"The Indestructible Box". Review of the BMP Class.
"Box" (military slang) — any unit of armored vehicle (APC, IFV, etc.).
IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle) — a class of armored combat vehicles designed to transport infantry to combat areas as well as to provide fire support and cover for infantry in battle.
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In the game, the IFV class is represented by:
LAV-25
BMP-2M
BTR-90
They possess high mobility, infinite acceleration (activated by holding the "SHIFT" key), and good maneuverability. Additionally, IFV vehicles can swim on water.
Unfortunately, in terms of armor strength, IFVs are inferior to tanks and AMTRACs.
IFVs can accommodate:
Driver. His weapon includes a cannon firing cumulative shells (main weapon), and as an alternative weapon (which needs to be unlocked by "upgrading" the IFV), he can choose between a guided anti-tank missile (ATGM), a light paired machine gun, APFSDS-T rounds, and self-guided shells.
The driver can switch between the main and alternative weapons by pressing the "F" key.
Gunner. By default, he has a .50 caliber machine gun, which cannot be swapped for another type of weapon. However, the gunner has a zoom optics that helps him to fire accurately at quite large distances.
Four passengers. They occupy two seats on the left and two on the right of the IFV. They are equipped with a light machine gun (7.62 caliber) that can only inflict damage on infantry, as well as on the crew of enemy light vehicles and aviation.
They can also shoot accurately at long distances; to do this, they need to hold the right mouse button to zoom in.
Upgrades for the IFV class
IR-Smoke
Smoke screen can be released only by the driver of the IFV.
It will help to deflect self-guided missiles fired at the IFV. However, it cannot confuse a laser designator that has locked onto your IFV.
ATGM
Guided anti-tank missile.
The first choice for the driver’s alternative weapon.
Well-suited for inflicting heavy damage to vehicles. It is highly discouraged to shoot it at infantry as you would need to hit the enemy precisely to do any damage, which is very difficult (easier to wait for the main weapon to reload).
Belt Feed Speed
Improved ammunition feed system for the IFV's main weapon.
Reduces reload time from approximately 3.7 seconds to 3 seconds.
In practice, such a difference in reload time is more noticeable.
Light Paired Machine Gun
(7.62 caliber)
The second choice for the driver’s alternative weapon. It has a high rate of fire but overheats from continuous shooting.
This machine gun is suitable only for destroying infantry. The power of the machine gun is not sufficient even to damage light transport, let alone destroy it.
However, its damage is sufficient to kill drivers of light ground vehicles and aviation, and in some cases, even the passengers of those vehicles.
Thermal Imager
The thermal imager helps the driver of the IFV easily detect enemy soldiers, equipment, mines, and sometimes aviation.
Location Scanner
Reveals the location of enemy infantry moving near the IFV on the mini-map.
Moreover, the enemy will be visible on the map to all crew members and passengers, and it will work regardless of who among the crew and passengers has this upgrade active.
This scanner also has a very unusual property.
If there was a player in the IFV with the "location scanner" turned on (regardless of which team that player is on), then the enemy detection property from the location scanner is transferred to the IFV and remains with it until the IFV is destroyed. Anyone, including those who do not have this upgrade active, can take advantage of this.
In the IFV, the location scanner detects the enemy at this distance.
Zoom Optics
Threefold optics for the IFV.
Activated by right-clicking.
Maintenance
Significantly increases the self-repair speed of your IFV immediately after it takes damage.
The upgrade will only work when the IFV has more than 50% health.
The effect of this upgrade will apply to the IFV regardless of whether it is active for the crew and passengers.
APFSDS-T Rounds
The third choice for the driver’s alternative weapon.
These are armor-piercing rounds (6 in the magazine), similar to the cumulative rounds used in the IFV's main weapon.
These rounds are very effective against vehicles.
For example, to destroy a tank, you will need to shoot cumulative shells 30 times (main weapon of the IFV), but with APFSDS-T rounds, only 19 times.
However, unlike cumulative rounds that reload in 1.5 seconds, APFSDS-T rounds reload in 2.2 seconds.
Also, APFSDS-T rounds do not inflict any damage to enemy soldiers if they explode near them. However, like cumulative rounds, APFSDS-T rounds can kill enemy soldiers with a direct hit.
Thermal Camouflage
A special coating for the IFV, increasing the time before enemy equipment can lock onto it with laser marking.
Self-guided Rounds
The fourth choice for the driver’s alternative weapon.
These rounds allow the driver of the IFV to aim and shoot only at enemy ground vehicles.
Self-guided rounds can more quickly lock onto the laser designation of your teammates, making the trajectory of the projectile along such designation the most precise.
Also, if you are aiming at the laser mark of your teammates, you will be able to destroy not just ground transport but also aviation.
Active Armor
The driver can protect his IFV with armor in the form of special panels mounted on all four sides of the IFV. This is indicated by the IFV's indicator at the bottom of the screen.
This armor absorbs all damage from explosive shells that hit the IFV from the side where this armor is mounted.
It is worth noting what types of shells are recognized as "armor-piercing", i.e., from which the "active armor" is destroyed, absorbing all damage:
— tank shell
— shell from RPG and Javelin
— guided missiles from an IFV and APC (additional option "ATGM", which is the secondary firing mode of the driver)
— "self-guided rounds" and "guided rounds" (as additional options for ground vehicles/planes/helicopters)
— C4 explosives
— anti-tank mine
— stationary anti-tank missile complex ("TOW" and "KORNET")
What types of shells are not recognized as "armor-piercing", i.e., from which the "active armor" does not destroy, and all damage goes to the hull:
— under-barrel grenade launcher shells
— aircraft missiles
— helicopter missiles
— cumulative rounds from IFVs and APC (main firing mode of the driver)
— regular grenade
— mortar shell
Additionally, this armor has a unique quality - it can be repaired right on the spot (an infinite number of times).
The armor can be repaired with a soldering iron in 3 seconds, but keep in mind that the armor can only be repaired when the IFV has 100% health.
That is, if the enemy destroyed the armor on one side and slightly damaged your IFV, you must first restore the health of the IFV after moving to a safe place and only then spend 3 seconds repairing the "active armor" on the necessary side.
Either the driver (who is the owner of this upgrade) or an engineer from your team can repair the "active armor" on the IFV.
It is also worth mentioning that the "active armor" has a "memory effect".
That is, if one of the panels on the IFV was destroyed and you left the IFV, even if enemies (who also had "active armor" on) entered the IFV, and then left it, when you re-enter the IFV, you will find that the same panels that were on your IFV before you left are still attached.
In the title of the article, the IFV was rightly called the "indestructible box".
For if a well-coordinated squad of 4 people (with voice communication, of course) enters the IFV:
- one of the passengers takes the upgrade "Location Scanner",
- the gunner takes "Maintenance",
- the driver takes "Active Armor" + "APFSDS-T Rounds"
Then this "box" can simultaneously:
- detect infantry near it,
- protect itself from all sides,
- absorb damage from armor-piercing projectiles,
- and quickly self-repair if the IFV takes slight damage,
- as well as give a serious fight against the armored vehicles and enemy aviation.
In other words, when used properly, the IFV becomes simply an indestructible vehicle.