Armored vehicles are powerful force multipliers in the combined arms battle. When properly employed with the support of infantry, the combination is difficult to match.
Being familiar with and knowing how to work with armor are critical skills for infantry and vehicle crews to have.
Coordination
An armored vehicle without infantry is vulnerable, just as infantry without armored support are vulnerable.
When in close terrain (such as dense woods or urban environments), it is beneficial to have infantry dismounted and moving on all sides of the armor. Infantry should lead the armor in such a situation, to prevent the armor from stumbling into an anti-armor trap or ambush.
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View full-sizeDownload Armor/infantry coordination in close terrain requires a great deal of communication back-and-forth. Armor needs to know where the friendly infantry are, where the enemy is, while infantry need to communicate to the armor where it should move, whether there are any friendlies close to the armor (perhaps in its blind spot), where they suspect the enemy to be, and so on and so forth.
Infantry bring the following benefits to armored vehicle crews when employed together.
What Infantry Provide to Armor
-Dispersed eyes-on-the-ground which can stay alert for threats such as:
-Enemy anti-tank threats - AT gunners, cannons, deployed ATGMs
-Enemy armored vehicles
Mines, satchels, and IEDs
-Ability to spot targets without exposing the armor, and then direct the armor's movement and fires to kill the targets efficiently.
