裝甲載具(原文)

TYPES OF ARMOR

For the purposes of Arma 3, the three armored vehicle classes are light, medium, and heavy. These classifications are given based upon two things: The armor of the vehicle and the armament. They differ somewhat from the real-world classifications in some regards, but this convention is done in consideration of the way in which Arma models such vehicles.

LIGHT

For our purposes, light armor has the weakest armor and weakest weapons – nothing more than a .50cal MG and a grenade launcher is typical for this class. Hunter or Panther MRAPs with their HMG and GMGs fit this, while older weapon systems like Strykers, AAVs, up-armored HMMWVs, and M113s fall into the light armor class as well.

Light armor offers effective protection against small-arms fire but generally is vulnerable to anti-tank weapons like RPGs and various types of explosives.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, A STRIDER, IFRIT, AND HUNTER.

MEDIUM

Medium armor tends to differ mainly by the armaments it has. Medium armor has at least a cannon (typically automatic). The AMV-7 Marshall, Bradley IFV, Stryker MGS (Mobile Gun System) or ATGM (Anti-Tank Guided Missile), and LAV-25 are considered medium armor due to their markedly improved lethality compared to the light armor.

Medium armor provides excellent protection against small-arms fire and some (but not much) protection against infantry-carried anti-tank weapons. Their weapons allow them to wipe the floor with any enemy infantry and some of them are even effective against heavy armor thanks to ATGMs and such.

THE TWO CENTER VEHICLES – A BTR-K AND MARSHALL – ARE MEDIUM ARMOR. FLANKING THEM ARE THE MARID (LEFT) AND PANTHER (RIGHT), EXAMPLES OF LIGHT ARMORED VEHICLES THAT COULD BE MISTAKEN FOR MEDIUM.

HEAVY

These are exclusively tanks. The Slammer M2A1 Main Battle Tank is Arma 3’s heavy armor for BLUFOR. It has tremendous firepower, great armor, and is pretty much the king of armored vehicle combat in Arma 3. Heavy armor is the infantry’s worst nightmare come to menacing life.

T-100, LEFT, AND THE M2A1 SLAMMER, RIGHT.

ARMORED VEHICLE ROLES

Armored vehicle roles differ somewhat from those of soft vehicles, primarily because they are intended to be aggressively employed in a combat role. The drivers, commanders, and gunners of armored vehicles must be knowledgeable on what that means, and capable of carrying out the following responsibilities with competence.

DRIVER

The armor driver is typically the junior member of the crew. His basic responsibilities include:

Moving the armor in a tactical fashion from one tactical position to another, at the commander’s orders.
Locating and positioning the armor in hull-down and other protected positions when possible, with the assistance of the Vehicle Commander (VC) or Tank Commander (TC).
Scanning to the front for mines, satchels, IEDs, and other threats or suspicious objects (such as oddly parked cars) that may be placed in his path.
Listening to the commander or gunner for movement orders.
Staying alert of friendly infantry positions and attempting to avoid them when tactically sound. The driver should also attempt to communicate his intent to reverse when in tight terrain with infantry nearby (ie: MOUT).

AMV DRIVER TURNED OUT

GUNNER

The armor gunner is responsible for employing the bulk of the armor’s armaments. His basic responsibilities include:

Scanning for the enemy. A gunner who is not scanning constantly is not doing his job.
Calling out contacts as he sees them. This helps the armor commander prioritize his fires as needed.
Listening for and acting on the vehicle commander’s orders. An armor gunner oftentimes has a restricted view of the surroundings compared to what the commander sees, so it is important that he listens for orders and direction from those that can see more than him.
Engaging the enemy and communicating what he is doing to the armor commander and driver. This includes letting the driver know when he is reloading the main gun, so that the armor can go turret-down if possible.
Using the correct weapon for any given threat. The gunner should have the familiarity and judgment to not employ SABOT rounds against enemy infantry, as one example.
Covering his sector and taking cues from other vehicles to know what sectors he should pay the most attention to.

AN AMV GUNNER ENGAGES DOWN A STREET AT NIGHT

COMMANDER

Often referred to as the ‘vehicle commander’ (VC) or ‘tank commander’ (TC), the armor commander is the senior member of the crew. He is in charge of his armor, and gives orders to both the gunner and driver in order to carry out whatever mission they have been tasked with. His basic responsibilities include:

Directing the movement of his armor. He does this by giving move waypoints to the driver and giving guidance on how and where the vehicle should be moving.
Coordinating with other armored vehicles or other friendly forces.
Scanning for and designating targets for his gunner, specifying the method of engagement if needed.
Employing the commander machinegun for close-in defense of the vehicle, or fire against light targets at other ranges.

ARMOR CREW COORDINATION & COMMS

BREVITY WORDS

MANEUVERING

Orient. Command to get either the vehicle or gunner to align themselves to a specific direction. There are different orientation methods possible, described in the next section.
Hull down. Command to get the tank into a hull down position. More details (such as orientation direction) are given as necessary.
Turret down. Command to retreat the tank into a masked, turret-down position.
Jockey left/right. Command to maneuver the tank into concealment, shift left or right, then pop back up. Described in more detail later.

ENGAGEMENT

Firing. Gunner alert to let the crew know he is firing his weapons.
Long/Over. Commander or gunner has observed a shot that went over the target. Gunner must adjust lower to hit the target.
Short. Commander or gunner has observed a shot that landed in front of the target. Gunner must adjust up to hit the target.
More lead / less lead. Gunner needs to apply more or less lead to hit the target, based on the fall of his previous round.
Hit. Commander or gunner has observed a shot that hit the target directly.
Up. Main gun is ready to fire. Typically given after a reload.
SMOKE, SMOKE. Emergency command from the driver or gunner to have the commander deploy smoke immediately and have the driver maneuver evasively. Note that if smoke needs to be employed in a non-emergency situation (ie – to screen infantry movements), the command becomes “Deploy smoke" and is spoken with less of an “oh shit!" intensity.

READINESS

On target. Gunner is on-target and ready to fire. Can also use “Tally", an air brevity term.
Don’t see/Not seen/No vis. Gunner cannot see the target that has been described to him. Can also use “No joy", an air brevity term.

ORIENTATION

When directing the movement or gunnery of a tank or armored vehicle, several methods of orientation can be employed. They are as follows.

Orient. The command “Orient" informs the gunner or driver to align with the commander’s orientation using the vehicle radar. This method is extremely quick and easy for the commander and gunner/driver but will not be as accurate as giving a bearing. Example usages follow.
- “Gunner, orient." Gunner turns turret to face the direction of the commander turret.
- “Driver, orient." Driver turns vehicle to face the direction of the commander turret.
- “Driver, orient on gunner." Driver turns vehicle to face the direction of the gunner’s turret.
Compass bearing. Using the digital compass the commander will read of his bearing to allow the gunner/driver to traverse to the same bearing. This method is very accurate and generally the preferred method to use. Example usages follow.
- “Gunner, orient 235″. Gunner will orient to a heading of 235.
- “Gunner, target, 115, tank." Gunner must traverse to 115 degrees to spot and engage a tank.
- “Gunner, your sector of fire is from 070 to 165." Gunner will scan an arc stretching from 070 to 165 degrees until directed otherwise.
Clock orientation. When using the clock method, the hull of the vehicle forms the 12 o’clock reference. Note that this method is not terribly accurate and should only be used at close ranges. It can also be used by any crew member (driver, passenger, loader) that spots a target which the turret crew hasn’t seen yet.
- “Driver, friendly truck in trail at our 5 o’clock". Driver becomes aware of the fact that a friendly vehicle is nearby in a given direction. If he needs to back up unexpectedly, he can attempt to avoid maneuvering to the 5 o’clock position in the hopes of avoiding hitting friendlies.
Relative direction. Relative directions are the simplest and most coarse orientations possible – this is simply the act of saying “Left", “Right", “Front-left", et cetera. Relative directions are most commonly used when guiding the driver or shifting fire from a known point. Example usages follow.
- “Driver, friendly infantry on our left, very close." Driver becomes aware of friendlies nearby, which causes him to be more cautious in his maneuvering.
- “Gunner, orient right, scan the treeline." Gunner will maintain an orientation to the right of the vehicle as it moves, scanning the designated treeline for enemy targets.
- “Gunner, from your last shot, shift right one hundred meters and engage that bush line." Gunner will shift his fire to a bush line near where his last shot landed and engage it.

THE TANK/VEHICLE COMMANDER IN DETAIL

Tank/Vehicle Commanders have a great many responsibilities and things they must stay aware of in order to effectively employ their vehicles and keep their crews alive. The following sections detail some of the more significant aspects of what they are expected to do.

TIPS FOR TANK COMMANDERS

Ensure your crew is aware of where likely enemy threats are, and is oriented as best as possible before any contact is made. Predicting where the enemy is and looking in their general direction is far better than being caught by surprise and having to react to their fire.
Prioritize your threat selection and engagement based on the capabilities and imminent danger posed by the enemy. Enemy armor and ATGM systems are always the highest priority, followed by unguided rocket soldiers, and finally everything else.
Once your hull-down tank has been spotted and has received or is likely to receive incoming fire, go turret down and jockey to a new position. Jockeying is described in further detail a bit later on – it is simply the act of changing positions in a concealed manner so that the tank can pop up in a different location each time it engages the enemy.
Avoid moving straight forward from an over watch position or battle position. Jockeying to a new position or backing away from the position and going around on the low ground are usually better choices.
Stay on low ground as much as possible. Moving on top of of ridge lines and over hilltops will skyline the vehicles.

DIRECTING THE DRIVER

You should only move as fast as your gunner can accurately observe and engage targets. Blitzing through an area will generally result in you taking fire that could have been avoided with a more deliberate movement scheme.
Commanders must remember that the driver has restricted field of view. When referencing landmarks, bear in mind that they must be between 11 and 1 O’clock and at roughly the same elevation for the driver to be able to see them, unless he is turned out. Some tanks, like the Slammer, do not allow a driver to turn out due to the design of the turret.
When moving, taking the time to explain the desired position for the tank to end up at as well as the route to use will allow the driver to carry out the movement with minimal supervision. This may not be possible at all times, but when there is time for it, it can increase situational awareness by allowing the commander to scan for threats instead of focus so much on navigating the driver.
While driving in formation with other vehicles, or in close support of friendly infantry, keep in mind that your driver will not be able to see them. Commanders must guide the driver in such situations.
There will be a short delay when ordering the driver to stop, or execute any other command, due to the time it takes for armored vehicles to come to a stop. Give commands 1-2 second in advance or give commands such as “Driver, advance 10m" or “Driver, advance to the next intersection".

DIRECTING THE GUNNER

As a vehicle commander, you should always be communicating the gunner’s area of responsibility. Using bearings, clock ray or landmark reference are some of the many methods to set your gunners left and right of arc.
Set your gunner’s rules of engagement and keep them updated as the situation evolves. “Hold Fire", “Priority Targets Only" or “Fire at Will" are the most common. “Priority Targets Only" will inform the gunner to only engage targets that pose a threat to your vehicle or other friendly forces. It is generally advised to have a gunner set to “Fire at will" to ensure the quickest reaction to threats.
Use your gunner’s improved optics to observe distant targets. Your gunner will be able to aim at anything suspicious that you can’t identify through the commander periscope and get a clearer ID on it – you simply need to orient him on such suspicious things in the first place.
Continually inform your crew of the positions of friendly elements to maintain their situational awareness. As the vehicle commander, the rounds that come from your vehicle are ultimately your responsibility. Ensure that they’re only being sent towards the enemy.
Your view through the commander’s periscope will be different from the gunner’s view through the primary gun sight, due to the commander being elevated somewhat. Remember this when working with your gunner, as terrain features could block line of sight from one of the view ports for him without necessarily obstructing your view.
Keep the gunner’s orientation in mind when moving in close terrain or urban areas. The cannon extends past the side of the vehicle when at the 9 or 3 o’clock and can collide with passing objects. While this will not damage the cannon in Arma 3, it will jar the vehicle and disrupt movement.

COMMANDER INITIATED ENGAGEMENT

A commander initiated engagement (CIE) is similar to the contact report used by infantry, but tailored towards the equipment and requirements of armored vehicle crews.

It is important that the commander is quick, clear and concise when giving a Commander Initiated Engagement. Passing the vital information in a timely matter will ensure the safety of yourself, your vehicle and other friendly elements. To this end, let’s take a look at the different components of a CIE.

Alert. Identifying the position “Gunner" is the standard alert; however, the infantry word “Contact" or “Target" is also acceptable. This will alert the gunner a CIE is about to follow.
Orient. There are three common methods to orient the gunner on target. Choosing which method will be determined by the VC’s preference and the difficulty for the gunner to find the target. They are the same as those detailed above in the “Orientation" section. In addition to giving the direction, the distance is also give, typically with the assistance of the vehicle’s laser rangefinder.
Describe. Quickly describe what exactly the target is – for example, whether it is a tank or an enemy squad in the open. This will confirm for the gunner what his precise target is, which is of particular importance when multiple threats may be present in a given area. Brevity should be exercised in this step as speed is very important in a CIE.
If the gunner observes the target, which should hopefully be the case, he will verbally state “On" to inform the VC he is observing the target. If the gunner cannot find the target the command “Not seen" will be used to inform the VC he needs to expound on the CIE to get on target.
Once the gunner is on target, the commander will finish the CIE by designating the weapon system to be used (Coax, SABOT, HE, etc.) and end with the command “Fire".
In the interest of saving time, which in turns saves lives in vehicle engagements, the commander can give the weapon system and “Fire when ready" command after step 3. This will inform the gunner to fire as soon as the target is in sight.

Once you have given a CIE and the gunner is engaging the target, begin to scan for other targets. Your gunner will be able to observe the target and finish it, while you should be worried about any other enemy threats that may be around. Ideally, you will spot a new threat and give your follow-on CIE commands just after the gunner has finished destroying the initial threat.

TYPICAL ARMOR THREATS

The following threats are the most common ones encountered by armored vehicles. I have avoided mentioning two other possible threats – cannons and artillery – which can be read about in other sections.

INFANTRY ANTI-TANK ROCKETS (AT)

Infantry anti-tank rockets are the unguided weapons most commonly found in infantry units to protect them against enemy vehicles and armor. They come in a variety of types, with some being single-shot disposable systems (AT-4, RPG-22, LAW), while others have a reloadable component with a variety of warhead types to select from, like the RPG-42.

Depending on their size and warhead, these can cause significant trouble for most armored vehicles. They will not outright destroy main battle tanks with a single shot as a general rule, but their stronger variants can do that to light and medium armored systems, and massing multiple launchers can greatly enhance their effectiveness.

Due to their unguided nature, AT rockets tend to have a relatively short effective range, particularly when employed against moving or obscured/masked vehicles. A long shot is considered to be beyond 400m, and none of them are capable of reaching a kilometer.

Anti-tank rockets are capable of causing mobility and firepower kills, as well as injuring any personnel embarked in a vehicle. The best way to avoid them is to be vigilant in scanning, utilize proper movement techniques, and be able to think like an enemy AT soldier and predict how they might be employed against you.

ANTI-TANK GUIDED MISSILES (ATGM)

ATGM’s come in three main types on the ground – infantry carried, such as the PCML or Titan, crew-served, such as the TOW, or crew-served vehicle-mounted. They are also featured on rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, like the TOW, Hellfire, Skalpel, and Maverick missile systems.

ATGM’s are guided missiles with powerful warheads that can wreck armored vehicles with ease. They are incredibly dangerous weapon systems. The only defense against them is doing whatever you can to not be shot at – once they’re in the air, nothing short of vehicle armor and active defense systems can save you, and neither is 100% effective. Driving into thick concealment like trees or an urban area is the best option if either are nearby, as there’s a chance that the missile might impact a building or tree before it can make it to your vehicle.

ATGMs such as the BTR-K’s Titan can be fired in a wire-guided mode, allowing them to engage low-flying aircraft without needing to acquire a lock first.

BTR-K FIRING A TITAN ATGM

ANTI-TANK MINES

Anti-tank mines are heavy, powerful mines that can tear the guts out of armored vehicles or destroy their mobility. They are triggered by pressure and magnetic detection, generally – if a heavy enough vehicle drives over them, they detonate, sending a fierce explosion up into what is typically the weakest armor of any vehicle. Mines are place-and-leave weapons that do not require an enemy to be nearby to detonate them.

Depending on where the mine is when it detonates, a vehicle can either be outright destroyed (such as if it detonates directly under the hull) or simply disabled (such as when it detonates under the wheels or tracks).

Anti-tank mines are best avoided through the careful observation of the vehicle crew and any attached infantry.

SEE THE MINE? NO? THIS IS WHY THEY’RE SUCH A DANGER TO TANKS – GOOD EMPLACEMENT MAKES THEM ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO SPOT WHILE MOVING. THIS ONE IS PLACED AT A SHARP BEND IN THE ROAD TO MAKE IT HARD TO MANEUVER PAST ONCE IT DISABLES A VEHICLE.

SATCHELS & IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES (IEDS)

Satchel charges are explosive packs that can be used in an anti-tank capability when needed. They are similar to mines in their destructive ability, differing primarily in how they are detonated. A satchel must be either set on time detonation or remotely detonated, and if remote, the triggerman must be within several hundred meters of it to be able to send the signal.

IEDs are similar and can be triggered through a variety of different methods, including infrared, pressure, magnetic, and manual detonation. They can be buried or may be disguised as trash, dead animals, or hidden in vehicles near the side of a road.

By virtue of a manual detonation mode, a satchel charge or IED can lay dormant while lead vehicles pass it, with the triggerman waiting until a vulnerable vehicle gets near it before detonating.

Like mines, these explosives are best avoided through the careful observation of the vehicle crew and any attached infantry.

TIPS FOR ARMOR

HULL DOWN

Hull down is the term used to describe when a vehicle (typically a tank) uses the terrain in such a way that only the gun/turret is visible to enemy forces. This provides the enemy with a smaller target, protects the more vulnerable parts of the vehicle from enemy fire, and allows the vehicle to fire more or less unhindered.

The illustration below shows a Slammer MBT in a hull-down position behind a small rise. From this location, the tank had perfect visibility of a major enemy avenue of approach and had a clear line of fire down that approach without having to expose anything more than the turret to enemy return fire.

A SLAMMER UTILIZING A HULL-DOWN POSITION TO COVER AN ENEMY AVENUE OF APPROACH

Hull down positions can be used by any vehicles that have weapon systems atop them – even a light vehicle with a RWS can benefit from a hull-down position.

In the best-case scenario, a tank can utilize a hull-down position when firing, and then retreat back below the cover (i.e. down the slope that provides the ‘hull-down’ possibility in the first place) to total protection during the reload before popping back into a hull-down position for the next shot. Whenever possible, a tank should not pop back up at the same location it used last – a new one should be picked each time to prevent any enemies from zeroing in on their next exposure point.

Remember that a hull-down position is relative to the location and distance from the enemy. The greater the distance of the engagement, the more likely you can get into a hull down position even in a small elevation decrease.

“Turret down" is when the entire tank is hidden behind the terrain or an obstacle.

TURNING OUT

Unbuttoning is possible in most armored vehicles from the driver or commander position. It simply involves opening and standing in the hatch. This is very useful for keeping a high level of situational awareness and should be used whenever the situation allows for it. The main drawback is that many of the unbuttoned crew members are highly vulnerable to enemy fire due to the high-profile stances they take. However, if you exercise good judgment and only unbutton when it’s safe to do so, you should be fine and will definitely benefit from the increase in situational awareness.

Make sure that you have your turn-in/turn-out keys bound to something readily accessible – “stance up" and “stance down" are great for this. Having these keys bound makes it much easier to duck at a moment’s notice, and generally increases the ease and usefulness of turning in/out.

Note that in some vehicles a commander may have to turn out to employ a machinegun on the vehicle. For vehicles that require the TC to stand in his hatch to use the machinegun, a careful assessment must be made as to when and where it is safe to do so.

JOCKEYING

“Jockey left" or “Jockey right" are commands that a vehicle commander can use to have his driver move the vehicle laterally left or right behind cover without exposing the larger and weaker side profile to enemy observation or fire.

Jockeying is accomplished by backing the vehicle up to mask it from frontal fires, then turning left or right and driving a short distance laterally from the previous position. Once a suitable distance has been reached, the vehicle reorients towards the threat and advances up and back into a hull-down position from which it can resume engaging the enemy. This allows a vehicle to continually appear at different locations before firing, making it hard for the enemy to predict where it will appear and thus making it more survivable.

TANK BUDDY COVER

Armored vehicles can use their impressive hardiness and engine power in some rather unconventional ways. Foremost among these is the concept of ‘buddy cover’ as applied to vehicles. A tank or IFV can push an immobilized or destroyed vehicle hulk in front of it, albeit at a reduced speed. This can be used to shove disabled vehicles out of the way, but can also be employed as additional protection against frontal enemy fires. A knocked-out piece of armor pushed along in such a fashion can absorb enemy fire and shelter the pushing vehicle from damage – forcing the enemy to aim more precisely to hit any exposed portions of the pushing vehicle.

A SLAMMER USES A BURNING BTR-K AS MOBILE COVER