Lotsa questions. A few answers.
Let me just address the slew of radio questions right off the bat here. I don't know much about military commo equipment yet. Just because I don't mention it, don't assume it doesn't exist. I just am not yet familiar enough with it to be able to specify what is needed with any level of confidence. Likewise, I don't have much of an idea what is best to use out there, so my choices would likely end up just looking like a copy of what the US Army or British Army or Bundeswehr or IDF uses (because that's all it'd be).
The number of men, at least combat personnel, can be determined from what I already have, as you did with my platoon sizes. I've not done so yet, but I plan to when I get some of it a bit more finalized.Originally Posted by William F. Owen
I have personnel in the command teams earmarked for that, but that's about as far as I've gone in that regard. To tell the truth, that's the area where I lack the most knowledge, so I have yet to build that portion up.
Well, it does depend on the soldier in question, as the front line soldiers are carrying more than the rear line folk and some of the support weapons guys are carrying more than your normal squaddie. Anyway, I'd done a bunch of those with an earlier setup, but I've not yet redone the totals since I introduced some of the new, lighter systems like the Mk.48 Mod 0. The only major issue with that is that while it pushes the heavier firepower down to the squads, it also pushes some of the heavier ammunition. As a result, and as a result of the planned tactical employment, the 5.56 guys would carry more grenades, for example, than the 7.62 folk.
That all goes in a manual I have yet to write.
It may be a bit on the steep side, but just a bit, honestly. Many platoons organizations run over 40 men.
Well, I know I've seen a lot both for and against. It kind of reminds me of the 5.56mm round. It has its limitations, to be sure, but it does work. It's not hard to find opponents to it, however.
Again, I don't have any more ammunition types than most militaries, I just have them in a completely different ratio than anyone else out there.
I wasn't aware that FOOs are normally organized at the platoon or company level. I'm working on the best way to organize them, but after having conversed with a number of FOOs and FISTs on the subject (obviously far more knowledgeable than I am on the subject), they seem to feel that the best place for forward observers is as part of the artillery units, assigned as the units support the forward line units. The exception to this is observers for the battalion mortars, obviously. I also expect the battalion recon units to be able fill that role as well.
From what I could see, that wasn't too far off what many other militaries have, especially since those medics aren't counting the crews with the ambulances or first-aid facilities assigned to a battalion. The medics are just the first step in the medical units available to a battalion. A wounded soldier would then be gotten onto an ambulance vehicle as quickly as possible (there are enough assigned to a battalion to have at least one per company with a spare available). They would then be delivered to the battalion medical facilities where there would be medical facilites and trained personnel enough that life-saving surgery, initial burn treatment, and stabilization in preparation for longer-distance transport could all be undertaken. The medics should, in most cases, be with the line units, not needing to travel back and forth with patients to the aid station. That's the role of the ambulance units and the medical personnel operating with them.
It depends on what you're really looking at here. The HK416/417 is the standard assault rifle. The weapon being issued to designated marksmen and scout-snipers is merely one variant of that weapon. In fact, with a two minute barrel change and the addition of the sighting system and bipod, any HK417 could become that weapon. As we all know, how a weapon is maintained and the quality of the ammunition used will have a great effect on its accuracy, so it won't be the same, but it's going be very close in combat given a chance to properly zero the weapon.
Why no 8.6mm? Well, not here. The "sniper" teams at the platoon level are not Special Forces sniper teams designed to be operating behind enemy lines or at distances beyond a kilometer. For those sort of missions, a shooter will definitely need something more along the lines of the .338 or even .408--but that's not what I'm looking for. The teams I have here are for the immediate support of the line units. That's also why I chose a weapon with both a silencer and a good rapid-fire capability...without compromising accuracy. The M110 is one of the best in that department. Basically, I chose the M110 for the same reasons and same role the IDF procured the SR25 for--the middle ground between designated marksman rifle and the more dedicated sniper weapons.
The XM500 isn't intended to be "yet another sniper rifle", either. Its employment is very much aimed at the kinds of targets that have often been getting Javelin attention as of late. Targets either too well-protected or concealed to be accurately brought under fire by standard 7.62mm weapons, but may not warrant a weapon originally designed to kill armored 50-ton monsters. Save anti-tank rounds for tanks. There's only one such weapon per company, so I don't imagine that these sorts of targets will be popping up like a game of whack-a-mole most days, but if a week or month of combat results in 50 rounds of well-aimed .50cal fire saving 10 SPIKE missiles, then it's easily earned its place. I don't see that as a totally implausible scenario.
Well, for one thing, using the Mk 48 Mod 0 allows a team to carry 100-200 rounds more than the M240 team at the same weight. Likewise, since the Mk 48 operator can fire that weapon far more readily than any M240 operator, he needs no assualt rifle to lug around with it, adding to the weight savings (by another 100 rounds). A three-man Mk 48 team should be able to manage 700-800 rounds as an M240 team of the same size with no increase in weight.
I planned on having the team operate with just four rounds normally. I honestly just don't see most teams being able to last much beyond that (that's four separate engagements!) before either being hit or resupplied. Also, since the MR and LR systems are completely interchangeable, any MR-equipped team can restock with a few LR rounds from the nearest RCWS-equipped carrier.
Cheers,
Logan Hartke
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