Self Propelled Guns and why every party should have one.
Twilight 2000 is not actually a modern warfare game but a distinctly different creature, and in the context of the game vehicles often change roles and capabilities and there's no better example of this than SPGs.
Most of the game involves long distance slow movement using limited fuel. Combat is often meeting engagements involving lightly armed and unsupported infantry in a wide variety of situations. While the premier infantry support vehicle, the IFV, is capable in many regards the one thing it lacks is heavy payload direct fire high explosive capability.
There are two stand-out vehicles that vie for supremacy here and they are the British FV433 Abbot and the Soviet 2S1 Gvozdika (SO-122 in T2K terms). Both these vehicles are to be preferred over their heavier 150mm+ counterparts because they are much faster firing, have smaller crews, are amphibious (although this might well change, see the close support package below), carry more ammunition onboard, use less fuel and are more nimble vehicles.
However as standard they are not suitable. Their extremely light armour, just 12mm for the Abbot and 20mm for the Gvozdika, makes them vulnerable to even 12.7mm AP rounds [Edit: Gvoszdika is frontally proof against 12.7 SLAP it seems because like most Soviet light vehicles it has HHA composition steel for its armour] and HEDP rounds from the various grenade launchers commonly encountered in Twilight 2000 engagements. Of course dedicated anti-armour weapons are a threat unable to be countered.
A close support combat package is thus required, being:
- Applique armour to bring the vehicles up to 25mm to 30mm armour levels.
- Bar armour where possible.
- Close defence machineguns. A HMG/Grenade Launcher and and at least one GPMG.
- ERA if possible.
- Possibly even Shtora anti-ATGM dazzlers if these systems are able to be salvaged from BMP-3M, T-80 or T-90 vehicles.
It is unlikely that a vehicle would have all these upgrades. Bar armour tends to be destroyed by ERA detonation. ERA is heavy, reduces mobility, increases fuel consumption and is a danger to accompanying infantry.
Both vehicles have an onboard crew of four.
Finally the two vehicles each have an ammunition variant that the other does not have. The Abbot can fire the bunker-busting L42 Shell 105mm Field, HESH round that has a myriad of applications and is a good HE weapon as well. The Gvozdika has the SH-1 AP Flechette infantry killer as well as some dedicated HEAT rounds (BK-6M and BK-13). The Abbot is faster firing but the Gvozdika has a much larger payload.
Of course these are not main battle tanks or even assault guns, their armour is far too light on a battlefield where the RPG-7V and the AT-4 are common. The infantry has to first go in and clear out opposing infantry, then suppress anti-tank positions so the SPG can manoeuvre in to a firing position and destroy its target. At this point the vehicle should immediately retire. These vehicles are even capable of destroying dug-in or otherwise immobilised MBTs if handled well, although such missions might be considered "high risk" to say the least. Like SPAAGs the SPGs have high angle firing arcs and can engage enemies in elevated positions and this makes them suitable for urban combat.
One of the big drawbacks, and it's a huge one, is that these vehicles have terrible gun depression. The Abbot has an awful -5º depression and the Gvozdika has an abysmal -3º depression. This means the weapons have difficulty engaging close, low targets and can't fire from hull-down positions. While the Soviet vehicles always had the terrible gun depression, the T-72 had only a -5º and the early PT-76 couldn't depress its gun at all, this sort of drawback in Twilight 2000 is significant.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FV433_Abbot_SPG
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2S1_Gvozdika
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/122_mm...zer_2A18_(D-30)
