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Shoulder-launched AT weapons roundup

P

PoorOldSpike

Guest
A roundup of the shoulder-launched AT weapons in vanilla Comb Ops, I've been testing them in the armoury and editor.
I've asterisked the AT's to avoid confusion with the SAM's.

ARROWHEAD
AA-Arrow-armry2.gif


ArmaII
AA2-armry2.gif


As we know, HEAT rounds are the most effective against armour, but check the computer hasn't randomly issued the odd HEDP round (High Explosive Dual-Purpose) which hurts infantry more, but isn't quite so good against armour.
Some launchers have no built-in NV or IR sights, but it's no problem at night if the operator is wearing NV goggles.
Some launchers are rated as effective against light armour, which means armoured cars etc, AND means the thinner side/rear armour of some older tanks.
Some launchers only have one shot, so don't waste it unless ammo resupply is at hand.
The Javelin and NLAW are 'soft-launch' systems meaning the rocket travels a short way before its main motor kicks in, they can therefore be fired from a window or bunker etc without having to worry about backblast.


Blufor: FGM-148 JAVELIN Effective against modern heavy armour. Has NV sights AND IR sights. Needs to IR lockon to enemy vehicle before launch.(wait til the steady beep turns to a trilling sound, then fire). Soft launch system.
Its only drawback is that it can't be used for bunker/building-busting in the game (i tried) because it won't lock onto anything except hot vehicles. (I don't know if the real-life version can fire at bunkers/buildings)
All the other shoulder-launchers can be fired at bunkers/buildings and anything else because they need no lockon.
AA-jav.gif





Blufor: M47 DRAGON Replaced by Javelin but still effective against older heavy armour. Has NV sights. The missile can be launched with an IR lockon, or fired without, it's wire-guided and will fly down the crosshairs, so keep them centred on the target even when it's moving.
AA-Dragon.gif





Blufor: MAAWS (Medium Anti-Armor Weapon System) Also known as the Carl Gustav. Eff against Lt armour.
AA-MAAWS.gif





Blufor: M136 Eff against Lt armour.
AA-M136.gif





Blufor: NLAW (Next Generation Light ArmorWeapon) Eff against Lt armour. Soft-launch system. Can fire with IR lockon or without.
AA-NLAW.gif





Blufor: SMAW (Shoulder-launched Multipurpose Assault Weapon) My tests showed 2 shots can finish off heavy tanks through thick front armour.
AA-SMAW.gif





Opfor: RPG-18 Claimed to be eff against thick older armour
AA-RPG18.gif





Opfor: METIS AT-13 Eff against heavier armour. Has IR sights. Can be fired with an IR lockon, or fired to fly down the crosshairs, so keep crosshairs on the target even if it's moving.
AA-METIS-AT13.gif




Opfor: RPG-7V Old but still effective against Lt armour.
AA-RPG7V.gif
 
WHAT CAN PENETRATE WHAT? TESTS
(vanilla Comb Ops)
Well this is a surprise, the US SMAW can penetrate the T-90's thick frontal armour!

AAtk200f.gif




The mighty T-90 is supposed to be one of the best babies Opfor can field-
AA-T90.gif




The setup, 200 metres range-
AAtk200.gif



Our hero shoulders his SMAW-
AASMAW1.gif



and sidesteps out in a crouch-
AAtk200b.gif




and lays his sights on the beast.
IMPORTANT:- don't centre the crosshairs on the target, use the first range bar down the scale.
It must be a game design error and is no big deal, maybe Bohemia will fix the sights sometime-
AAtk200c.gif




Zappo, the monster toasts.
I ran the test a dozen or so times and it usually took 2 shots to kill it, so after you fire the first shot, DON'T WAIT AROUND, instantly reload and let fly with the killer second shot before the crew begin machinegunning you.
Also, if the crew bail out, scuttle back behind cover before they start shooting at you, or even better fire your third missile at the tank and the blast will finish them off, hehe.
AAtk200e.gif


CONCLUSIONS- It's quite a revelation to find the small SMAW can knock out T-90's through the thick frontal armour because it means we don't always need big Javelins to do the job.
The disadvantage of the SMAW is that 2 shots are usually needed to kill the tank, so you've got about 5 seconds to quickly reload and fire again before the crew spot and machinegun you. (By contrast the Javelin usually kills with its first shot)
Also, the SMAW has no lock-on capability, so you have to manually aim which could be a problem at longer ranges or if the target is moving across your sights.
(By contrast the Javelin locks even at huge ranges and the missile tracks moving targets after you fire it)
 
SMAW 1000 metre RANGE TESTS
(vanilla Comb Ops)

At this range, holding the sights steady is a real problem, so I think 1000m is about the maximum effective range we can hope for.
AAsMAW1000a.gif




At 1000m the T-90 is barely visible to the naked eye-
AASMAW1000b.gif




Zoom. It's a front armour test again-
AASMAW1000c.gif





At this great range, slight gravity drop is evident and I find (after many test firings) that the first range bar down the scale must be laid on the top of the turret like this to get a hit.
AASMAWe.gif




Whump! and don't assume the tank is dead, keep reloading and pumping all your missiles into it until it either fireballs or the crew bails-
AASMAWd2.gif




the crew jumps out even though the wreck never caught fire; note how the impacts have kicked it at an angle..:)
AASMAW1000d.gif




NOTES- It took me about 6 attempts to get a kill, as previous attempts saw the rocket either fall short or fall behind the tank, as aiming is very difficult at this range because of hand wobble and slight random variations in the flight path.
The good news is that even if you keep missing the tank, the crew won't fire back because presumably they can't see you at this range.
Incidentally the SMAW usually comes equipped with several HEAA (Anti-Armor) rounds, but occasionally you might see an HEDP (Dual-Purpose) round among them which isn't so hot against thick armor, but has an enhanced blast for hurting troops.

EDIT- From what they're saying in the Bohemia AA2 forum, it seems the vanilla AA2 armour and penetration coding is hopelessly unrealistic, and that we need to install something like the ACE mod to improve it..
 
Good work POS.

I don't play without ACE these days. The boys I play with are the same.
 
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