Aliens: The idea of the APC references the Nishitsu Corp's PANDA (Personnel Armored N-Series Defense Attack) vehicle (urban tank) as seen in episodes 11 and 12 of the series Hill Street Blues,(aired March 14 & 21st, 1981)?

 

 leading from

Aliens: Development via "Hill Street Blues" TV series"?

 

a) In episode 11 of Hill Street Blues ,(aired 14th March 1981) , we are presented with a situation where Lt. Hunter unboxes a model of the PANDA vehicle urban tank

In Episode 12 ,(aired 21s March 1981), Lt Hunter carries out a demonstration of a remote control version of the tank model, that drives up a little ramp and then down a model of a location known as sniper alley where it deploys its flame thrower weapon

Later in that episode, the character Lt . Hunter, with a squad of EAT officers (who are members of his SWAT team) and two Japanese businessmen (from the PANDA's manufacturers) test runs the full sized vehicle taking it to "sniper alley". 

But they stop off on the way for a meal, Lt Hunter thoughtlessly crushes other people's cars under its caterpillar tracks as he parks it. They go for a meal and later come back to find that the vehicle is stolen, and is found gutted in the river.

I think that Jim Cameron thought about this vehicle and realised that he wanted his Colonial Marines in Aliens to have something similar to drive around in as we see it enter and leave the drop ship, carrying the Colonial Marines and then Ripley takes over the controls and drives it through the corridor of the atmosphere processor to rescue them from the alien nest

 

APC (Armoured Personnel Carrier) in the movie Aliens

 

 

 

b) The character Lt. Hunter (played by James B Sikking) unboxing the model of the tank in Hill Street Blues, Season 1, episode 11. "Life, Death, Eternity" (first aired March 14, 1981)

 

 

 

 

 

c) The character Lt. Hunter demonstrates the use of the tank with a remote control model of the PANDA in a mockup of a location known as "sniper alley," in Hill Street Blues, Season 1, episode 12. "I Never Promised You a Rose, Marvin" (first aired 21st March 1981)

 

 

 

 

d)   The character Lt. Hunter, with a squad of EAT officers (who are members of his SWAT team) and two Japanese businessmen (from the PANDA's manufacturers) test runs the vehicle taking it to "sniper alley", but they stops off on the way for a meal, and then the vehicle is stolen, and found gutted in the river