AFV Operation

 AIM - May 2019
Hey, this is AIM. I'm not dead, PMU just broke my phone(those fucks) and internet is super bad where I am right now. I'm writing here because only the wiki page 
will load and i don't have/lost other ways to contact you guys. I expect to get things running again in the next couple days hopefully. If you see this, greet everyone from me in the discord!

This manual is intended to give players, both new and experienced, an overview on the purpose, operation and employment of Armoured Fighting Vehicles in the context of a coalition combined arms platoon. This is a WIP.

Primer

In the context of Coalition missions, AFVs are usually employed as a support asset. Our gameplay revolves around our infantry platoon; it includes the majority of the players and is always the center of our planning and operations. The AFV in this context, while a valuable asset, is used in order to increase the effectiveness of the infantry, not vice-versa. Premier tasks are usually the destruction of enemy vehicles, base-of-fire and countering enemy assaults. Due to some AFVs transport capability, it may also carry troops to battle, evacuate casualties or resupply friendly troops at the discretion of the Platoon Leader.

Classes of AFVs

APC

The Armoured Personnel Carriers main purpose is to transport infantry squads protected from shrapnel and small arms over rough terrain from point A to point B. This purpose led to distinct design choices setting them apart from their heavier cousins, the IFV. Their armor and armament are usually light, with just enough armor to protect against medium-caliber rounds and a heavy machine gun for self defence.

IFV

The Infantry Fighting Vehicle is taking the idea of the APC one step further. Its purpose is not only to transport an infantry squad, but to also directly support it in combat. To that end, a typical IFV is protected against heavy machine guns and equipped with an autocannon in a caliber between 20-30mm to engage enemy targets from infantry to other IFVs. Most IFVs are additionally equipped with an Anti-Tank-Guided-Missile, giving them the capacity to combat enemy tanks.

Tank

Tanks are the heaviest armored and armed ground vehicles available. Their resilience and killing power on the battlefield make them especially valuable. They feature thick armor, with the front being able to resist other tank rounds and the sides protected against autocannon fire. The gun is in a caliber between 100-120mm and able to shoot, next to tank rounds, high explosive rounds directly at exposed enemies, buildings and fortifications.

Weaponry

Coaxial machine gun

The coax is installed parallel to the main weapon. The very same type of weapon utilized by three man MMG teams, on the AFV, it is your sidearm. Thanks to its vast ammunition reserves, you can afford to employ it liberally for suppressive fires. It is also possible to range your main weapon with it, by changing your zero until your tracers are hitting the target.

Heavy machine gun

Usually employed on APCs, it is able to penetrate the hull of other APCs and to provide long-ranged suppressive fires. It will also rip through all village- or city buildings, making it effective in clearing enemy structures without actually entering them.

Automatic grenade launcher

This weapon turns the APC it is mounted on into a premier infantry killer. Its grenades can hit infantry behind cover and its fire rate ensures a very large area of coverage and a high destructive potential. Versions in automated turrets are equipped with a laser rangefinder, making them even more deadly at long ranges, able to hit individual windows of target buildings. It can even be used entirely in an indirect fire role from behind cover, but in practice, this is rare. The grenades have limited anti-armor effects, making them somewhat effective against lightly armored vehicles.

Autocannon

This weapon is used to equip IFVs with an IFV killing capability and is very effective against exposed infantry. A double feed system enables it to switch between armor piercing rounds and high explosive rounds almost instantly. High explosive rounds are very effective in clearing out structures and fortifications, or destroying them altogether. Armor piercing rounds, as a rule of thumb, will penetrate other IFVs from the side, but modern IFVs might be fully protected against them from the front.

Low Pressure Gun

Exclusive to the Russian BMP-1, -3 and BMD variants, this gun fires HEAT and HE rockets up to medium distance. The BMP-3 variant fires an ATGM in place of the HEAT round. While the HEAT round is near ineffective against modern tanks, it remains dangerous to APCs and IFVs not protected by ERA plates.

ATGM

The Anti-Tank-Guided Missile is the IFVs premier tank killer option. It is usually employed from an external launcher attached to the turret, with western vehicles generally possessing two ready-to-fire missiles and Russian ones a single one. Variants are employed by infantry teams or from light transport vehicles like the HMMWV, helicopters and dedicated ATGM carriers designed to fire ATGMs over cover. There are two variants: Lock-on missiles need to acquire their target, then automatically track it once fired and the more widespread manually guided missile, either by laser or wire, requires the gunner to keep the target in his crosshairs as the missile will automatically follow the gunners aim.

Tank Gun

This weapon covers all your firepower needs in one package, utilizing many different kinds of ammunition to do so. Your tanks most important round is the AP(FS)DS, which is is short for All Panzers DiSappear. This round excels at piercing thick armor, and such is to be used against Tanks. Though useable against lighter armored vehicles, this may result in over penetration, meaning that the round goes straight through the vehicle without causing (much) damage to it apart from two small holes. Lighter vehicles are better engaged with HEAT rounds, which produce a molten stream of metal to penetrate armor, which is about as pleasant as it sounds if your armor is light enough for it to penetrate. MP stands for Multi Purpose, which combine the effects of HEAT rounds and HE rounds. HE rounds are your bread and butter. Certainly not half as shiny as the famed APFSDS round, this round is your default for supporting your own troops against hostile infantry or structures. It is basically an artillery shell precision delivered right at the enemy, with enormously destructive effects. Lastly, newer Russian tanks are equipped to launch ATGMs out of their barrel as well, providing them with an ultra long range anti-tank option. When firing the tank gun, the overpressure zone has to be considered. This is a cone around the muzzle of your weapon in which your weapons report can and will cause physical damage. It is paramount to ensure that no friendlies are in or around that cone to avoid wounding or even killing them.

Crew Roles

Driver

The driver positions the vehicle according to the directions of the commander. He needs to maintain terrain awareness at all times to be able to position the vehicle in cover at a moment’s notice and to find the most suitable spots for the vehicle to emerge from cover. By default, he should attempt to keep the frontal armor of the vehicle in the direction of the enemy.

Gunner

Second in command, he operates the vehicle’s main weapon system. He needs to be familiar with the armament he is utilizing and enemy vehicles he is facing in order to combat them optimally. He is usually equipped with long-ranged optics, enabling him to ID targets at greater distances than the commander. At the discretion of the commander, he may direct the driver to maneuver the vehicle in order to achieve a suitable firing position.

Commander

The commanders task is to direct the driver and gunner in order to achieve optimal performance of the vehicle on the battlefield. He is equipped with the vehicle’s radio and wide-angled optics in order to facilitate situational awareness. He is often riding turned out for maximal situational awareness. On tanks, he is usually equipped with an HMG for AA duties, but which works equally well against ground targets.

Loader

Only found in the M1 Abrams tank, the loader speeds up the reload time of the main gun and serves as an extra pair of eyes as well. He can operate a MMG when turned out.

AFV Basics

Situational Awareness

An AFV is at a severe disadvantage when it comes to spotting the enemy before being spotted due to its high silhouette, noise and poor vision options when buttoned up. Therefore, any solid information is valuable for the AFV. The most direct way to achieve this is for the crew, usually the commander, to turn out. From the top of the turret he can freely observe the battlefield and direct his vehicle at the cost of risking exposure to weapons he is protected against inside the vehicle. The second layer of information is to utilize the infantry around the AFV to find targets. Dial in your 343 to fire teams around you. That way, you can respond to any contact reports, specifically if someone can hear an enemy AFV approaching.

Cohesion

During Combat, an AFV crew needs to operate in unison, as parts of the same body. To facilitate that, a strongly abbreviated language is used similar to radio transmissions. Crew members are addressed by their position, (e.g. Driver, Gunner) and orders are brief. For example: “Gunner, orient 1-5-5, enemy BMP in the open, ready ATGM. Driver, orient 1-8-0, forward slow.” Here, a vehicle commander learned the position of an enemy vehicle to his south-south-east and decides to drive his IFV into position to engage it. He alerts the gunner to the threat, telling him to face its direction (measured in compass degrees) and to be ready to engage it with an ATGM. Then he orders the driver to turn the vehicle and slowly creep in position. Once the Gunner has a visual of the target, he will order the driver to hold, fire his weapon and guide it to the target.

Movement

An AFV generally moves at two speeds: Fast and slow. For the formal the usual method is road travel, while the second one is applied in most combat situations. When moving slow, the vehicle should utilize basic infantry techniques, such as finding and utilizing cover and concealment, follow advantageous terrain and coordinate movement with other elements. The difference is merely the scope of things, such as taking cover utilizing an entire shed, boulder or riverbed instead of rocks, low walls or ditches.

Survival

Generally, an AFV is an important asset to the platoon thanks to its firepower and mobility. To loose an AFV therefore is a considerable blow to the platoons chance to succeed the mission. To achieve effectiveness on the battlefield, the vehicle not only needs to kill the enemy, but needs to not be killed in return. To this end, armor thickness is not the decisive factor, but the last factor that decides about the AFVs life or death, after Situational Awareness, Cohesion and Movement. Indeed, most weapons that can pierce the armor of the vehicle will be fired with a rather high chance of hitting, in contrast to the infantrist who has the luxury to be - at times - shot at all day without getting a scratch. To the crew, this means that it has to mitigate the chance to be shot at in the first place.

Infantry

An AFV lives and dies by its coordination with the surrounding infantry. Friendly infantry should be used to screen the AFV in order to prevent enemy infantry from getting up close, and serves as an additional layer of eyes and ears able to point out targets to the AFV. The AFV achieves this by staying close to friendly infantry to provide immediate support as needed. It should be noted that the actual distance varies according to terrain - in a desert, an AFV may be able to support infantry from a kilometer away, while the distance between AFV and infantry in an urban setting should rather be measured in meters.

AFV Tactics

• The Hull-Down Position This position is your ideal position from which to engage the enemy from. Here, the hull of the vehicle is behind some form of cover facing the main threat direction - in most cases terrain, such as a hill, but can also be a town wall. This way, only the turret, the vehicles most armored and dangerous part - is exposed. Take care that you are able to "dodge" out of your position if you find yourself suddenly facing a threat you cannot combat - for example, an incoming ATGM.

The vehicle is covered partly by terrain, making it a smaller target

• Shoot and scoot This tactic is usually associated with artillery batteries, which shoot, then pack up and move to a different position to avoid counter-battery fire. In the same way, a normal AFV can make use of multiple prepared or improvised positions it can reach without exposing itself to the enemy's observation to counter anti-vehicle assets aimed at their previous position.

Avoid allowing the enemy getting a fix on your position against AT-heavy threats especially

• Air Defense Generally, if an air threat is active that is able to destroy the vehicle, it is a game of hide-and-seek. Utilize any cover available or speed and maneuvering to make yourself a hard target. Remember, the lock-on of most anti-tank missiles can be thrown off by interrupting the line of sight, for example by driving into or past a wooded area. If discovered, try to engage the air threat however possible, as determined AA-fire may deter or damage it.

• Platoon Movement A Platoon usually describes between 3-4 vehicles of the same kind operating as a single unit. Maneuvering and fighting as a part of such a platoon is similar to working in an infantry fireteam - just on a much bigger scale. From bounding, cover, assaulting to watching sectors, most basic tactics can be applied on vehicles in a modified fashion.

Similar to the fireteam column, vehicle warfare has a lot of similarities to infantry warfare, just on a bigger scale