Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) — Battlefield 3 Premium eGuide

The Infantry Fighting Vehicles are the most versatile vehicles in the game; they are sometimes referred to as light tanks.They lack the heavy armor of tanks, but still have a lot of firepower. Their main weapon is an auto-cannon, that fires high-explosive rounds in quick succession as long as you hold down the fire button. But the auto-cannon can only fire six rounds before a new rack must be loaded, resulting in a brief interruption. The IFVs also have a machine gun turret—the driver controls the auto-cannon while the gunner controls the machine gun. The four passenger seats are equipped with port- and starboard-mounted machine guns, making it ideal for hauling around your entire squad.

IFV Unlock Progression

Name	Loadout Slot	Points	Description
IR Smoke	Gadget	800	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.
ATGM Launcher	Weapon	2,300	Wire-guided anti-tank missile launchers are mounted on the turret.
Belt Speed	Upgrade	4,700	An enhanced mechanism decreases the minimum time between firing bursts with your main weapon.
Coaxial LMG	Weapon	8,300	A light machine gun mounted coaxially to your main weapon.
Thermal Optics	Gadget	13,100	A secondary weapon sight with thermal optics that highlights soldiers and vehicles for efficient target identification.
Proximity Scan	Upgrade	19,200	External sensors detect and reveal enemy units on your minimap.
Zoom Optics	Gadget	26,900	A secondary weapon sight with up to 3x magnification.
Maintenance	Upgrade	36,000	Preventative maintenance procedures improve your vehicle’s recovery from damage.
APFSDS-T Shell	Weapon	47,000	Armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (with tracer) ammo that deals more direct damage but has no explosive element.
Thermal Camo	Upgrade	60,000	Antireflective coating on your vehicle increases enemy locking and tracking difficulty, and decreases the time you are revealed to the enemy when spotted.
Guided Missile	Weapon	74,000	Laser-guided anti-tank missile launchers are mounted on the turret; they lock on to and track enemy land vehicles and can acquire laser-designated targets even if they are out of line of sight.
Reactive Armor	Upgrade	90,000	Reactive armor panels and/or slats absorb the impact from anti-tank weapons, protecting you from damage but becoming destroyed in the process.

LAV-25

Nationality : US

Description : The LAV-25 is an eight-wheeled amphibious Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) used by the United States Marine Corps.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	25mm Chain Gun
2	Gunner	HMG .50
3	Passenger	Machine Gun
4	Passenger	Machine Gun
5	Passenger	Machine Gun
6	Passenger	Machine Gun

BMP-2M

Nationality : RU

Description : The BMP-2M is a second-generation, amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	30mm Auto-Cannon
2	Gunner	12.7mm Machine Gun
3	Passenger	Machine Gun
4	Passenger	Machine Gun
5	Passenger	Machine Gun
6	Passenger	Machine Gun

AAV-7A1 AMTRAC

Nationality : US

Description : The AAV-7A1 is the current amphibious troop transport of the United States Marine Corps.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	None
2	Gunner	7.62mm Machine Gun
3	Passenger	None
4	Passenger	None
5	Passenger	None
6	Passenger	None

BTR-90

Nationality : RU

Description : The BTR-90 is the Russian Army’s next-generation armored personnel carrier. Presented publicly for the first time in 1994, the BTR-90 is larger and more powerful than its predecessors.

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	30mm Cannon
2	Gunner	12.7mm Machine Gun
3	Passenger	Machine Gun
4	Passenger	Machine Gun
5	Passenger	Machine Gun
6	Passenger	Machine Gun

[ IFV Tactics ]

Never charge into a group of enemy infantry. IFVs 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. The auto-cannon and machine gun turrets on these vehicles are devastating against infantry.
All the IFVs are amphibious and can travel across deep bodies water. Use this to your advantage by staging attacks from unpredictable directions. This is a great way to take enemies by surprise. But these vehicles move very slow while in the water, so watch out for helicopters and jets overhead. When engaging an IFV, 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 an IFV. A hit from a helicopter or jet’s Guided Missile could send your whole squad back to the respawn screen.
Like jets and helicopters, IFVs can fire a Guided Missile capable of locking on to targets designated with the recon kit’s SOFLAM. So once you’ve unlocked this weapon, keep your IFV back from the action and wait for enemy vehicles to be painted with a laser. A red diamond icon appears on the HUD when an enemy target has been designated.
Completely different tactics apply when driving the AMTRAC. This slow troop transport only has a light machine gun for defense, making it vulnerable against tanks and other heavy vehicles. When using this vehicle as a forward spawn point, park it in a relatively safe location that’s still close to the action. This is very effective when attacking M-COM stations during Rush matches because the attacking team can maintain a presence close to the objectives.

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 Unlock Progression

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.

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

Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	105mm Cannon
2	Passenger	Machine Gun
3	Passenger	Machine Gun
4	Passenger	Machine Gun
5	Passenger	Machine Gun

SPRUT-SD

Russian light and highly mobile tank destroyer based on the BMD-3 chassis.

Nationality : RU

Description :

Vehicle Performance

Speed
Armor
Firepower

Vehicle Occupancy

Seat	Position	Weapon
Seat	Position	Weapon
1	Driver	125mm Cannon
2	Passenger	Machine Gun
3	Passenger	Machine Gun
4	Passenger	Machine Gun
5	Passenger	Machine Gun

[ 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.