Armored Kill Vehicles

Vehicles

Vehicles are one of the highlights of any Battlefield game. Nothing can be more entertaining than hopping into a tank and cruising across the landscape, laying waste to enemy vehicles and structures alike. Armored Kill takes vehicle combat to the next level, featuring giant maps and new vehicles, including tank destroyers, mobile artillery units, and the powerful gunship.

Vehicle Customization

Before spawning into a game, take a moment to customize your vehicle loadouts. In Battlefield 3, most of the vehicles can be customized utilizing unlockable upgrades, gadgets, and weapons. The more you use a vehicle from a particular class, the more points you earn. Unlocks are awarded at regular intervals in a linear progression. Armored Kill introduces vehicle assignments, allowing for more upgrade options through the completion of certain tasks. Once an unlock is awarded, you can assign it through the same loadout screen you use to customize the soldier classes. With the exception of attack helicopters, all vehicles have three assignable slots: one upgrade slot, one gadget slot, and one weapon slot. Attack helicopters benefit from six slots, three for the pilot and three for the gunner. Upgrades are passive and require no action to take advantage of their benefits. Meanwhile, gadgets and weapons require some interaction on the part of the driver or pilot to deploy. So as you progress through your multiplayer career you will have to make some tough decisions as to what unlocks you wish to equip. Some unlocks improve offensive capabilities while others impact survivability. So experiment with the different options until you find a combination that best suits the tactical situation and your style of play. The unlock progression for each vehicle type is provided in this chapter, listing the point requirements for each as well as a brief description of every upgrade, gadget, and weapon. There are no unlocks available for light vehicles and transport helicopters.

Light Vehicles

The light vehicles are the fastest land vehicles in the game, useful for rushing control points and M-COM stations at the start of a battle. But their light armor and exposed positions make them death traps if driven into heavy action. Most explosive munitions can disable these vehicles with one hit, potentially killing the driver and passengers. Their greatest defensive assets are their speed and their off-road capability. To ensure survival, use these vehicles to traverse terrain on a map’s periphery, and stay away from heated battles near control points and M-COM stations. Although these vehicles can attain high speeds on roads, most roads are traveled by larger and more deadly vehicles, like tanks and IFVs. So stay off-road and out of sight. Such tactics are essential when staging raids on distant enemy-held control points or M-COM stations. There are no vehicle unlocks or loadout options for the light vehicles.

Quad Bike

Nationality: US and RU Description: Fast unarmored transport vehicle with two seats.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Light Vehicle Tactics

• Quad bikes have no armor, leaving the driver and passenger completely exposed. Furthermore, the vehicle can be quickly destroyed by small-arms fire, so keep moving and avoid areas of high enemy concentration.
• Quad bikes make excellent car bombs. Stick two or three C4 charges to the front of a quad bike and then drive it into the side or rear of an enemy tank or tank destroyer. While traveling at high speed, jump off the quad bike approximately 20 meters before impacting the enemy vehicle. The quad bike will continue traveling in a straight line toward the enemy vehicle. When the driverless quad bike makes contact, detonate the C4 to score an unorthodox vehicle kill.
• It’s possible to accurately fire guided anti-vehicle weapons like the Javelin, IGLA, or Stinger from the back of a moving quad bike. This combination can make the quad bike a formidable threat on a battlefield filled with tanks and aircraft.
• Given their speed, quad bikes are great for scoring road kills. Simply drive directly toward enemy troops at high speed and run them down before they can dash out of your way.
• At the start of a battle, don’t drive off in one of these vehicles until a teammate hops on the back. On most maps, these vehicles serve as your team’s primary means of transportation. Stranding teammates at your base won’t win you any fans. However, your squadmates can spawn into the vehicle if there is an available seat.
• Quad bikes can perform some amazing jumps. Look for ramps or other sloped terrain to send this vehicle flying through the air.

Tank Destroyers

The new tank destroyers are essentially infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) fitted with large tank cannons. Although faster and more maneuverable than tanks, the tank destroyers lack the thick armor of their bigger, badder counterparts. As a result, it’s important to keep a defensive mind-set when driving one of these vehicles, particularly when facing off against enemy tanks—always keep the tank destroyer’s thick front armor facing your target. In addition to dishing out some serious anti-tank firepower, tank destroyers can also serve as troop transport. Like the IFVs, the passenger positions in tank destroyers are equipped with machine gun ports, ideal for defending the vehicle’s flanks from enemy infantry.. In many battles, tank destroyers offer the safest method of moving teammates to the front lines. So don’t drive away from your base until you’ve filled as many seats as possible—hitching a ride in one of these armored vehicles is always preferable to hiking across a dangerous battlefield.

Tank Destroyer Service Stars

Tank Destroyer Unlock Progression

Image	Name	Loadout Slot	Points	Description
	IR Smoke	Gadget	400	Smoke grenades enhanced with metal filaments that when launched remove laser-designation, spoof incoming guided missiles, and prevent enemies from revealing your position to teammates.
	Coaxial LMG	Weapon	800	A light machine gun mounted coaxially to your main weapon.
	Autoloader	Upgrade	1,600	An enhanced mechanism decreases the minimum time between firing rounds in your main weapon.
	Zoom Optics	Gadget	3,000	A secondary weapon sight with up to 3x magnification.
	Maintenance	Upgrade	6,000	Preventative maintenance procedures improve your vehicle’s recovery from damage.
	Proximity Scan	Upgrade	10,000	External sensors detect and reveal enemy units on your minimap.
	Guided Shell	Weapon	16,000	A Smart Target-Activated Fire and Forget shell that can lock on to and track enemy land vehicles and can acquire laser-designated targets even if they are out of line-of-sight.
	Thermal Optics	Gadget	22,000	A secondary weapon sight with thermal optics that highlights soldiers and vehicles for efficient target identification.
	Thermal Camo	Upgrade	28,000	Anti-reflective coating on your vehicle increases enemy locking and tracking difficulty and decreases the time you are revealed to the enemy after being spotted.
	Canister Shell	Weapon	34,000	A tank shell encasing thousands of tungsten balls fired though the cannon muzzle like a shotgun.
	Reactive Armor	Upgrade	40,000	Reactive armor panels and/or slats absorb the impact from anti-tank weapons, protecting you from damage but being destroyed in the process.

Tank Destroyer Assignments

Explosive Danger

Criteria: Get 15 kills with tank destroyer. Reward: Unlocks HE ammunition for tank destroyers.

Need Repair

Criteria: Repair 20 friendly vehicles. Reward: Unlocks fire extinguisher for tank destroyers.

Wired Attack

Criteria: Destroy 10 tank destroyers. Destroy 1 mobile artillery. Reward: Unlocks TOW for tank destroyers.

M1128

Nationality: US Description: The M1128 is an eight-wheeled tank destroyer used by the USA and Canada.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

SPRUT-SD

Nationality: RU Description: Russian light and highly mobile tank destroyer based on the BMD-3 chassis.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Tank Destroyer Tactics

• Never charge into a group of enemy infantry. Tank destroyers are well-armored, but they can’t withstand more than two or three rocket hits, not to mention mines. Instead, hold back and engage infantry from a safe distance, where they can’t sneak up behind you. HE ammunition, unlocked by completing the Explosive Danger assignment, is most effective against infantry. The coaxial LMG also gives the driver better protection against infantry.
• Unlike their IFV counterparts, tank destroyers are not amphibious, so avoid driving these heavy vehicles into deep bodies of water.
• When engaging a tank destroyer, try to maneuver so you can score a side or rear hit, where the vehicle’s armor is thinnest. Likewise, when driving one of these vehicles, be mindful of these weak spots and try to keep the vehicle’s front armor facing the enemy at all times.
• Be careful when transporting your entire squad in a tank destroyer. A hit from a helicopter or jet’s guided missile could send your whole squad back to the respawn screen.
• Complete the Wired Attack assignment as quickly as possible to gain access to the TOW missile upgrade. This works just like the ATGM Launcher upgrade found on the IFVs. While waiting for the main gun to reload, fire a missile at your target to keep up the offensive pressure. The added firepower can make all the difference when caught in a dangerous duel with an enemy tank.
• The fire extinguisher is a worthwhile upgrade and it’s relatively easy to unlock. As an engineer, just complete 20 repairs on friendly vehicles to complete the Need Repair assignment to unlock this upgrade. Once equipped, the fire extinguisher can be used to put out a fire if your vehicle becomes disabled. This allows you to maintain speed and maneuverability, allowing you to reach a safer location before conducting repairs.

Mobile Artillery

The new M142 and BM-23 mobile artillery units launch volleys of high-explosive rockets over great distances, giving each team the ability to bombard targets from across the map. Each vehicle is capable of launching up to six rockets in quick succession. From the gunner position, use the ladder-like reticle to adjust your aim, moving the rocket tubes both vertically and horizontally. When making vertical adjustments, the higher the pitch of the rocket tubes, the farther the rockets will travel. The rockets are by no means precision weapons and greatly benefit from the assistance of a forward spotter, helping you adjust your aim. If your rockets are falling short of the target, increase the pitch of the rocket tubes. Likewise, if the rockets are overshooting the target, reduce the pitch of the rocket tubes. When fired at great distances, the rockets impact beyond your visual range. So if you don’t have the feedback of a forward spotter, you’re firing blind. After firing six rockets, the vehicle automatically begins the long reload process. During this time the vehicle is completely defenseless unless fitted with one of the unlockable weapon upgrades. At close range mobile artillery units are vulnerable to attacks by infantry, tanks, and aircraft. So keep these units back from the front lines, where they’re less likely to be harassed by enemies.

Mobile Artillery Service Stars

Mobile Artillery Unlock Progression

Image	Name	Loadout Slot	Points	Description
	IR Smoke	Gadget	400	Smoke grenades enhanced with metal filaments that when launched remove laser-designation, spoof incoming guided missiles, and prevent enemies from revealing your position to teammates.
	Autoloader	Upgrade	800	An enhanced mechanism decreases the minimum time between firing rounds in your main weapon.
	Proximity Scan	Upgrade	1,600	External sensors detect and reveal enemy units on your minimap.
	ATACMS Missile	Weapon	2,500	Locks on ground vehicles and laser-designated targets.
	Maintenance	Upgrade	3,500	Preventative maintenance procedures improve your vehicle’s recovery from damage.
	Zoom Optics	Gadget	4,500	A secondary weapon sight with up to 3x magnification.
	Thermal Camo	Upgrade	5,500	Anti-reflective coating on your vehicle increases enemy locking and tracking difficulty and decreases the time you are revealed to the enemy after being spotted.
	TOW	Weapon	7,000	Wire-guided anti-tank missile launcher.
	Proximity Defense	Gadget	9,000	Incendiary smoke that damages enemies within the proximity.

Mobile Artillery Assignments

Rocket Specialist

Criteria: Get 10 kills with mobile artillery. Reward: Unlocks air-burst missiles for mobile artillery.

Anti-Air Support

Criteria: Get 15 kills in the gunship. Reward: Unlocks anti-air missiles for mobile artillery.

M142

Nationality: US Description: Mobile rocket artillery used by the US Marine Corps and Fire Brigade.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

BM-23

Nationality: RU Description: Russian multiple rocket launcher system mounted on a Soviet truck.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Mobile Artillery Tactics

• Despite their impressive display, the standard rockets fired by the mobile artillery units don’t cause much splash damage. It practically takes a direct hit to significantly damage an armored vehicle like a tank or tank destroyer. But the impact of multiple rockets in a small area can have a significant psychological effect on infantry, causing them to scramble for cover. So even if you don’t score too many kills with these vehicles, they play a big role in suppressing enemy troops during attacks on control points and M-COM stations. Complete the Rocket Specialist assignment to unlock air-burst rockets for greater effectiveness against infantry.
• Always employ a squadmate to act as a forward observer when firing rockets at targets beyond your visual range. Being able to speak with your forward observer through a headset makes a huge difference when it comes to accurately placing rockets on target.
• The rockets have an effective range of approximately 650 meters when the rocket tubes are raised to their maximum angle and when the vehicle is parked on even terrain. However, you can get a bit more distance from the rockets by parking the unit on an elevated slope. This allows you fire the rockets at a steeper trajectory, resulting in greater range.
• Make a habit of parking these vehicles in remote areas of the map where they’re less likely to be disturbed by enemies traveling between control points or other high-traffic areas. However, once you start firing rockets, your position will be easy to spot. So make a habit of moving the vehicle after you’ve fired a volley of rockets. Staying in one position too long can make you an easy target for enemy aircraft and counter-artillery bombardments.
• When encountering enemy vehicles at close range, these vehicles are defenseless unless equipped with one of the unlocked weapon upgrades, such as the ATACMS or TOW missiles. These weapons are far more accurate against nearby targets than the standard rockets. Enemy infantry are more problematic. The Proximity Defense upgrade deploys toxic smoke around the vehicle, giving you a chance to escape.

Gunship

The gunship is a new gameplay concept introduced by Armored Kill, rewarding one team with a powerful airborne weapons platform. In Conquest matches there is one control point on each of the new maps that spawns a gunship. Once captured, the control point grants the controlling team access to the gunship. During Rush matches, the attacking US team always has access to a gunship. Unlike in other aircraft, there is no pilot position in the gunship. Instead, the aircraft orbits around the map on its own with two crew positions accessible from the Spawn screen. Each gunner position is equipped with a port-mounted cannon as well as a top-mounted anti-aircraft turret. The 25mm cannon is capable of rapid fire, spitting out up to 30 rounds of high-explosive rounds in quick succession before entering a short reload phase. The 105mm cannon is essentially a tank gun mounted on the side of the aircraft. This heavy weapon fires one armor-piercing shell at a time, capable of disabling most ground vehicles with a single hit. In addition to serving as an awesome ground-attack aircraft, the gunship is also a mobile spawn point, dropping troops over the battlefield along its circular flight path.

Gunship

Nationality: US and RU Description: Heavily armored ground-attack vehicle with mounted HMG and cannon.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Gunship Tactics

• Before using the gunship’s para-drop option to deploy, monitor the gunship’s position on the Spawn screen’s map. Don’t jump out of the plane until the gunship is flying next to your intended destination. This will allow you to drop close to your target and perform a low-altitude deployment of your parachute. Freefall as long as possible to avoid becoming an easy target for enemy troops on the ground. The longer you drift in your parachute, the more likely you are to be spotted and hunted down.
• What the gunship’s 25mm cannon lacks in stopping power, it makes up for in volume and rate of fire. This weapon functions similar to the chin turrets found on the AH-1Z and Mi-28 attack helicopters. A steady barrage of 25mm rounds can disable and eventually destroy a tank. For a closer view of the target, activate the zoom function for 3x magnification. While the weapon is reloading, scan the skies by switching to the anti-aircraft turret.
• Due to the gunship’s constant movement, accurately firing the 105mm cannon can be a little tricky. For starters, don’t fight the controls. Instead, aim ahead of your target and let the gunship’s movement do the rest. As the reticle passes over the target, fire. The white dot in the center of the reticle is your aim point—wherever this dot is aimed, your shell will go, regardless of the gunship’s movement. Like the 25mm cannon, this weapon is also equipped with a 3x zoom magnification option, offering a slightly more detailed view of the target. The camera’s default infrared display also makes it easy to spot the heat signatures of enemy vehicles and troops—look for the bright, white dots.
• Each crew position has access to an anti-aircraft turret mounted atop the aircraft. These turrets can rotate 360 degrees and fire streams of hot lead at enemy aircraft, similar to the Centurion C-RAM or PANTSIR S-1. Since the turrets are mounted on top of the aircraft, they have no way of targeting enemy aircraft flying below the gunship. So when attacking a gunship in a jet or helicopter, stay just below the aircraft’s wings to stay outside the coverage of its anti-aircraft turrets.
• The gunship can sustain heavy damage, but it cannot be repaired. The aircraft’s health does not regenerate on its own, either, unlike other vehicles. Since all damage is permanent, take extra steps to keep the gunship airborne. Shoot down enemy jets and helicopters with the anti-aircraft turrets and deploy IR flares to fool incoming missiles. Keep a close eye on the gunship’s health and be ready to bail out before it reaches 1 percent. When the gunship’s health reaches zero, the aircraft simply explodes, giving you no time to bail out. It takes a full minute for a new gunship to appear, assuming your team still controls the associated control point during Conquest matches. In Rush matches the attacking team always has access to a gunship.