Using Armor

[Hunt3r]

The armored fighting vehicle is a weapon, by definition, that is armored, and armed, in order to carry out it's goal. Doctrinally, you want to focus your efforts when using AFVs towards exploiting weak points in the enemy defense, in order to achieve an objective. In other words, the goal of an AFV is to flank, and then destroy the enemy's defense. Possibly even their attack.

In other words, this is another support weapon. The key of every support weapon is to use it's weapons to make life easier for everyone else. This is not a weapon to be used to spearhead an overall assault. The real way to use it, is to stay behind the scenes, pulling the strings, in a way. Infantry still have to capture the flags, build the FOBs, and destroy FOBs, etc.

Recon is another crucial element. You must know where the enemy is in order to be able to survive. Either through sight, sound, or reports from the other players in your team, this is crucial. If you know what they're doing, you can ascertain their intentions, and intercept when they least expect it. This brings me to my second point.

The way you want to use tanks in PR is to use terrain. This is absolutely key to effectively keeping enemy armor from actively searching and trying to destroy you. This takes patience. You must make the enemy presume that tanks are not an active threat. If no one reports "ENEMY TANK/IFV SPOTTED XY KEYPAD Y" for 10 minutes, and they do not hear, see, nor hear one themselves for that duration of time, then you are doing it right. Be like a sniper, revealing yourself only when you are going to do the final blow. If your goal is to take out armor, this is what you want to do. Sneaky and patient will win the game. However, you always want to either be near the action to lure in the enemy armor, waiting quietly, or moving in for the finishing, decisive, attack.

All of this goes away once you know that the enemy armor no longer can be a threat. If you've depleted all enemy armor available at the beginning of the round, you have free rein to load explosive shells, and start doing the same against enemy infantry. You have successfully stayed alive, now it is time to assist infantry, by delivering death from 800 meters away, pounding shell after shell, bullet after bullet, while infantry keep potential HATs and TOWs busy. If, for example, this takes place on Kashan, it can make the difference between victory and defeat, the difference between one side controlling bunkers and the other rushing to defend their village.

Once again, stealth, recon, and speed of action are key to victory, if all other factors are favorable.