this weight. The Rolls Royce 235 hp petrol engine was to power a 9 t vehicle, not a 15 t one. As a result fuel consumption is very high. Early vehicles had many automotive failures, but most problems were solved during overhauls.

The HS-30 was the standard infantry fighting vehicle of the German army in the 1960's. Due to technical problems only 2.176 of 10.000 planned vehicles were acquired and the Marder program was started in the late 1960's as a replacement. A batch of vehicles were sold to Peru.