17th Pathfinders Specialist Role Guide

Foreword: Communications

A lot of roles (RTOs, vehicle commanders, pilots to name a few) will need to be familiar with a handful of simple terms and systems to better get elements and weapons into the correct locations. A few of these are laid out in simple terms below:

Grid coordinates:

A location can be described by a simple set of coordinates, which is handy to make sure everyone is talking about the exact same place. These can be communicated in a number of methods, with the first numbers showing x or longitudinal position, and the second showing y or latitudinal position:

• 6 digit: xxxyyy (generally accurate to 100m, these are the small grids on your map)
• 8 digit: xxxxyyyy (generally accurate to 10m, these are not generally visualized on your map) This method is far preferable when calling in precision fires such as artillery or CAS, especially when either friendlies or civilians are in proximity.
• Keypad: this is an extension of either of the above systems for quick improved accuracy. Visualize the standard numpad (1-9) on most full-size keyboards (pictured right) overlaid onto your grid. This quickly improves a grid "645212" from 100m accuracy to "645212 Keypad 5" which has 33m accuracy.

Callsigns and suffixes

Generally speaking, callsigns will be structured as "element name: number-number". For example, Anvil 2-1. In this example (taken from Operation Tidebreaker), Anvil indicates a M1 Abrams, 2 indicates it as a member of the second section and 1 indicates it as the first tank of that section. This can be applied to basically all elements (except for some rare command/support assets which won't have a number, ie Overlord for command or Steel Rain for artillery).

Extending off the end of a callsign you may also occasionally encounter suffixes, which indicate a specific member or asset within an element. The most common ones are:

• Actual (ie Punch 1-1 Actual): This indicates the leader of the named element. This example refers to the leader of Punch 1-1.
• Victor (ie Punch 1-1 Victor): This indicates the integrated vehicle of a named element. This vehicle may either have a crew with their own radio such as an IFV/APC, or it may refer to a mounted portion of infantry riding in their own vehicle like a Humvee. Note that this is only used when referring to transports which are part of the same element as the infantry (doesn't need to be used with MBTs or dedicated transport assets etc.).
• Romeo (ie Punch 1-1 Romeo): This indicates the radio operator of a given infantry element (who will usually be the point of contact for said element). Romeo only needs to be used when specifically addressing the radioman; if you have a message which concerns the entire element you're contacting (95% of the time), just use the standard callsign i.e Punch 1-1.

Phonetic/brevity

When talking over radios, it can often be easier to use established terms to avoid confusion. For example, "alpha" rather than the letter A, "bravo" rather than the letter B, so on. Here's an easy chart for the standard NATO Phonetic Alphabet:

A - Alpha	J - Juliet	S - Sierra
B - Bravo	K - Kilo	T - Tango
C - Charlie	L - Lima	U - Uniform
D - Delta	M - Mike	V - Victor
E - Echo	N - November	W - Whiskey
F - Foxtrot	O - Oscar	X - X-ray
G - Golf	P - Papa	Y - Yankee
H - Hotel	Q - Quebec	Z - Zulu
I - India	R - Romeo

You don't always have to use these exact terms ("apple" can be a good substitute for A for example), but it helps a lot as most experienced radio operators will be familiar with them.

Similarly, NATO brevity terms will often come over radios as they're a very quick way to describe what people are talking about.This stuff isn't super necessary but can help. Some common terms you'll hear in this unit are:

Term	Meaning
Danger close	Used to describe heavy ordnance (air strike, artillery) landing within 500m of friendly forces
Wilco	"Will comply", I acknowledge and will follow previous command
Oscar Mike	"On the move"

If you want more of this sort of stuff, follow this link. Note that this isn't required reading; it's just handy knowledge.

One last tip: "repeat" and "say again" are not the same thing. Repeat means "please do what you just did again" (ie do that fire mission again), say again means "I need you to transmit your last message again".

Squad Roles

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Automatic Rifleman/Machine Gunner

The Automatic Rifleman's (AR) job is to provide sustained suppressing fire on targets to better enable the riflemen in their element to manoeuvre/engage the enemy. To that end, they'll generally be the base for assaults to start from, and are additionally instrumental in defending a fixed position. The Machine Gunner (MG) is a heavier version of this; generally utilising a GPMG firing heavier rounds. The primary difference between these two is that usually the MG is the centrepiece of a weapons squad, whereas most rifle squads will have an AR. MGs will generally have dedicated assistants which stick with them at all times, whereas ARs will often just have ammo distributed through their element.

Important keybinds:

• Deploy weapon: C

The most important thing to remember as the AR/MG: you are there to suppress the enemy. Don't try to squeeze off single rounds, even if you've got an optic - the riflemen can do that, but they can't send 100-200 rounds before reloading. Fire rapid 5-10 round bursts to force the enemy to get their heads down (and if they don't, you'll kill them).

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Assistant Autorifleman/Machinegunner

The Assistant AR/MG is there to ensure their gunner stays effective and to better enable them to engage hostiles. This happens through two ways - they keep the gun up and running, and they spot targets.

Important keybinds:

• ACE interact: Windows

As the gunner fires and depletes their belt, the assistant (provided they're carrying spare ammo belts) can ACE interact with the gunner's weapon itself (not the gunner) to link belt, which tops up their current belt from the assistant's inventory. Keep an eye on the gunner's ammo through the same Weapon ACE interact, and if it falls below 25-50% consider linking - note that it doesn't stop them firing.

The second thing to manage for an MG assistant is barrel heat. As the barrel heats up from sustained fire, two things occur: the weapon becomes less accurate, and the jam chance increases. To get around this, most MG assistants carry a spare barrel. ACE interact with the weapon to check the heat, and if it's starting to get above 50%, ask your gunner if they want to change it over. Remember that, unlike belt linking, swapping the barrel will stop the gunner firing. Once the barrel is swapped, the temperature will be reset. The old barrel will show as a spare barrel in your inventory and will slowly cool.

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Anti-tank

The Anti-tank (AT) Gunner's Job is to provide an infantry element the ability to engage armoured targets. AT tends to be categorised into two groupings, Light Anti-tank (LAT) which consists of primarily disposable launchers, and Heavy Anti-tank (HAT) which consists of heavier launchers capable of engaging all armoured assets (sometimes including launchers that require deployable systems). LAT is often treated as an expanded rifleman role whereas HAT is almost always used as the focal point of a weapons team with at least one assistant.

Important keybinds:

• Zeroing Up/Down: Page Up/Page Down
• Change Vision Mode: N
• Lock Target: T

Prior to firing his weapon, the AT gunner needs to ensure that the area behind his weapon that can injure friendlies (Backblast Area) is clear. The AT gunner will call out "Clear Backblast" and only fire after a response is given of "Backblast is clear". Failure to wait for this response can and will injure members of your unit. Additionally firing a weapon with backblast indoors will injure/kill the person firing and anyone else inside the space with them.

Some HAT equipment is run using deployable launchers, these require the gunner and assistant to both place their respective parts of the launcher (ACE interact) before the gunner gets into the weapon to fire it.

In general, anti-tank launchers will fall into one of three categories for weapon guidance. These will be SACLOS (missile systems where you must keep the optic centred on the target for the missile to track), Self Guiding (these require a lock before you fire), and unguided (fired over normal sights, usually fairly short effective range). How to engage with each mode follows:

• Unguided (ie M72, RPG-7): Acquire the range either from your element lead, the map or other tools. Either use the Zeroing Up/Down keys to adjust or for some launchers manually hold the target using range symbology in the sight.
• SACLOS (ie TOW, MILAN): Centre the target in your optics and fire the weapon. Keep the crosshairs on the target the entire time the weapon is in flight to the target; a small amount of lead may be needed for moving targets. When using SACLOS launchers, bushes can and will ruin your target track or detonate the warhead early. Make sure you have a clear Line of sight all the way to the target.
• Fire-and-forget (ie Javelin, Titan): while looking down the optics at the target, engage the thermal sight mode (N to change vision modes). Centre the optics on the vehicle you want to engage and hold tab, a box should start closing in on the target with a beeping sound. Eventually the box will stop shrinking and an audio cue will play, you can now fire the weapon.

Some launchers may be able to load different rocket/warhead types as well, such as the SMAW or Carl Gustav M3. A simple understanding for what you'll commonly find issued:

• HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank): Used to engage armoured vehicles. Negligible area of effect but can be useful when dealing with buildings/fortifications.
• HE (High Explosive): Used to engage area targets such as infantry, fortifications or buildings. Can be used against lightly/unarmoured vehicles if HEAT rounds are in short supply.
• There are other ammo types you may come across, or they may use different naming conventions, however the massive majority of rounds you'll use as an AT Gunner will fit these two categories.

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Assistant Anti-tank

The Anti-tank Assistant role exists to improve the effectiveness of the Anti-tank Gunner. They achieve this by providing additional rounds for the AT weapon, spotting targets, and ensuring the AT Gunner is safe to fire.

Important keybinds:

• ACE interact: Windows

Prior to firing his weapon, the AT gunner needs to ensure that the area behind his weapon that can injure friendlies (Backblast Area) is clear. The AT gunner will call out "Clear Backblast!", at this point the Assistant needs to look at the area behind the gunner and verify the backblast area is clear. If the area is not clear the Assistant should call out "Hold!" until the area has been cleared. When the backblast area is clear, the Assistant will call out loudly "Backblast is Clear!", the gunner will then engage his target.

After the A/T gunner engages a target with their launcher, the Assistant (provided they have additional rounds with them) can ACE interact with the launcher (not the gunner) from the right side to load their weapon for them, allowing the gunner to continue to track the target they were engaging (and avoiding the delay of transferring rounds between players/manually reloading).

Some HAT equipment is run using deployable launchers, these require the gunner and assistant to both place their respective parts of the launcher before the gunner gets into the weapon (ACE interact) to fire it.

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Grenadier

This role refers to someone carrying a grenade launcher (GL), be it rifle-mounted or standalone. They assist the squad to lay down area-of-effect fire and provide support such as smoke and illumination.

Important keybinds:

• Next weapon: F (changes fire mode)
• Zeroing Up/Down: Page Up/Page Down

In Arma, a rifle grenade launcher is equipped by simply pressing the change fire mode button to cycle through as if it were another fire mode - you'll see the name of the weapon change in the top right. From here, you'll need to set the range of the target using Page Up/Page Down - either ask your element leader (who should provide the range when they ask you to engage something with the GL), use the map or get good at eyeballing it - this skill will come with time. Place the sight on the target you want to engage and fire. You do not need to aim above the target, nor should you aim below it to better see it while firing. If your shot was long or short, adjust and re-engage.

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Designated Marksman

The purpose of a Designated Marksman, or DMR, is to supplement their element's ability to engage targets beyond the reach of a rifleman or AR; usually 400-700m away. They shouldn't be confused with a dedicated sniper - they're effectively a rifleman who can reach out further.

Important keybinds:

• Zeroing Up/Down: Page Up/Page Down (Shift modifier for 10x input)
• Adjust scope windage: Ctrl+Page Up/Ctrl+Page Down (Shift modifier for 10x input)
• ACE self interact: Ctrl+Windows Key
• Deploy weapon: C
• Check wind: Shift+K

The 17th uses ACE Advanced Ballistics, which means that a marksman will need to consider not just range but also potentially temperature and wind. Most DMRs carry a range card on them, which will give references for scope zeroing at given distances under given temperatures. To accurately engage a target:

1. Acquire the target using your optic. Your element lead may give you the range, or you may need to use the map/other tools to work it out.
2. Find temperature using Ace self interact > check air temperature (this is usually only necessary for 400m+ shots).
3. Open your range card using ACE self interact > Equipment > Show range card.
4. Find the scope adjustment using the range card, then adjust your scope to match using the Zeroing Up/Down keybinds.
5. Place your centre reticle directly on the target and fire. If you miss on the first shot, note where your round lands and adjust accordingly.

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RTO (Radioman)

The Radio Telephone Operator (or RTO)'s job is to link the squad to other elements in the battlespace. They do this primarily through the long-range radio they carry, but in some missions will also be key to calling in fire support. A good RTO is a massive force multiplier and can assist the squad to punch well above its weight.

Make sure you read the communication section at the top so you're up on what to actually call people/respond to on the radio.

Important keybinds:

• LR Transmit: Ctrl+CapsLock
• Configure LR radio: Alt+P
• ALiVE Menu: AppMenu

How to call in ALiVE support (transports, support vehicles):

1. Press AppMenu key to open the ALiVE menu.
2. Click the "Combat Support" menu.
3. From here, select the asset you want and options. If unsure, ask your element lead.

How to call in artillery/air support using support request system:

1. Press ` (tilde, above tab)
2. Scroll down to "Reply", hit space to select.
3. Select "8 Supports"
4. Select Artillery strike/CAS etc. as desired. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR RETICLE POINTED AT THE TARGET. You can use your binos or a weapon optic to get a better view.
   • Alternatively, you can follow the above process while the map is open to call in support on your cursor location. This can be better for calling a strike on a specific set of coordinates.
5. Select the support asset, then type of round and how many (if applicable)
6. If at any time you want to cancel your support request, just press ` (tilde) again.

Vehicle Roles

Basics

Both Ground and Air Crews have access to Info Panels on the left and right side of the screen. Use Left and Right Square Bracket, '[' and ']', to cycle through the types of info panels, and CTRL + [ or ] to cycle between the modes of each panel. Panel types are listed below

• Passenger List
  • Lists names of passengers and amount of unoccupied seats in vehicle
• GPS Map
  • Changing Mode swaps between locking orientation to North or vehicle's direction
• Driver, Gunner, and/or Commander Camera
  • Changing Mode cycles between Day, Night and Thermal vision modes
  • Use of the cameras will depend on what role you have in the vehicle. E.g: Helping the driver reverse if the commander is looking rearward, the commander know where the front of the vehicle is pointing, the gunner know what direction the commander is looking.
• Sensor Panel
  • Changing Mode cycles zoom level of sensors, increasing the distance shown.
  • Information provided on the panel depends on what sensors the vehicle has available, Radar, IR Imaging, etc. It will display the ranges of each sensor type as well as the field of view each one has.

Most missions include a rearm, refuel and repair zone, which will automatically perform these actions for you. For missions that do not include this zone, or when you can't access this zone, it is normally done through ACE interactions between the vehicle and/or a resupply object nearby.

• To rearm; ACE interact with a Ammo Container or Vehicle> Rearm> [Vehicle name]> Wait set period of time
• To repair; ACE interact with the damaged vehicle looking for damaged components, or Interactions> Full Repair if available
• To refuel; ACE Interact with Fuel Container or Vehicle> Take Fuel Nozzle> Follow on-screen prompts to connect nozzle to the required vehicle. Refuelling will automatically occur, wait for a "Refuelling Complete" message to appear in the top right. Once Refuelled; ACE Interact with the fuel nozzle> Take Fuel Nozzle> Return to the Fuel Container or Vehicle.

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Ground Vehicle Crew

General

In a combined arms environment, dedicated vehicle crews support the primary fighting unit (generally infantry) to better accomplish their objectives. This can happen a number of ways, but primarily can be divided into integrated (IFV/APCs which stay close to/directly support infantry) and standalone (tanks, SPAA which are designed to combat enemy vehicles/perform specific roles).

While each player may fill a certain role in the vehicle, you shouldn't limit what you do to the role you are slotted into. Work together by providing input into decisions such as navigation and positioning. You may know something that someone else doesn't that could affect the decision making of any of the other roles, be it terrain, vehicle, or target knowledge.

Working with infantry

In almost every mission the 17th runs, vehicle crews will find themselves working alongside infantry elements. It's important to play to the respective strengths and weaknesses of both elements. Keep in mind:

• Vehicles generally have a better optic suite than an infantry squad, but have a far smaller field of view, and general awareness of the nearby area. Use your optics to watch for long range targets and perform thermal sweeps while the infantry covers the nearby area.
• Vehicles aren't suited for urban environments, regardless of what they say on the tin. When working in such terrain do not rush things. The infantry should be clearing buildings ahead of the vehicle and keeping an eye on intersections you will be passing. Be sure someone is always watching to the rear as well.
• Vehicles are more suited for open terrain. Your weapons and optics allow you to reach further than most infantry weapons would allow, giving you an advantage. If your vehicle has it, your armour can be used to provide cover for the infantry to advance to a new location.

Replacing wheels and tracks

When a vehicle loses a track or a wheel to incoming fire or running into something, you will need to replace them. To do so, do the following:

1. Access the vehicle's inventory using ACE interact > interactions > Cargo
2. Within the inventory should be at least one spare wheel/track. Select it and click unload.
3. If necessary, ACE interact with the wheel/track > carry and move it to the part of the vehicle that needs replacing. Once positioned, left-click to release the object.
4. Move close to the damaged part and ACE interact > replace wheel/tyre as appropriate.

While moving the wheel/tire be extremely careful not to hit the vehicle, players, or other simulated objects as the physics engine will freak out and likely kill you/others.

Driver

Your job is to ensure the vehicle gets from A to B in a timely but safe manner. While the commander will overall be directing the vehicle to fighting positions/objectives, the driver is the one directly assessing the immediate route ahead and how best to manoeuvre over/around terrain and obstacles.

Important keybinds:

• Speed Limiter (ACE): Delete
• Increase/decrease Speed Limit (ACE): Ctrl+Mouse wheel up/Ctrl+Mouse wheel down
• Move Head Up/Move Head Down: Ctrl+PageUp/Ctrl+PageDown
• Car Slow/Fast Forward: Ctrl+W/Shift+W
• Move Head Forward/Back: Ctrl+Numpad8/Ctrl+Numpad2 (Note that this overlaps with TFAR's long range channel selections, you should rebind this to avoid messing up the vehicle's radio).

The commander should start any commands directed at you with "driver". When you hear this switch on as they may need you to carry that out immediately. The most common commands will be the move up a route of advance at either slow, medium/standard or fast pace. Slow means use Ctrl+W, standard means just hold W (or match the convoy speed), fast means use Shift+W for the highest speed the vehicle can move. If you get an order to move at a fixed speed, use the ACE Speed Limiter controls to match the commanded pace. Note that you'll still have to hold W while doing this; it just stops you going over a given speed.

Gunner

Your role is to operate the vehicle's primary weapons systems which may also be paired with advanced optics (including capability such as high zoom, night vision or thermal imaging). While the commander will sweep the battlefield for targets, once they're assigned to you, they become your domain.

Important keybinds

• Next Weapon: F
• Lase Range/Lock Target: T
• Zoom In/Out: Numpad+/Numpad-
• Gun Elevation Up/Down: PageUp/PageDown
• Next Target: R
• Night Vision (toggle): N
• Radar On/Off (toggle): Ctrl+R

There are a lot of different weapon types you might use. Often, they'll also share ammo types. There are many permutations and small changes, but the standards across a lot of main vehicle weapons are:

• AP (armour-piercing): used to get through heavy vehicles like enemy tanks. Zero area effect; only works when hitting things directly.
• HEAT (High Explosive Anti-Tank): Originally designed to combat tanks but superseded by AP, this round is now used to engage lighter armour such as APCs, IFVs, MRAPs etc. Has negligible area effect but may be used to effectively engage buildings or hardened positions.
• HE (High Explosive): May also be referred to as MP (multi-purpose). Used to engage area targets such as infantry formations or as an assault weapon on fortifications or buildings. Very little ability to penetrate armour but excellent area effect.

The various weapon types will often use different ammo (as above). Vehicles are often intended for a given role, and the main/secondary weapons onboard will reflect that. Generally speaking, these can be broken down into the following categories:

• Cannon/main gun: You'll see this on any type of tank, as well as some other vehicles. Generally they'll start from 75mm and go up, with a long-ish reload between shots. Note that you can overpressure infantry with these weapons; be aware of anything nearby within your frontal arc.
• Autocannon: Usually found on IFVs/APCs. Starting from 20mm and ranging up potentially as high as 57mm, autocannons will have a magazine or belt they feed from and use automatic fire to fire many smaller rounds downrange. They can often switch between ammo types very quickly to handle different target types. Even when using AP, autocannons often can't penetrate tanks.
  

  → Anti-air vehicles will often sport autocannons with proximity-fused ammo.

• Missiles: Also called ATGMs, missiles give vehicles a long-range way to punch above their weight. ATGMs usually use a heavy HEAT warhead and don't have great area effect; save them for armoured targets. These may be found on many different types of vehicles but not often on tanks. There are many guidance methods (see Anti-tank) so know which one your vehicle uses. Missiles often have longer reloads but may use a magazine system as well.
  

  → Some vehicles also have laser-guided missiles which require a laser-designated target to engage (your commander or other elements may provide this). Press R to lock onto this lase.
  → AA vehicles often carry surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to engage distant/manoeuvring targets. Ensure your radar is turned on (if equipped with one), then lock onto your target before firing. These missiles will only be effective at engaging aircraft.

• Machine Guns (MGs): Provided to give vehicles a lower-impact/-expenditure way to engage unarmoured point targets such as infantry/cars etc. They can range from 7.62mm GPMG-style weapons to HMGs firing .50cal rounds. As a gunner you'll purely be using a coaxial (co-ax) MG, which is mounted to fire along the same arc as your vehicle's main weapon.

When in combat, your commander will allocate targets for you to engage. Unless the vehicle is threatened, wait for them to give you clearance to fire. They may also give you directions on round types/weapons to use.

Commander

The commander is arguably the most important member of the tank crew - not only are they directing the rest of the crew the same way a team lead would, they're also usually coordinating with other elements. On top of that, they may be running a section or even a platoon of other vehicles. This section will focus on how to effectively command your own vehicle.

Important keybinds:

• LR Transmit: Ctrl+CapsLock
• Night Vision (toggle): N
• Zoom In/Out: Numpad+/Numpad-
• Lase Range: T
• Countermeasures (Smoke Screen): C
• Cycle Countermeasures: LCtrl+C

It's important for a commander to be aware of not just the threats they're going to be engaging/working around but also friendly units. It's vital to stay in communication with both your crew as well as other elements (be they attached or under separate callsigns), and ensure you're communicating effectively. When addressing crew members or issuing orders, ensure you precede the order with who it's going to, then be clear with the order. For example:

• "Gunner, rotate to 235 degrees. Engage tank, AP." - this tells the gunner where to look but also gives them context on what they're engaging and with what weapon/ammo.
• "Driver, face vehicle to 235 degree. Slow advance until I call stop." - this tells the driver some related orders in a simple way, but also prepares them for your next command.

When considering where to position your vehicle, remember that different vehicles have different environments/conditions they do well in. If moving into an urban area, always talk with nearby infantry on how they're going to help secure your flanks/intersections. If there aren't any friendly infantry in a built-up area, you shouldn't be going there. If you know there's an enemy tank watching your area and you're in an APC, you shouldn't drive into the open. Use common sense on what you can effectively engage/be engaged by when making your decisions; positioning is a massive part of what will keep your vehicle kicking. When in doubt, play it safe. Erring on the side of caution means you're not putting the vehicle into dangerous situations you can't find a good way out of, which means the elements you're working alongside/supporting can rely on you.

Something to keep in mind here are your vehicle's countermeasures (most vehicles will be equipped with smoke dischargers). If you get engaged by something you either can't identify/find or can't fight back against, there's zero problems with popping smoke and retreating to a safer position to either call it in for friendly forces or reengaging from a better spot.

As the commander, you'll also be the primary user of the vehicle's long range radio (which should be your link to other elements). Ensure you're only responding to/calling out information on long range which is relevant to others on that net. Take note of and know your callsign, especially if you're attached to an infantry element as their callsign victor.

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Ground Vehicle Types

It's important to play to the strengths and weaknesses of your vehicle type when planning, moving or engaging targets. This affects more than just the commander. Keep these basics in mind to better perform as a crew.

Transport (APCs, MRAPs, trucks etc.)

The primary purpose of a transport vehicle (see examples above) is to deliver infantry to the battlefield, then withdraw. Alternatively, infantry may self-transport in them then dismount. Weapons they're equipped with are purely for self-defence/immediate support within that role - these assets aren't meant to stay in protracted fights except in very specific circumstances. They're generally not armoured enough to take a hit from more than HMG/grenade launcher fire outside of particular vehicles. After delivering any infantry from these vehicles, you should immediately look to relocate to a safer location and either provide support from there or start on your next objective. Some type-specific examples of transports are:

• M113 (tracked APC)
• Stryker (wheeled APC)
• M-ATV (MRAP)
• HEMTT (truck)
• HMMVW-type vehicles/Humvees (infantry self-transport)

Fighting Vehicle (IFVs, recon vehicles, tanks etc.)

Whereas transports are only meant to move infantry, fighting vehicles are there to support them directly on the battlefield. They may also transport infantry to and from the area, but generally are inferior to transports in this respect due to lower passenger capacity. With that said, they pack far more firepower. Upon arriving near an objective (and disembarking infantry if necessary), fighting vehicles should be looking to directly engage the enemy - for tanks this could mean taking on enemy armour formations, for recon vehicles this could mean scouting flanks or calling in fire missions, for IFVs this could mean attaching to their infantry element and escorting them to/supporting them in contact. Some type-specific examples of fighting vehicles are:

• M2 Bradley (Tracked IFV)
• Boxer (Wheeled IFV)
• LAV-25 (Reconnaissance Vehicle)
• M1 Abrams (Main Battle Tank)
• Rooikat (tank destroyer)

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Air Crew

This section assumes that you know the basics of flying either helicopter or fixed wing aircraft in Arma; it does not function as a tutorial. Note that the 17th uses standard (basic) flight model for all operations/missions; advanced flight model is absurdly broken in many places. The following info is to teach you how to better operate/"fight" the aircraft in combat and integrate with other elements on the battlefield.

General

In a combined arms environment, the job of aircraft is to support ground forces through either attacking enemy formations (Battlefield Air Interdiction) or as directed by infantry (Close Air Support). Additionally, they may also engage enemy aircraft to keep the battlespace secure. When crewing aircraft (either solo or multi-crew) it's important to make sure you're communicating effectively with ground/air elements as well as any other crew/passengers in your bird. Generally speaking, keep the following in mind:

• If an aircraft is present in a mission, there will almost always be threats that can hurt that aircraft. Fly each mission as if the enemy knows you're coming and wants to target you.
  • With this in mind, if someone asks for something which puts your aircraft (or passengers) at risk, communicate that risk to them and make the sensible decision. You're going to get shot at at some point, but flying a slow helo directly over enemy AA to save infantry a 500m walk isn't sensible.
• You will need to use your long range radio to talk with other elements. Make sure you note your callsign and know what other callsigns represent so you can efficiently respond to calls for support.
• Whenever possible, know where friendly elements are located to maintain situational awareness. This is important both for transports to plan pickup/insertion locations and for CAS platforms to deconflict/avoid friendly fire.
• When discussing targets with other elements, use absolute directions such as true bearings or compass headings rather than "left, up etc." Referencing landmarks such as mountains, forests and built-up areas can also help.

Important keybinds:

• Gear Down/Gear Up: G - note that not all aircraft have retractable landing gear
• Speedbrake (Plane)/Auto-Hover (Helicopter): X
• Zoom In/Out: Numpad+/Numpad-
• Night Vision (toggle): N
• Radar On/Off (toggle): Ctrl+R
• Next Target: R
• Rope Interaction (sling load crate/vehicle): B

Pilot/Co-Pilot

While there are some obvious differences between an attack or transport helicopter, or fixed wing aircraft, the primary job of any pilot is to execute the mission and bring the bird home in one piece. As a pilot, you'll be responsible for positioning/manoeuvring the aircraft to avoid ground fire, then putting it in place to deploy weapons/shift infantry. Weapons deployment is primarily the job of the gunner in multi-crew aircraft, but pilots may also have access to forward-firing guns, missiles, rockets etc. These weapons can vary greatly, so make sure you look into not only how they function guidance-wise but also what the intended targets are.

Some aircraft also carry a copilot, who is distinct from the gunner in a couple of ways. Generally their job is to help shift some of the workload from the pilot on basic tasks such as using radios, navigating and maintaining situational awareness. They also often have access to optics such as thermal imaging suites. Use these to check for threats, scout landing zones (LZs) and get positive ID on contacts.

When playing as a pilot in a multi-crew aircraft, you are effectively the commander of the vehicle, which means the gunner/copilot etc. should be taking their cues from you. This means that you should be talking with them often so you can both be aware of info only directly available to one of you. This also means that as the pilot, you should be completely aware of both your callsign as well as the rules of engagement (ROE). In 17th missions, air support assets should NEVER engage ground targets unless specifically cleared to by the ROE or ground controllers.

Gunner/Weapons Systems Officer (WSO)

While the pilot primarily flies and does a small amount of weapons employment in multi-crew aircraft, the gunner's combat focus is to find contacts, identify and engage them.They help the aircraft maintain situational awareness through their optics package (most attack aircraft have thermal optics). Depending on the platform, they'll almost always have access to missiles (which may be laser, radar or infrared-guided) but may also have access to an autocannon for engaging point targets as well.

While you're the one who will be firing the gun, launching missiles and generally identifying targets, do keep in mind that final authority to fire still rests with the pilot as commander of the aircraft. If you want to engage something, ask for clearance from them first. At the same time, you'll have better eyes on targets than they will - if you think they're ordering you to engage civilians, friendlies or any other kind of invalid target, double-check with them first. As is stated in the Pilot section above, in 17th missions, air support assets should NEVER engage ground targets unless specifically cleared to by the ROE or ground controllers. Your pilot should clear everything with ground elements first (or you'll have been briefed on what you can independently engage prior to contact).

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Aircraft Types

Transport Helicopter

The primary purpose of transport/utility helicopters is to move infantry/vehicles/cargo in and out of the battlefield. While they may be equipped with weapons such as doorguns or rocket pods for self-defence/light support, they're not meant to be engaging high threat targets such as tanks or AA vehicles. Outside of low-intensity environments, after delivering any infantry/cargo from these vehicles, you should immediately look to relocate to a safer location and either provide support from there or start on your next objective. Some type-specific examples of transport aircraft are:

• UH-60 Black Hawk (medium-lift transport helo)
• CH-47 Chinook (heavy-lift transport helo)
• V-22 Osprey (tilt-rotor heavy-lift transport aircraft)

Attack Helicopter

Dedicated attack helos are designed to provide direct support capability over the battlespace. Generally speaking, true attack helos will field multiple weapons systems and have a robust optics package to better facilitate target ID/weapons delivery. Some attack helos are armoured and designed to absorb hits from small arms, HMGs or even lighter autocannons but generally speaking pilots should do their best to avoid all hostile fire (even if the aircraft is rated to deal with it). Some type-specific examples of attack helicopters are:

• AH-64 Apache (twin-seat attack helo)
• RAH-66 Comanche (twin-seat stealth-capable attack helo)

Multirole Helicopter

Multirole is a term generally applied to aircraft which can either fly multiple mission types at once, or alternatively may be reconfigured between sorties to fly different mission profiles. In Addition to roles like transport and attack, they may also fly in roles such as reconnaissance, search and rescue and more. Some type-specific examples of multirole aircraft are:

• SA342 Gazelle (light recon helo reconfigure-capable of light transport, light attack, anti-tank)
• AW-159 Wildcat (medium transport helo reconfigure-capable of light attack, anti-tank)
• Mi-24 Hind (attack helo simultaneously capable of medium transport, and anti-tank)

Fixed Wing

Whereas helicopters are able to loiter over the battlefield but are limited in their area of operations (AO) due to speed, fixed wing aircraft are comparatively extremely fast and can transit in and out of the battlespace quickly. Due to their much higher speed, most fixed wing aircraft will need to enter high altitude orbits when attempting to find targets on their own, which may place them at risk from enemy AA. Due to this, it's generally more effective to hold at a stand-off point and have infantry/other elements acquire targets for you, then enter the AO at maximum weapon delivery speed so as to minimise the time you're exposed to enemy fire. While their anti-tank payload is comparatively lower, they can still carry optics and can carry individually heavier weapons such as laser guided bombs, and are additionally often capable of air to air combat. Some type-specific examples of fixed wing aircraft are:

• A-10 Thunderbolt II aka "Warthog" (dedicated CAS jet, low speed/high payload)
• F-16 Fighting Falcon aka "Viper" (multirole strike fighter, high speed/medium payload)

Leadership Roles

Leading in the 17th Pathfinders is something that we in the admin team are usually very selective about. We have an important reason for this: if someone isn't a good element leader (for any given reason), it can have a very noticeable negative effect on the people working within that element. As such, we have both experience and attitude expectations for leaders that go beyond our regular playerbase. For the latter, you need to be willing to not just effectively lead your team to accomplish the objective, but you need to be following the general rules we lay out for the unit so you're setting the right example. Consistent actions that benefit the experience of the group are a prerequisite for consideration for command roles. As such, actions that harm others' experience may preclude you from command roles. The former of those requirements was experience. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to have a leadership background, but it helps a lot. As such, we've got a rough pipeline of roles that'll help slowly ease someone into a leadership position (assuming someone is fairly new to the unit here):

1. Standard rifleman/assistant - building foundations for the unit's playstyle.
2. Crew-served specialist - roles such as machine gunner, anti-tank gunner etc. Directing an assistant will help get you into the right mindset for leading groups.
3. Vehicle commander - This puts you in control of an independent element which is functioning as its own callsign.
4. Infantry team leader - This is the first step into a true leadership position. You may be managing up to 6 infantrymen under you in either a fireteam or weapons element. You could also be working with a vehicle folded into your element as a victor callsign.
5. Infantry squad leader - This is generally where non-admin members of the 17th will realise some true leadership potential. You may be commanding 11 or more infantrymen, and you'll also be coordinating with elements such as other infantry squads, artillery, aircraft, ground vehicles and more via your RTO. Generally squad leaders are also involved with the op's overall mission plan so it's a bigger responsibility.

This pipeline isn't really a fixed thing; it's just a good way to work your way up and get the proper experience.

Glossary of Terms

Term	Definition
APFSDS	Armour-Piercing Fin Stabilised Discarding Sabot - the most common main gun round used by tanks for engaging other heavily armoured targets such as enemy tanks.
APC	Armoured Personnel Carrier - focused around infantry transport; usually lightly armed and armoured. Generally only armed with MGs.
Backblast	The cone-shaped overpressure zone created behind a rocket launcher/recoilless rifle upon firing, generally in a ~120 degree arc. To avoid injury due to backblast, the anti-tank gunner/assistant should be checking that no friendlies are in rear quarters of the launcher/rear of the gunner's 3/9 line. See Assistant Anti-tank.
BLUFOR	Blue Forces; NATO/friendly forces - Generally speaking, most of our missions have us playing as BLUFOR.
Concealment	Objects (bushes, thin walls) which can break line of sight with the enemy to hide an element. Note that concealment cannot absorb fire and should not be confused with cover (see next).
Cover	A hard barrier that can absorb fire and break direct line of sight with the enemy. It is always better to fight from cover. Cover can also be concealment.
CPG	Copilot Gunner - another term for a helicopter gunner. WSO may also be used.
CSAR	Combat Search And Rescue
Defilade	Describes using terrain such as hills, depressions, craters, earthworks etc. to break line of sight between a position and the enemy. Defilade is good cover.
Fire superiority	To fire with greater effect than the enemy. May refer to volume of fire or accuracy.
Friendly fire	(Isn't) - used to describe when allied forces fire on each other. May also be called blue-on-blue.
GPMG	General Purpose Machine Gun - also just called a machine gun; specifically fires a full-size (~7.62) as opposed to intermediate (~5.56) cartridge.
Helo/Heli	Short for helicopter
HMG	Heavy Machine Gun - fires a large round such as .50 calibre.
IFV	Infantry Fighting Vehicle - focused around directly supporting infantry, both through direct-fire support as well as transport. Generally armour is fairly light. Usually armed with autocannon/MGs/missiles.
IR	Infrared
Lase (Laze)	The act of pointing a laser onto a target - This can mean a few different things; laser designation for weapons is the most common but could also mean to laser range find a target to engage with a cannon/autocannon/MG or to simply point a rifle laser at for visual designation.
LOS	Line Of Sight. Describes the direct field of view from a position as unbroken by terrain, buildings, cover, concealment etc.
LZ	Landing Zone
MBT	Main Battle Tank - specifically describes an armoured, tracked vehicle which has access to a large calibre gun.
Medevac	Medical Evacuation - describes removing a casualty from a given area and moving them to a treatment location such as a hospital, FOB or trauma unit.
MRAP	Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle - often interchangeable with armoured car.
OPFOR	Opposing Force; may also be called REDFOR - used as a catch-all term to describe the enemy.
PID	Positive Identification - identifying a contact (friendly, enemy, civilian, doesn't matter) with absolute certainty.
Prosecute	To engage/attempt to neutralise a target.
Recon	Reconnaissance - the act of scouting an area to determine the best way to deploy follow-on forces or fire support such as artillery, air power etc.
ROE	Rules Of Engagement - the rules surrounding what targets you can engage at any time
RTO	Radio Telephone Operator - synonymous with just radio operator or radioman.
Sabot	Shorthand for AP or APFSDS - generally used by tank crews for clear gunnery instructions.
SACLOS	Semi-Automatic Command to Line Of Sight - Describes a missile targeting system where the gunner only needs to hold their reticle over the target and the missile will guide itself there.
SPAA	Self-Propelled Anti Air
Suppression	The act of putting large amounts of fire into the vicinity of the enemy to force them to take cover and reduce their ability to return fire/fight. While machine guns are better at this, it's everyone's job in a fire team. "Hey! It's a machine gun! It's a machine gun."
WSO	Weapons Systems Officer - refers to the multi-crew aircrew member who operates weapons, sensors etc. separate from the pilot. Generally exclusive to fixed wing aircraft.