Basic tutorial on the use of LAT/HAT

[SyriousT]

great tutorial , i learned the russian hat optics by training alone in local server (far targets the missile will hit 1 meter left of where you aimed , right?) but this is great for newbies .

[Aragorn89]

Originally Posted by SyriousT

great tutorial , i learned the russian hat optics by training alone in local server (far targets the missile will hit 1 meter left of where you aimed , right?) but this is great for newbies .

From my experience, and with empiric rules, the RPG's family tends to fail at longest ranges. The rocket will have a pseudo-random chanche to fail, since the cone of fire is a small circle, the more far away is the target, the less the rocket will hit him.
So yes sometimes he go to the left, sometimes to the right, other times in the middle, botton or top!

Originally Posted by Tomce795

I love it. Great manual buddy!

Thank you sir! ^_^

[Michael_Denmark]

A really useful In-Depth guide on the LAT and HAT, supported with a list of just as useful tips and tricks; a must read.

In the hope that Aragorn89 will consider to extend this great guide, a single question:

What type of basic tactical teamwork, do you recommend, between the LAT and HAT? I am thinking about how they should position them self, to each other, the distances/timings and eventual angles involved, related to the following basic situations:

1. Contact with enemy armor (Armored Personal Carrier and Main Battle Tank)
2. Ad Hoc defense in depth against enemy armor having broken through
3. Teamwork with own armor (Armored Personal Carrier and Main Battle Tank)

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EDIT
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Related to Tip/Trick 2, there are a few in game videos on LATs taking out helicopters and slow jets, with I believe the newest video, where a LAT down a COW on the Jabal map:

Moving COW shot down


Slow jet shot down


Hovering? or slow moving attack helicopter shot down


Hovering CAS and ascending transport shot down


Fairly fast moving CAS shot down

[Aragorn89]

Thank you Michael for all those kind words.

In the future i will expand/rewrite the guide since 1.4 will change a lot in term of LAT/HAT and weaked spot's for AT, ex. you will be able to inflict a lot of damge to the rear of a Tank, now you can't. If some part need to be expand tell me, and i will think about it

Now deep in to the Question: (keep in mind that is not common to have the LAT and HAT in tosame squad and in the hands of a skilled players, because a SL often chose wich of those to kit have in the squad composition.)

1-

• Position: LAT-mid to close range, HAT - on the long range to the target (possible to an higher position). They must take the target from both flanks, or if is not possible the HAT could ingange from the front and the LAT from one flank or rear.
• Timing: The HAT will fire first since he have a better weapon and he can deal more damage, LAT after just to finish the target or if the HAT miss his rocket
• Angle: HAT ideally from all side, the flank or top of the vehicle will be always better. LAT must go from the flank/rear always!

2- same thing as before, but this time will change the approach in relationship of the enviroment:

• Urban Map: the will move in parallel street but close to each other, and always get the advantage and fire from inside a building, if possible work with another guy that can resupply/take the kit if one die.
• Forest map: same as urban. Move in parallel from each other, fire from a top of an hill/deep of the forest
• Open map: in this case they must act far away from each other. Stay close = both AT killed.

3- in this case force the SL to comunicate the position of the enemy vehicle, if is not possible the ATs can talk via chat directly to the Vehicles Squads, and (if possible) go close to them and comunicate on local. In this case the LAT can do it, since it is the more mobile between the two. If nothing of this solution is possible well...open the map and think as a Crewman. This is one of the greatest part of an AT guy, since sometimes play as a crewman can help to be a good AT and viceversa

I hope that i've answer at your question in a comprehensive way, if not i will try to be much clear

[Michael_Denmark]

Hi Aragorn,

Copy on the feedback when you expand/rewrite the guide for 1.4. It really is a great guide and also nice, as Murkey said, to have all the AT stuff, in one place. Very useful.

Now deep in to the Question: (keep in mind that is not common to have the LAT and HAT in tosame squad and in the hands of a skilled players, because a SL often chose wich of those to kit have in the squad composition.

So for tournament play, or any other organised battle, the platoon leader or commander need to keep this fact in mind, so the squads equipped with the two different AT systems, are deployed in such a manner, so they can teamwork, in case the situation present it self. Important information, since far from everyone in command predict such a scenario, my self included. Also important in regard to vehicles hoLd back in reserve for such a situation, should two AT squads be deployed far from each other, with the exception ofcourse, of 2. the Ad Hoc defense in depth, against enemy armor having broken through. Then both system as you describe, will have to be positioned far from each other.

1. Contact with enemy armor

Position: LAT-mid to close range, HAT - on the long range to the target (possible to an higher position). They must take the target from both flanks, or if is not possible the HAT could ingange from the front and the LAT from one flank or rear.
Timing: The HAT will fire first since he have a better weapon and he can deal more damage, LAT after just to finish the target or if the HAT miss his rocket
Angle: HAT ideally from all side, the flank or top of the vehicle will be always better. LAT must go from the flank/rear always!

Aragon, this is great stuff. Basically describing the principles of a potential phase-one battle plan, on maps with enemy armor. All that is needed are a) the specific map, b) the specific timings and c) getting the AT unit/s, to that assumed area on the map, where the enemy amor is to be expected. With this description all you need to do is find the area suited best for it.

Call me ridiculous but I actually think Aragorn89s information, is very important indeed, after having watched the variety of tournament battles on you tube. What I have noticed is the usage of both the LAT and HAT, is mostly done in a reactive manner, to overcome an unexpected situation, instead of pre-planned usage, to win the contact battle.

In fact, in most battles, it is often a single squad and a single LAT/HAT guy, getting that enemy armor down, that otherwise blocked the rest of the team to do what it wanted to do.

Just take the last battle in the tournament campaign 11, where I noticed this pattern again, namely battle 2 on Xiangshan, between the teams MRF and PDI, where the centre of gravitation, became the fortress flag. Both teams deployed APCs in useful positions for quite some time, hindering each other, getting where they wanted to go, being the fortress flag. If I recall it correctly, MRF on the southern flank, could not get through the forrest and flank fortress that way, while PDI on the northern flank, could not get across the river and into the fortress that way. APCs from each team, (with infantry naturally) made sure of that.

But regardless of being correct on that interpretation or not, it became clear to me, that both teams had no successfully pre-planned usage of the LAT and HAT, to overcome that type of scenario, or at least watching the videos it does not appear as such. Please accept my apology both MRF and PDI should I be wrong here.





This pattern is not new, I remember it clearly from way back in campaign 5, making guides like these important, for future planning or tactical developments, for teams in the tournament.

2. Ad Hoc defense in depth against enemy armor having broken through

same thing as before, but this time will change the approach in relationship of the enviroment:
Urban Map: the will move in parallel street but close to each other, and always get the advantage and fire from inside a building, if possible work with another guy that can resupply/take the kit if one die.
Forest map: same as urban. Move in parallel from each other, fire from a top of an hill/deep of the forest
Open map: in this case they must act far away from each other. Stay close = both AT killed.

Again important information, for me at least. I have never used LAT and HAT in parralelles, in urban or forest fighting, never thought of it...well, because I have never really pre-planned a mobile usage of LAT and HAT, in these types of terrain.

Thank you again Aragorn.

3. Teamwork with own armor (Armored Personal Carrier and Main Battle Tank

in this case force the SL to comunicate the position of the enemy vehicle, if is not possible the ATs can talk via chat directly to the Vehicles Squads, and (if possible) go close to them and comunicate on local. In this case the LAT can do it, since it is the more mobile between the two. If nothing of this solution is possible well...open the map and think as a Crewman. This is one of the greatest part of an AT guy, since sometimes play as a crewman can help to be a good AT and viceversa

I hope that i've answer at your question in a comprehensive way, if not i will try to be much clear

I wonder if it would be most efficient, to force both the AT shooters and their SL and Amor crews, into the same squad, in order to a) make the communication as simple as possible and b) have the squad lead by either its AT or Armor crews, depending on who is positioned best for the tactical situational overview?

Think like a crewman, good and important information.

Last question related to this third scenario; do we need an in game command in the commander menu, for requesting specific squads to merge temporary?

Edited:

Nope, just found a thread from 2006, suggesting to merge squads and apparently it seems to be hard coded.

Great stuff!

[Aragorn89]

Thank you for all your kind word Michael. It's a great pleasure for to be a source of help/knowledge!

Originally Posted by Michael_Denmark

I wonder if it would be most efficient, to force both the AT shooters and their SL and Amor crews, into the same squad, in order to a) make the communication as simple as possible and b) have the squad lead by either its AT or Armor crews, depending on who is positioned best for the tactical situational overview?

Welp as a SL/LAT/HAT/Crewman player this solution will be a total mess, for many reasons ex. If the HAT and LAT need to talk a lot in to the Squad channel (since they are too far away from each others) this will be a problem for the crewmans, since they don't need/like those kind of talking/information. The only solution to this, atleast form my POV, will be to have all those guys both in mumble and TS/Discord/Another 3th party VOiP with crewman in one channel and the HAT/LAT in another one. So they can talk as mouch they like in those channel and use the Squad Channel only for important informations/coordinations. It will be a very clunky solution but is better IMO.

Well i've talkend with a Pubblic match in mind (i refferd of my previous post), in to a Organized match ther will be a lot of other thinks to keep in mind:
-Transport for the HAT/LAT team: is better to go fast with a chopper? Or be more safe with a ground trans? Better to rush that position or slow down?
-Supplying: another core axpect since sometimes is better to have a Big Crate close to them, in a safe position, some other time a Small one

[Michael_Denmark]

True words, although I am still unsure whether the 3-channel solution is best for tournament play? It is certainly useful, just not sure if a disciplined and trained tournament squad, would do better with a 1-channel solution? Has to be tested.

For public play I completely agree on your solution. Here the 1 channel solution risk becoming a total mess.

In regard to the transport of the LAT-HAT, those tips made me stop and think, for once.

Suppose we have the framework of a new type of PR ad-hoc squad here; a Tank/Anti Tank squad, using main battle tanks and the LAT HAT, plus their required transport, being any vehicle that can deliver the ammo and the anti tank crews?

On Xiangshan, within the first 60 seconds, we do in fact see both teams using their helicopter transports for delivering infantry to the assumed contact battle in the Forrest. But we also see both teams sending amour, either directly to the Forrest or nearby.

What if those helicopters had delivered that anti tank crew instead of Sls and other type of infantry? Both sides could have lost vital armor from the beginning of the battle?

Again, this is why I like these weapon specific guides; they not only provide important information on the weapon it self, they also tend to work as inspiration for new ideas. Or at least new for me.

I really think a lesson can be learned here. That is, on a map like Xiangshan, where the center of gravity (Fortress), is almost certain from before start, then the main objective of the contact-battle, should perhaps be to destroy the opposing armor, instead of focusing on a flanking position, as the Forrest became to the Fortress.

Well, thoughts...

But as useful I am talking too much, thank you once again Aragorn89, for your inspirational guide.

[Aragorn89]

Your welcome buddy! ^_^