Quote:
Originally Posted by Legbreaker
APCs in general, are nothing more than battle taxis - move in, drop off the infantry, then get the hell out of the way.
The weapons are really just there to support the infantry, preferably from hull down positions out of man portable AT range. Firing ports when they exist are there for emergency short range defensive fire - they're not an offensive feature no matter how much one my wish otherwise. Infantry fighting while still mounted is a recipe in my opinion for disaster. The strength of infantry lies in their ability to disburse and use the terrain for cover and not be all taken out in one rocket strike.
Yes, there are times staying mounted is preferable, such as rapid movement across the battlefield, or to close on an enemy strongpoint (provided there's no AT capability there), but all in all, they should be viewed as little more than transportation combined with mobile and direct fire support.
Note that there are some exceptions to the rule, but not all that many of them...
Remember even MBTs don't expose themselves unless absolutely necessary, and their armour is MUCH thicker than an APC or IFV.
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Agreed: The IFV in my mind is a evolutionary dead end: Enough Firepower that it requires that the oppo's pay attention to it, and not enough armour to survive that attention. This is one thing that I love about the latest Israeli Merk Based H-APC. Its more mobile than the tanks they support, and armoured as well, if not better than, the tank in which it is based on. Which allows, for the first time, for a infantry unit to survive a mounted attack on a prepared position or small town. Tanks in a support by fire role, from a nicely hull down point to either side of the axis of attack, and the H-APC's running right for the point of attack. No matter how much suppressive fire you bring down, there is always going to be ATGW's that will survive, and they will always pop the IFV's when they attack - so the infantry would have to go in on foot, and soak up the causalities, where as the Namer will be able (and has in fact done so) soak up what fire is brought to bear till it reaches the debus point, allowing intact infantry formations to be brought to bear on the exact points needed.