pnzrldr

CPT Eric Farmer felt his gut turn to stone. His company team, the Blackknights, had just linked up with the remnants of the Speed and Power Scout PLT, and Farmer could see Outlaw 16’s blasted and scorched track in the woodline ahead of him. He couldn’t see the bumper number at this range, but it was the only Bradley supposed to be in front of him, and his gunner confirmed the bumper number through his sight. Farmer and LT Upham were close – he had been Farmer’s 2nd Platoon Leader for over a year, before being handpicked by LTC Falkner to take over the scouts. Farmer was proud of Upham’s competent leadership and quiet competence, and wondered whether he had survived. It only increased his fury as he watched the spectacle unfolding in front of him. His mech-heavy company team had popped up from an overgrown sunken cart-track, run up the back of a slight hill and popped out onto a small open hillock looking straight towards Krichek. They had seen some signs of the many smoke pillars climbing into the sky, but had missed entirely the fact that they were suddenly in direct contact with the Russians literally as they were deploying from column into tactical formation. Still bunched though, there fire was doubly lethal. The first Farmer – in the middle front – knew of it, was both his 1st and 3rd Platoon leaders screaming “Contact, Front, Out!” nearly simultaneously over the net, and then the sudden flurry of firing. He was up on the hill himself and quickly shifted his gunner onto the BMPs in the nearest field, but by the time they had set it up, both were already flaming. He ordered a quick burst at some fleeing infantry, but they were still catching it from the tankers’ fifty cals, and he instead concentrated on the company-level fight, calling on all his PLTs to dismount even sections and bound forward odd. Then he got his FST on the net and worked a fire mission on the most prominent structure he could readily see – a farm complex at about 1400m. Maybe a bit close, but Eric figured on taking a few minutes here to ensure he wasn’t waltzing into anything and had firmly established ownership of this approach to Kricheck before he advanced further. Elsewhere on the battlefield... But...

Will hopefully have next post out tonight (will see what Honeydo's await me at the house!). Blackknight Six is going to be pissed when he see's LT Upham's track KO'ed. He was, apparently, Upham's mentor and former Company CDR, before he was selected as BN Scout PL. Also, will show another BMP-3 in the north - far treeline - that got KO'ed by Bradley 25mm fire. Hit decals on the front and back, for through-and-through's. Should settle the issue of Bradley lethality vs. BMP-3 from front.

Recall, we were playing from a version of our scenario file that apparently suffered some 'version control' save issues. My units arrived, out in the open, not tactically deployed but parked hub cap to hub cap. I deliberately didn't show this, but had to cope with the deployment the best I could. In the open on moderate high ground, so only one way to go. I anticipated casualties, hence the INF jumped off many of the Brads as a hedge. Assuming we don't get overly lit up when I get the file back, they will remount in a turn or two aside from maybe a single team to overwatch from this particular piece of high ground. AT-14 would indeed be bad, and can challenge - if not outright ruin - a real-world Abrams' day. But recall, I have the benefit of our assumed pre-deployment APS upgrade, so have a fair chance of blasting said evil nastiness from the sky before it can hurt me His Krizantemas could have been quite nasty, but they were positioned so close - somewhere between 900 and 1400m - that I spotted them before they even saw me. If you give George MC's "Bridgehead at Karylk" a spin, you will see what the long range AT fires can do. Oh, and let me assure you, you can very easily fill up the hour and half. Just depends on the map. When we stretch it to 5 x 2 or 4 x 3, with lots of folds, micro-ridges, and intervisibility lines, it will get very challenging. Oh, you can just charge forwards and hope you can suck up the casualties - might work if you have beau coup Abrams. But US commanders nowadays are fairly intolerant of casualties, and you will see this reflected in VP scoring in many scenarios. Just ran the 5th US campaign mission against the AI. You have nought but a PLT of mech, a section of tanks and a PLT of Stryker INF to seize a fairly large mega-city urban district. If you take more than 15% casualties, you are significantly penalized!

Mayhem http://youtu.be/vTUkgFPs3Zo B company, the mech-heavy team in the north rolls over the rise and is suddenly in direct contact with BMP-3s to their east and southeast. Some Bradleys stop, drop ramps and dismount their squads as a hedge against losing both assets to sudden fire, and to get the Javelins into the fight if necessary. The tanks make short work of a pair of Krizentemas to the northeast, then turn their sights on the BMP-3s trying desperately to back away in the field to the southeast. Between the Bradley's multiple TOW-IIBs and the tank fire, the Russian vehicles are overwhelmed. We are on our way to establishing unchallenged fire superiority across the north side of Hill 347. More on the story soon...

Think about ballistics - at most operational ranges, enemy projectiles do not arrive at the tank at 0 degree angle of incidence. They are almost universally plunging to some small number of degrees or another. Further, the Abrams armor does not deflect rounds - sabot or HEAT - it absorbs them. So 'shot trap' is a null function. The turret ring is vulnerable because the weight/functional penalty for covering it with the same protection level as the rest of the vehicle was impractical. Driver's hatch/compartment roof, turret hatches/roof, are exceptions, in that they may offer some degree of deflection based on their design intended to maximize angle of impact for incrementally plunging ballistic projectiles. However, armor has to be thin somewhere - we cannot afford to build / operate tanks with perfect spherical protection schemes. Perhaps you missed my point on the Bradley - regardless of what any online references say, I have two friends whom I spoke with about their combat experiences in Iraq during the initial invasion. One of them I was talking with less than a week later, in Baghdad proper. Both told me they had personally, with their own vehicle DESTROYED at least one Iraqi T-72 (admittedly, older export models) with crews still inside, from the front, with Bradley 25mm fire. One fired a very long burst of 25mm APFSDS (essentially emptied his ammo storage bin) from almost direct front at very close range - couple hundred meters. I think he told me 21 hits, with 3 or 4 penetrations at vital spots. No secondaries, but the inside of the vehicle was wrecked. One crewman KIA, two unaccounted for. I recall he mentioned at least one penetration of the turret near the top/roof line. I know he actually destroyed 2 T-72s, but don't recall if the second one was with a missile or not. The other friend's account I don't recall in as much detail. He said he dusted the vehicle off with HE, apparently suppressing it effectively, then switched to AP firing at about 400m from oblique front. Results uncertain, other than he said he penetrated the front of the vehicle enough that it went 'Bang!' like the one in your TOW-IIB video. He didn't get the post-engagement examination that my first friend did. Both were firing DU cored M-919 rounds. Take it or leave it.

Gents, still discussing the relative merits of TOW-IIB vs. Kontakt or R5 roof mounted ERA on the beta boards. My take is: TOW-IIB uses EFPs which should not cause the ERA to function in most circumstances, and therefore it is only adding a couple dozen mm's to the RHA equivalent on the roof - which John Kettler's vid clearly shows the TOW-IIB overmatches. Concur that Jav works even better. It has a... significant dive angle that really helps out, but its baseline penetration and tandem function mean it should work great. I also believe that both of these missiles likely overmatch ARENA APS, for similar reasons. The ARENA pops up an explosive cartridge from a band around the vehicle turret, and then radar cue tracking both the cartridge and the projectile cues it to detonate downwards so that its cone-shaped frag pattern intercepts the projectile, causing predetonation. For the record, this method of intercept can leave substantial 'residual' penetration, meaning ARENA is unsuitable for non-heavily armored targets and flank/rear successful intercepts might still challenge the vehicle's base armor. However, if you think of the protection offered by this system, it should essentially look like a set of conical mountains, or pointy teeth arrayed around the vehicle. Obviously, a projectile that attacks from above the cartridges apogee would defeat it (like Jav). Further, one coming in a couple meters up on a flat trajectory stands a fairly good chance of making it 'between the teeth' or in between optimum projectile coverage. Small chance the a missile might be disrupted by the cartridges' blast effect alone, but I believe TOW-IIB would frequently if not routinely defeat this system. This is an educated guess on my part, and not based on any hard or (God help me) classified data from the office. Take it or leave it. Going to be another night on finishing my post. Other demands competing for my attention tonight. May post another video, without text, but may not. More to follow.

Yeah, maybe. Unlikely you would have time, but many Iraqi crews chose this route in 2003. However, the 25mm is a very powerful gun. In real life, if I hit that T-90 like LT Upham's crew did, I'd give it a 50/50 chance of disabling the vehicle. A good gun or gun mount hit, a serious hit to the sights, a turret ring hit, drivers hatch, etc... All are vulnerable to one degree or another on any MBT, even from the front. I have friends who did just about exactly what Upham did in 2003 versus suddenly discovered T-72s, but with diametrically opposite results. With 30+ hits, you get a lot of chances for a lucky hit. You also have the strong possibility that the MBT crew won't hang tough to complete the engagement.

Right now, my tactical approach is... roll Panzers vorwarts, and crush everything in my path. Seriously, the Russians are way too far forward for their own health. They have very limited opportunity to fall back or engage from my flanks. I intend to take the north half of the map and establish fire superiority across it. The little hillock in the very NW corner commands the whole swath of ground north of 347 and almost to the river, and it currently happens to have 5 tanks on it. I will bound the tank PLT forward by sections, in short bounds, keeping the sections fairly tight. This means that if one vehicle is engaged and pops smoke (automatic on laser warning), his wingman can potentially identify and destroy the threat before it can act, especially if it is an ATGM (cannon shells = faster than missiles). There are two+ PLTs of Brads just south of the tanks, currently shooting TOWs and 25mm at everything on the north side of 347. I'll keep the Bradleys grouped fairly close for the same reason. The Bradleys will turn the tables on the remaining BMPs by mixing area fire with an overwatching wingman, one guy firing into the woods to 'flush,' the other overwatching to pick up and kill moving targets. I was uncertain what the first turn would look like, so a number of infantry squads dismounted in case their Brads received first turn fire. They will provide further cover/overwatch with their Javelins. In the south, Jav teams will work through the woods to bring lethal shots from unexpected directions. As you saw w/ SPC O'Brian, they require no real set up time, and are uber effective. I've also brought US arty into play, directing a short/sharp fire mission on the farm complex in the northwest. May be unneeded, but I'll likely let it fall for suppressive effect anyway. Bottom line: Abrams alone, or dispersed are fairly lethal. In wide open terrain, in pairs, they border on invincible. When I roll the whole first turn, you'll see I took out 2 Krizantemas that were positioned way too far forward for their health. Without those platforms, I suspect the Russians will have a hard time slowing me down, much less stopping me.

Usually. But remember the Abrams is both very survivable as a platform, and carries a fairly limited supply of ammo. When the first 18 are gone, it takes minutes, not seconds, to get at the rest. Crews strive to shoot the right stuff at the right target, and given a PC without a seriously threatening ATGM (the 100mm ones just aren't going to do it against an Abrams front) it is reasonable that they might take 10 seconds to shoot the 'right' round. In actuality, I was simply trying to account for what happened on-screen. It certainly looked like a big pre-detonation on the tree, and obviously, a sabot would not do that. However, if the TC knew when he shot the tank that he would be shooting a PC next, he would give "Target, cease fire, battlecarry AMP" once he saw the tank was dead.

“Damn, this fricking jamming! – Outlaw 16, this is Power 6, over…” LTC Shawn Falkner swore again in frustration over the whine of the M1A2SEPv3’s hydraulics, as he tried to reach his scout platoon leader on the Battalion Command Net. The tank was sweeping forward, rolling smoothly over the broken terrain, its turbine engine whining and the rubber-shod steel tracks clattering on the occasional stone. “Three, this is Six, I’ve got nothing. I can see the smoke plumes just like you can. I assume they are in trouble, but unless the whole section was wiped out we should be able to reach somebody!” MAJ Abrams in the Bradley to Falkner’s left responded tersely. “Roger. I’ve got a smoke column to my front. ****, it’s a HMMWV…” Falkner keyed his mike: “Staff Victors, break for cover!” warning the lighter HMMWVs accompanying his command group to seek safety. “Identify Tank!” his gunner suddenly screamed, followed an instant later by the loader: “Up!” indicating he had armed the 120mm cannon and was clear of the path of the recoil. “Jesus, Fire!” the Colonel responded, and the smoothbore cannon roared, an instant before the speeding M1 dropped down a small rise. Falkner just had a glimpse of the T-90 spitted on the sabot tracer, then a bright flash and suddenly spotted target dropped out of sight. “Infantry left,” the loader sang out, and Falkner grabbed the joystick for the roof mounted CROWs .50 cal, arming it, swinging it left and laying down a stuttering lethal fire on the Russian mechanized troops. The stabilized CROWs was deadly accurate at this short range. As the Battalion Commander, he had more important things to do, but with communications so limited he had only managed a brief radio call with his company commanders 10 minutes earlier. Suddenly a crystal clear call came over his headset, “Power Six, Blackknight Six, contact BMPs front, out!” Hot damn, at least I can hear CPT Farmer, he thought. He’s in contact too. Like an echo, the gunner sang out, “Contact, BMP, front!” “Gunner, AMP, PC, point,” Falker ordered, directing a new ammunition. It took a moment as the loader switched out the sabot he had automatically slammed into the breach after the first tank. “Up!” “Fire.” “On the way!” A tremendous concussion rocked the tank the instant they fired. Falkner thought for an instant they had been hit. Normally, the 120mm cannon’s sound is greatly muffled inside the turret by the loud environment itself, along with the sheer mass of the tank. The ‘Cha-changk!’ of the breech cycling and dropping the spent aft-cap from the frangible shell casing to the turret floor is actually louder than the sound of the shot. But not this time. “Crap! That thing frickin’ predetonated! What…” “Tree!” the gunner said. “I think we fragged the FSO!” Falkner looked in horror at the up-armored HMMWV which had been leading their little gaggle. He saw one of the armored windows was gone – blown inwards by the shock of the detonating round. “Up!” the loader’s cry jerked him back to the fight, as the young PFC slammed another AMP into the cannon, and shoved himself into the corner of the turret, away from the heavy breech’s recoil. “Re-lase, to make sure, and check the GAS.” Falkner said into his mike, directing the gunner to double check the range and to ensure a clear gun-target path through the gunner’s auxiliary sight. The GAS is essentially a rifle-scope, a simple telescopic sight fixed to the side of the cannon. Since the main sights on the Abrams are offset above and to the right of the cannon, the GAS is used if there is any doubt to ensure the cannon is clear of obstructions (like the lips of berms or walls) and to check for a clear gun-target line. “I got him,” the gunner responded. “Do it.” “On the way.” “Cha-changk!” http://youtu.be/6UHECovVSkA Not done with the turn yet, but figured I owed you all a taste. Power 6 rolls onto the map this turn. The Russians are caught too far forward and too exposed. More to follow, as the Battalion breaks out into the open and loses the hindrance of the jamming that has plagued them during their approach to the battlefield. Apologize for trimming the trees in the vid, but it was the only way to glimpse the action. The thermals see right through them, but we don't have a 'thermal image' option in CM yet.

Steve, get a grip. I specified TEXT messages. You know, the things kids do these days with their phone? Well, Blue Force Tracker, aka BFT now BFT2, allows our guys (and other SA battlefield networks do the same for other nations) to send texts to one another, as well as to their higher HQ. They can also send icons, graphical overlays, preformatted call for fires, SITREPs, FRAGOs, full OPORDs, pictures of the enemy through their sights, etc... I don't give a hoot for audio files. I want a way to communicate with the player beyond mere icons, in the midst of play. A new message pops up and says, "HEY, KNUCKLEHEAD, ENEMY COUNTERATTACK COMING FROM THE LEFT, ANY SECOND!" Dreday is talking more about a flavor type message, where routine message traffic would be simulated, in order to provide a nice background. "GREEN TWO, CONTACT 2 BMPS, VIC GRID CN123456. ENGAGING. OUT.:" or similar. Not that hard to put into scripts for the TAC AI to plug in at appropriate junctions.

Baneman, especially in a modern title, text reports would be fine. Would simulate FBCB2 or BFT2 type traffic. Would be especially awesome if we could get both 'auto-generated' text reports, as DreDay refers to such as "contact, BMP, north, engaging, out!" which the TAC AI would spit out, coupled with scenario designer generated "messages" to the player over FBCB2, such as "You this is me, FRAGO Follows, break.. establish hasty defense vic OBJ Tomahawk, oriented north to northwest, and prepare to repel company-sized armored counterattack, ETA 7 minutes, over!" Would make our mission creation options dynamic, since we already have 'hidden' objectives, bigger maps, and virtually unlimited ability to reorient or pump in reinforcements. Coupled with auto reports on spotting, engagements, casualties and ammo state by your pixeltruppenfuehrers, it would make the game much more multi-faceted and immersive. Would mean some sort of non-insignificant overhaul of the UI, but I think most of us support that at this point anyway.

SPC O’Brian was good and ready. They had to reposition twice, but now he saw it clearly on the distant southern hill. Through the thermal on his Command Launch Unit, he distinctly saw the outline of a T-90, the latest Russian tank. He was pretty sure he saw others on the ridge behind hit, but could not see enough of them to be certain, but the vehicle closest was hull up and unmistakable. “Alright, Metcalf, we good?” “Bit test was good. We’re armed and ready,” he responded. “Well then, here goes nothing. Firing!” With a dull pop, the missile left the tube, then seeming to sag in the air as its rocket motor ignited, it nosed up and flew up and away. “C’mon, we’re gone.” Even before the missile had closed half the distance to the distant tank, O’Brian and Metcalf were sprinting from the launch point. They ran a good 75 meters, then flung themselves down, snapping the empty canister from the CLU, and snapping a new heavy one in its place. A distant ‘Boom!’ announced the arrival of their missile, but neither knew for sure how they had done. They knew the Javelin was deadly, and trusted that they had spiked their target. The carefully began to creep up to set up another shot. http://youtu.be/YNN-FiTmyqE SPC O’Brian and PVT Metcalf engage a T-90 of the Southern MRC. They really wanted to engage the Tunguska, but could not get line of sight. Expect this engagement, coming immediately prior to arrival of Speed and Power Main Body, should throw a nice wrench in the Russian plan. End of video (note, I learned how to ‘pause’ though I still don’t have a video editor <sigh!>) is Brytva 21 showing what to do when your infantry target runs into a shack. Will be curious after the match to see if this engagement caused any casualties… or if there were any survivors! A few end-of-turn snaps to wrap up. At this point I am officially caught up, and am sending the main-body turn back to Bil in about an hour. Thanks for bearing with me.

With a roar, the twin 30mm cannon spit huge bursts of lethal high-explosive shells up the street, slashing after the running infantry. The enemy had ducked behind a hedge at the last instant, but the gunner walked the rounds along the area he thought they had gone to. It looked as though they had run into a small shack. Well, he would just….. “Brytva elements, this is Orel Base, air alert, sector 7A, bearing 258 closing. Illuminate! Weapons free!” The commander instantly terminated the ground engagement, responding by training to the anti-air drill. The search radar went from standby to narrow-beam search in less than a second, and an instant later the radar operator sang out that he had a target. The gunner announced a lock and the whole crew heard the warble of the lock signal. The commander ordered “launch,” and the missile was away, all within mere seconds of the alert. The 9M311 missile sped up and away, guided towards the target by commands from the launcher, which had to sustain the radar lock throughout the engagement. This it did, and the unknown Russian aircraft jinked, but the missile’s laser-armed proximity fuze functioned. The crew knew their missile had detonated, but none were certain they had scored a kill as they had all seen the smoke trail from their sister Strela launch from within Krichek at nearly the same instant. But all saw the splash as the enemy aircraft hit the ground. “Now where,” thought the commander of Brytva 21, “did those pesky infantrymen go?” http://youtu.be/eFdA78fMz3A As KPT Kovtun’s command BTR moves by ferrying an infantry squad to the north side of town, Brytva 22M, the surviving Strela launcher in the middle of town engages unknown Russian aircraft with two missile volley. Note the splash of the downed aircraft beyond Starov village at the end of the clip. In Krichek, Starshiy Bondarenko was exhausted. He and his team had run up the street, going building to building, lugging the heavy Corsar ATGM all the way. While a fairly light weapon given its capability, light is a relative term and they had run fast. KPT Kovtun had directed them to reposition to face the threat of a Russian BMP coming across the river – they were amphibious, and could swim from a suitable bank, making the crossing in moments. Bondarenko and the team climbed up to the second floor and began setting up, but instantly Sasha cried out. “Infantry coming!” punctuated by several short bursts as he cut loose with his AK-74. “Sasha, stop! You’ll give away our position! We have to wait for the BMP!” too late he warned, as the very BMP itself, slid up from behind a fold in the ground actually in front of the infantry Sasha had engaged. A large Russian shell, a stray perhaps, from the ongoing bombardment, slammed into the ground directly in front of the vehicle. As the smoke cleared, the BMP gunner immediately pressed his triggers, slamming 30mm shells into the building where they sheltered. Sasha fell with a cry, and an instant later Bondarenko mashed the firing stud on the Corsar and felt the tremendous whoosh and slap as the missile screamed from the launcher. The range was just beyond arming range for the missile, and it detonated hard on the BMP, instantly setting off secondary explosions that consumed the Russian track. Bondarenko knelt and cradled his arm as he realized it was torn by shrapnel. But he realized it wasn’t bad, and quickly raised his head for another look at the blazing BMP. In that instant the BMP’s platoon mate on the far bank loosed a quick burst that caught the young gunner square, shrapnel tearing into his chest, neck and shoulder. Only his body armor saved him from instant death, and his life would now hang on the skills of the medics in town and the speed of their rescue by US forces. http://youtu.be/yc9RMo87KSQ

Everyone should remember that neither real world Soldiers, nor pixeltruppen, make the optimal choice at every opportunity. If you think about it, you can recall numerous instances of the TAC AI making... sub-optimal decisions... with either your guys or your opponents. That is part of what makes the game so good, and makes it feel less like you are fighting robots and more like they are real people stuck in the chaos of combat. Every book on combat I've read, as well as my own real world experience, indicates that Soldier's under the stress of fighting for their lives and having to make swift decisions often choose poorly. Sometimes you fall back on the training you are most comfortable with or which got the most emphasis - like shooting your rifle rather than messing with that tricky RPG thingy that you've never actually fired, only drilled with. Hell, in the Russian Army, I would bet the Private humping the RPG would be terrified to fire it without a direct order to do so. However, I don't think this is a bug, and would bet that if we built it as a test we would get a certain percentage of RPG shots out of this team. The Bradley was indeed well inside the TOW II's min range of 125m. Warhead would not have armed.

LT Lysenko watched with guarded caution. Russian mortar fire continued to fall on the powerplant, making life difficult. Continuous shelling, even if you are under cover, is unnerving. Lysenko could see Russian armor traversing the field in front of the plant. He had laid out careful firing lines for the squad at the gatehouse, but had no confidence they would follow his instructions. They seemed eager, but also like they had not paid sufficient attention during their annual reserve training. The LT believed they were fairly likely to point the RPG in the correct direction, and would probably not place the exhaust against their shoulder like a rifle – but he was not certain! He could not see the team from his vantage point, but he was watching when they did choose to engage. The T-90 had stopped dead in front of them in the field. Lysenko estimated the range at about 150m, maybe a hair further. He had laid out firing marks for them at this range, and the rocket actually did seem to be on target – until the tank’s APS system shot it down of course. No one had apparently discussed this feature with the team themselves, and Lysenko could see them through a window apparently streaming towards the ground floor in panic. He sighed, but noted that the 120mm mortars seemed to have the range for the truck and likely ATGM site he had called them on. http://youtu.be/qsOo9SToCwI Kapitan Kovtun was working quickly, outlining a new plan to one of his squad leaders, when MAJ Harris slipped in the door of the Town Hall. “So, brief your men and the BTR crew and then get up to the North. They have spotted a Russian truck on top of the hill, and we think perhaps it is responsible for all of this damned artillery!” The KPT turned and saw the American Major. “Da, Mayor?” He lifted an eyebrow, respectful but obviously not in the mood for trivial small talk. “Nice work getting the word out on our Jav team, Viktor. I’m sending Sergeant Doty and his truck up to the north. We think a Russian BMP just crossed the river, and can’t afford to get pinned over there.” “Da, there is one of devils on our bank. I have sent our Corsar team to deal with it. Hopefully they manage. If not, we have other defenses. Is there any word on your countrymen? Any support available?” “Nothing so far. Jamming is doing us in. It should not be much longer, but I fear it may be too late for 3rd Company.” “Perhaps, yes. So… we fight until they decide to join us, no?” Harris grinned. “Yes, indeed we do.” “Good, let us go see positions, you and I?” “Lead the way!” “There, you see? I told you there was supposed to be a truck over there!” Serzhant Levitsky told his gunner. “We just needed to get a better angle. Gunner, ground burst, five-zero rounds, truck!” Seconds later, the Russian Tiger recon truck a burning wreck, Brytva 22 turned and headed north back towards Krichek, its swift patrol of the southern fields complete. Next to the bridge to Krichek, their comrade, the commander of Brytva 21 suddenly heard a loud, “tchnk!” followed moments later by several more, “tchnk, tchnk, tzzzeeee!” He looked out of his commander’s cupola periscope in disbelief. Right up the road perhaps 150m away crouched a Russian rifleman – and he was shooting at the armored vehicle with his assault rifle! Surely, thought the commander, your squad leader is smarter than that! “Gunner, traverse left….”

John, Blue arrow on right is pointing at Corsar Team. Blue arrow on left, at their future location. US Army is fielding a precision airburst tied by data link to the computer called the AMP round. Google it - there's some good dope out there on it. Full bore 120mm, precision fragmentation, multi-mode (point detonating, delay, and PAB). Point det has light armor defeat capability, wall breach to 80cm, delay has anti-bunker or building, and airburst is... well... good for most anything else. Replaces MPAT, Cannister, and HEAT. Allows anti-aircraft use, with bigger kill basket than MPAT. Wall breach is better than the dedicated wall breacher. Frag is better spread/lethality than cannister, and of course, can go off at precisely the point desired - like over a trench, or just past a building or wall. It is wicked in a big way, especially as it allows us to carry fewer different types of rounds. USMC used a foreign acquired version in AFG in the 21 Abrams they sent over there. We liked the results, have built an even better round, and are going to field it in the near future - in time for CMBS - you will see it in action as soon as my Abrams get busy. Hit text and icons on for some off for some. Depends on the shot. If you don't like them, just don't look at them. ;-)

Thought you guys would like that!

SPC O’Brian and PVT Metcalf focused on keeping their heads down and legs pumping. O’Brian was mentally thanking the hours and hours of PT his team leader had inflicted on them, along with the Crossfit workouts he used to supplement the regular Army morning fitness training. With the Javelin and reloads, each was burdened with over 100lbs of gear, but they had trained for moving with it and could keep up a moderate trot for nearly half an hour with only momentary breathers. He and Metcalf were moving towards a position at the top of the river bank which they had recon’ed with SFC Doty and MAJ Harris the day prior. They had planned to occupy it in the event that no immediate attack came at them down the road and bridge, in order to get their Javelin into the fight. Unfortunately, the constant artillery barrage on Krichek had kept them pinned down and for whatever reason the decision to commit them had come late. Their fires – however effective they turned out to be – would do little for the burning Ukrainian 3rd Company. But they could help catch the Russians between a rock and hard place if they tried to maneuver once Speed and Power showed up on the battlefield. O’Brian suddenly slammed flat, taken off his feet by a nearby shellburst. The weight of gear that slammed down with him added to the discomfort of suddenly coming under fire. “What the hell are they shelling? We are the only thing on this side of the river!” Metcalf cried. “Just random fire. Give it a sec and we’ll keep going.” Several more shells burst at random along the river bank, but after a moment the pair were up and moving again. Suddenly to their front a dark green hulk rattled out of the woodline. O’Brian quickly announced, “friendlies” after spotting the Blue over Yellow emblem on the vehicle, but it gave both men a fright. Brytva 21 rumbled past to take up a defensive posture at the Krichek bridge, oriented north. “Almost there. Get ready.” O’Brian called out. “Five, this is Guiness.” He puffed a bit as he keyed his mike. “Five, over.” “We’re almost there, and saw the Ack-Ack panzer go by. Any update?” “Negative. You are cleared to engage any identified target in sector. Same priority and ROE apply.” “Roger, out.” LT Upham saw the intense fire hitting in front of his track. He knew that the situation was deteriorating and he should pull back. “Sir, I still can’t see **** on the hill. We staying here?” his gunner asked. “We can’t leave Svendson and his team – they are getting hammered. Can’t even see where the fire’s coming from!” “Sir, I think they just got hit!” the gunner sang out. “Crap, pull up a bit more.” “23 this is Outlaw 16, SITREP! Can you guys get out of there?” there was no response, and as he watched, more Russian 100mm rounds airburst over his team. They must have been spotted by the Russian element to the south somehow, and taken under fire. Upham grabbed his binos and tried to look to the source of the fire to the south, but his view was blocked by the drifting smoke from their earlier protective salvo. Suddenly the Bradley gunner gasped: “Dear Lord!” Upham felt the turret make a small adjustment to the right and dropped his binos to see what had happened. His blood ran cold, as his gunner began firing the 25mm without any command at all. The T-90 had appeared a scant hundred meters distant, and as Upham watched it suddenly blossomed a halo of fire, the HE round loaded in the tube detonating just behind the track, and deafening him. He dropped inside the turret, instinctively seeking protection but knowing it was largely futile. His gunner continued to pump autocannon rounds at the tank, hoping beyond hope for some sort of lucky hit, walking his burst left and right across the target’s front. The LT glued his eyes to the sight extension, and saw pieces of metal and sparks flying as the hits slammed into the tank. He inhaled sharply with a moment of hope, about to speak, and then his world exploded. http://youtu.be/o4BV4PwdEms LT Upham’s gunner and driver escaped from the destroyed Bradley but were unable to recover their LT’s body until after the battle. For his part in the fight, and unwillingness to leave his exposed troops, the North Carolina native would posthumously receive the Silver Star. Nearby, PFC Keane in SSG Svendson’s track watched the destruction of his team leader and LT with horror. “Cmon, man, we’re dead meat in this truck. Let’s go.” He grabbed the AT4 as he and the driver jumped from their still running HMMWV and slipped away up the gully.

Never played SB. Feel free to read my profile.

Commitment: Posts up to arrival of MB up by midnight. Turn of doom by tomorrow at midnight. FWIW "mere minutes" per Banemen = about an hour and a half per post. Quit whining, unless you want to come out here and rub my feet while I write.

Have requested it (again) from the powers that be. More critical than ever with advent of precision munitions in the modern game. See previous posts reference to sacrificial offerings and large shipments of South African wine.

For precision strikes, laser has the advantage of allowing for some target movement. GPS has the advantage of not having to acquire the laser spot, and not providing target warning, counterattack or countermeasures to come into play. Believe that for most laser engagements, you are really only designating the target for the last seconds of flight. Also believe that in this environment of laser warning receivers, units would extend that as far as practical, and that both designation and ranging lasers would frequently be used in a 'lase offset' technique to try and avoid warning the target. However, this would reduce the chance of PGM laser acquisition, which is never 100% and likely closer to 60/40 under battlefield conditions. John - you tell me in one instant that the radar is irrelevant, and then ask my opinion on the damage model for it? ;-) Horn - fragile. Dish - not so much. Rotating gear (attached to dish) fragile, hates vibration or misbalance. Also, FWIW, believe the systems sensitivity to dish damage is very likely dependent upon what we are asking the radar to do. Detect presence of target with some damage = no problem. Provide precise range data to fire control computer with damaged dish = more problematic. BL: I am near-certain w/o asking that BFC is modeling this thing as 'radar.' The reverse of granular. Remember, our game is primarily a ground conflict and the focus is on that.

“Vovk, Brytva 22 at checkpoint 2. No sign of enemy. We see nothing at the farm. We are continuing.” Serzhant Klim Levitsky, commander of Tunguska Razor 22 was so scared he could barely hold still. Yet his fear gave him focus, and his crew simply thought he was extraordinarily attentive to his duty. As air defense soldiers, their training and education was a notch above the infantry and other combat soldiers. Klim had two years at University! But ever since the Russian invasion, their world had narrowed to the grease, wiring and electrical tape necessary to keep their complex vehicle rolling and operating. Though the electrical components were sealed, Levitsky had taught them together how to troubleshoot basic faults using a wiring diagram and a breakout box. Their Battery mechanic had helped, although the radar tech had cautioned them to leave the fire control system alone. He also led them through training drills, using their system to track birds visually, and to run the appropriate tests and checks on the missiles, fuze setters, lead computing sight, slew and elevation mechanisms and the cannon feed systems. A nightmare of complexity when compared with a simple main battle tank, yet Serzhant Levitsky loved it, and was grateful for the opportunity to systematically engage any aircraft that came within his weapon’s range. Unfortunately, Levitsky was not quite emotionally prepared for the chaos of combat. While his technical and tactical skills were first rate, adapting oneself to the understanding that nothing was ever going to go according to plan was difficult for the orderly young college student. Assigned to the Krichek air defense sector, he had absorbed the air defense plan, airspace control measures, IFF settings and learned to follow the rules of engagement to prevent them from engaging a NATO aircraft (and potentially losing NATO Air Support!). But as the situation in Krichek became more desperate, he started getting anxious. While his less organized peers adapted grimly to the new tasks of building a ground defense, Klim stuck doggedly to his air defense doctrine. Not until KPT Kovtun himself had carefully walked him through the rehearsal for his role, had he allowed himself to accept that he might actually execute this plan. Now he was rolling forward, unsupported to check out a Russian recon truck that had been spotted earlier by LT Lysenko, and his mind was reeling. The artillery of the last half hour had rattled him badly, and his linkage to the command and control nets only fueled his fears as station after station stopped reporting, some with audible finality. He fully expected to see the deadly snout of a Russian T-90 leveled at him with every new meter of ground he could see. Only the familiar acid-tang smell electronics mixed with grease had kept him stable. Outwardly though, he remained not only in control but rigidly focused, rattling off precise clipped commands and scanning literally non-stop. “Gunner, ground burst, four-zero rounds, at the left side of the building,” he spoke into his intercom headset. “Identified, armed,” said the gunner, followed an instant later by the radar operator: “Safety off!” “Fire.” “Firing!” The buzz saw whined, the twin cannons firing at a combined rate of well over 4000 round per minute, spitting a greater weight of explosive at the building than a tank round. The building shuddered under the impact. “Repeat engagement, fire.” Another burst spat out, followed by another. On the third, the building collapsed in a heap. “Confirm no truck,” the Serzhant said. “Nothing,” the gunner responded. “We have alerted the enemy – wide area scan,” Levitsky said. As he spoke, a loud detonation sounded just outside the track to the left. Peering through his cupola window, he calmly said: “Correction, scan left. Infantry 100 meters.” The turret slewed instantly to the ten o’clock position. “I see them!” “Gunner, ground burst, four-zero rounds, Infantry, fire!” Klim’s voice finally rose as he gave the command to kill another human being, but his whirling mind that wanted to blubber uncontrollably was locked into near-robotic adherence to his repetitive training. The Russian scout, inexplicably trying to run after his near miss with the RPG, suddenly reversed course when the twin lines of destruction blasted parallel paths to his front and rear. “Miss, reengage, fire and track.” “Firing!” This time the rounds physically struck the sprinting Russian, blowing his torso nearly in half and tossing pieces of him into the nearby trees. Klim’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head in shock, but his voice remained ice cold and smooth. “Return to wide area scan.” “Look, another one!” the gunner sang out. Again Klim responded automatically, “Gunner, ground burst, five-zero rounds, Infantry, fire.” This time the burst caught the second Russian the first time, fragments tossing him to the ground like a shotgun blast to a running hare. His blood painted the grass, and Klim could see his eyes go glassy through his magnified sight. “Continue to scan. Radar Operator, check feed chute linkages and compensator fluids.” Klim told himself that he could handle this. He would get used to it and it would somehow become okay. He thought about the fact that he had just blotted two or more men from the planet, but then immediately refocused on how to keep his track alive. He knew his designated route for this patrol, but also knew that he was unlikely to have killed all the scouts that threatened his fragile track. Gears in his mind whirred and clicked into a new pattern, and he spoke again. “Hey, uh, driver. When we move out, we’ll pull back around behind these trees, not out in front of them. And I want you to focus on keeping the ride nice and smooth so Mykola can scan, okay? That was really well done. We are in it deep, but we will get through it together. Remember our training, but think hard about what we must do.” He wiped sweat from his brow and rubbed his gloved hands on his thighs. “Here, guns, have some water. Everyone take a drink, but save the vodka for later. We need to stay sharp.” “Vovk, this is Brytva 22. Engaged and killed two enemy scouts. Cannot identify truck. Continuing patrol.” http://youtu.be/DiLjwZjG7k8 Brytva 22 is actually Robocop In Starov village, LT Martynyuk was angry. He knew what was happening – his experience back in 2014 left him in no doubt that the wheels had come off the car, and his mortar platoon was in trouble. He strode towards one gun team to get confirmation on their round count – he knew he could call, but felt the urge to see his men up close. As he approached the section truck, he felt a shock through the ground that merged with a concussive ‘Boom!’ from just beyond the village. He looked, and saw another column of smoke marking the end of yet another Ukrainian BMP. He looked over at the gun crew, then up at the cab of the truck. The driver was smoking a cigarette. “Soldat. You have an RPG, yes?” Like a child caught with a sweet, the young man froze his mouth agape, staring at the officer as though the words were in a foreign language. “Well, do you?” “Yes, Leytenant!” “Get it, get all your ammo, and go over to that building there. Tell the Serzhant of 1st Platoon that you are there to help. If any Russian tanks come through, I am counting on you to stop them. You understand? You must cover us – we cannot fight tanks with mortars” Breathing hard, the pimple-faced soldier jumped down from the cab. “Yessir. I… I will. I understand.” He fumbled with his ammo satchel with the rockets sticking out, but got it slung and jogged off without another word. Martynyuk watched him go, wondering if he would ever see him again. He needed to ask him his name.

Seconded. Of the four, I would want Poland the most. Worked with them in AFG. Impressive conventional soldiers, and very solid home-produced kit. Although, throwing in the Turks, Kurds,Georgians, and Azerbaijani's might be interesting. No idea the equipment mix of the latter two anymore, but could make for another plausible dust up. Would obviously not occur in Ukraine though. Hmm...