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AAV's frah-jeel-ay


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As a Marines module newby, in my first mission, I have to say the Marines' ride seems to be quite easily destroyed. Any tips on keeping these alive? I'm getting my butt kicked. Should I keep them in cover and just bring them out to support my infantry or do I need to just keep them moving or what?

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Keep them in cover at least until your infantry has located and recognized enemy threats. And always when moving, keep in mind that they're tall - taller than small huts. You can't just park them in a little depression and expect that to act as a cloaking device.

This is what your AAV looks like to enemy RPG guy:

sandcrawler_side.jpg

A huge, juicy target.

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As with all armed vehicles, even tanks, the trick is to minimize their exposure while not minimizing their ability to contribute to the battle. If you're facing ATGMs or AFVs or tanks, it's best to keep your AAVs in cover. If the most significant anti-armor threat is RPGs, just keep your AAVs 300 meters or more from suspected enemy positions when possible; if you keep your AAVs out of RPG range, they can give suspected enemy positions a good dose of 40mm HEDP to pave the way for your dismounts.

Good hunting!

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Keep them in cover at least until your infantry has located and recognized enemy threats. And always when moving, keep in mind that they're tall - taller than small huts. You can't just park them in a little depression and expect that to act as a cloaking device.

Hmmm. Hadn't thought about the height. However, I've been trying to keep them back and behind cover, but my opponent still blasting them to bits with, I think, recoilless rifles. They seem a lot more fragile than Strykers, but could also be the enemy has better weapons than the average base CMSF scenario.

Imma going to try keeping them in motion, moving behind cover as much as possible, get my guys assaulting and then get my AAV's behind cover.

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Those recoiless rifles are a real PIA along with Syrian grenade launchers. They are always my number one priority when I encounter them, outside of obvious stuff like tanks.

I'd try some shoot and scoot tactics if you've got a decent line of sight. Or better yet, have your infantry pin the punks down and bring up an LAV and wail the hell out of them. I just recently played a scenario that had enemy tanks, grenade launchers, RPGs and recoiless rifles and I only lost two trucks (out of four) using these tactics...all five of my LAVs survived. It's slow going but seemed to work well.

Mord.

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Those recoiless rifles are a real PIA along with Syrian grenade launchers. They are always my number one priority when I encounter them, outside of obvious stuff like tanks.

I'd try some shoot and scoot tactics if you've got a decent line of sight. Or better yet, have your infantry pin the punks down and bring up an LAV and wail the hell out of them. I just recently played a scenario that had enemy tanks, grenade launchers, RPGs and recoiless rifles and I only lost two trucks (out of four) using these tactics...all five of my LAVs survived. It's slow going but seemed to work well.

Mord.

The problem is that I discover where they are because one of my AAV's (that I thought was in reasonable cover and/or facing the most likely attack direction) blows up. Also, I intend to respect the ROE for the scenario, which is not to just light the place up, which would otherwise be my preference :-)

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Mord said, "Or better yet, have your infantry pin the punks down and bring up an LAV and wail the hell out of them."

Infantry finds and pins, HE Kills. That does indeed seem to be the secret to success. That and a lot of patience. Use combined arms and take your time.

Even then in most scenarios you'll still take some casualties, just not as many.

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AAV's need to be treated with care.

*Try to*

-Keep them under cover.

-Use smoke to mask movements.

-Use them as ammo crates. They are LOADED!

-Use them as infantry support. Blackcat is right. Get you infantry up (multiple squads if possible) and area fire enemy squads, anti-tank squads first. Then try to roll your AAV's up on them to where they are only in LOS with the suppressed enemies. Then just are fire with the MK19 until they are all shrapnelized.

*Avoid*

-Charging enemy positions.

-Using them like tanks.

-Leaving them out in the open.

-All anti-tank weapons.

-Driving them down urban avenues that have not been cleared by infantry. Enemies can be hidden anywhere.

These same tactics can be applied to any vehicle. Even tanks should be used like this when they are supporting infantry.

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As a Marines module newby, in my first mission, I have to say the Marines' ride seems to be quite easily destroyed. Any tips on keeping these alive? I'm getting my butt kicked. Should I keep them in cover and just bring them out to support my infantry or do I need to just keep them moving or what?

Consider them to be deuce and a half with an automatic grenade launcher and you will do a lot better. They are one of the crappiest NATO vehicles I have observed, the huge size, horrible maneuverability and measly armor values (keep in mind, the OPFOR HMGs may penetrate it, even from frontal armor) makes the stryker look like an abrams. Dismount your boys and hoof it!

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As we probably all know the use of combined arms tactics is what is most likely to give us victory in this game. If you spot an RPG team before it gets too close to your vehicles just hose them down. Dismounting your infantry from their APCs, IFVs etc short of the position you are planning to attack and advancing on foot while the vehicles provide covering fire is a good idea. Don;t do a Grozny and send vehicles into built up or wooded areas without at least dismounting the infantry first. If you do your are opening yourself up to be the prey in an RPG happy hunting ground.

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Thefightingseabee has it dead on with his points.Those vehicles are also your troops ride out of the desert, they would not want to be walking in the hot sun all day because they lost their rides to a commander that doesn't value them.In some scenarios my vehicles dont fire a shot unless its to come out of hiding, pulverize the enemy location or pin down then go back into hiding.When i feel like i have fire superiority over the battlefield and know where most enemy are,I then mobilize my vehicles to form a heavy firing line in hull down positions if possible to overwatch the operational area.So if the enemy takes a shot, the vehicles retaliate at the same time and pepper the enemy very quickly and accurately with maximum force.

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I think there are different ways to use vehicles (at least ingame since I have no RL experience), but like others have said the AAV is no tank.

In my case they are not used for probing but only fire support, and only if nothing better is available. That said 5+ AAV's rolling out of cover guns blazing pack quite a punch. I never risk AAV's packed with troops though, 24KIA because of one lousy RPG is not an acceptable loss.

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My favourite troops in game are the USMC, and my favourite infantry support vehicle is the AAV. The mounted grenade thrower with its 1KM+ range is awesome against infantry in or out of cover (and it will take down a BMP in double quick time, if it gets the first shot) and it is a QM stores on tracks. A spiffing bit of kit.

However, a MBT it ain't. Let it get too close to enemy infantry armed with RPGs or even a 12.7 MG and it will die, quickly. ATGMs will toast it with one hit as will BMP guns but that goes for all allied vehicles save the Abrams and Challengers. Even then it will survive better than the British Army's unarmoured Land-Rovers, but they are a subject for a different thread (one to do with the value of scrap metal).

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A bit of a side comment, but the fact that you only see things in the "tactical" perspective as opposed to the "strategic" probably effects player's opinions of a lot of the equipment.

Arguably the AAV's most important function is as a boat. It gets lots of Marines and basic equipment from ship to shore while providing tracked land transport without the logistics of even larger separate landing craft and such. It's primarily designed around those requirements as without them it would be rather pointless.

You see almost none of this at the tactical level, especially without any water...

So it's a decently uparmored and well armed truck with tracks that moonlights as a boat.

I certainly think the USMC needs a new and improved vehicle for this role, but it's not as craptastic as it appears in CMSF when you consider what it's role it's really playing.

Similar stuff applies to the land rovers/jackals/etc.

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Agreed. APCs, IFVs etc need to be seen as part of a combined arms package. Used well and they will support the efforts of the team in an effective way. Use them poorly, for example without the support of armour, artillery and airpower or by sending them into areas of dense terrain (woods, urban) and you will get what you deserve :-)

I still don't like the Stryker though. It;s not so much the vehicle itself, it's more the lack of proper tank support. In the mechanized warfare environment a Stryler Brigade really needs either an M1A2 company or two or, failing that, helicopter gunships and artillery backed by aircraft,

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Well the Javelin is the duct tape of armored warfare, if you have enough of em (which the Stryker units do, I think they have the most CLUs and missiles), you can't go wrong.

Combined with the MGS/TOW/Mortar strykers, I've found that's usually enough for any mechanized opposition. Generally I fight armor with the infantry and the infantry with Strykers. However in close urban combat some M1s would be handy, for close armor engagements and digging out infantry.

As a sort of mechanized/motorized hybrid of sorts, Stryker units can hold their own, but they're not really well suited to taking on massed tanks unless you can hide the Strykers and effectively use the ATGMs.

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Hiding Strykers is easier said than done sometimes as they are rather large beasts. .I agree with you about the Javelin with its nice top attack capabilities. Can be fun to watch *less so if you are at the rwrong end of it. Most of what the Syrians have can be dealt with .albeit with some difficulty by an Stryker brigade combat team but losses incurred can be unacceptably high against a mechanized threat. This is why attaching a platoon or two of M1A2s or providing strong air support or Apacjes can make a lot of difference. Going up against the T-72 TURMS or, even worse the T-90 is a lot more challenging if you command the Strykers.

On the other hand, in the real world you only have the assets your superior commander is willing to give you and, if this is not enough, you just have to do the best you can with what you have,

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