Course Details

Instructor(s)

Current qualified instructors:

• Any AI wearing the Badge

Objectives of the course

The Anti-Tank Course aims to provide participants with the skills required to be an effective and contributing factor within squad gameplay. This course will try to make you one of the best Anti Tank players in Squad. You will learn how to take down vehicles effectively.

Prerequisites:

You can only participate in this course once you've read The Squad Anti-Tank wiki and passed both Basic Infantry and Advanced Infantry courses.

About role

The LAT is a valuable kit for a team, as it is often heavily relied upon by the team to engage vehicles that would decimate unsupported infantry in other circumstances. As such, it is important to know when and where it is a situation to use the LAT. Put simply, if you are not going to be engaging any vehicles, do not request the kit. Some AT Launchers can be effective against grouped infantry or soldiers in partial cover, however, these targets should be engaged by other munitions which are far more effective, for example, the grenades issued to riflemen, or the grenadier kit.

The Basic AT loadout comes as follows:

• Primary weapon
• Knife
• AT Launcher
• 2 Smoke grenades
• 2 Field Dressings
• Shovel

Principles of the AT

Once contact has been made with a target, the LAT should immediately begin moving to find a suitable position to take out the vehicle. This step is important as it is often what decides the outcome of the engagement with the vehicle. An ideal position has:

• Good Cover
• A wide field of view (without compromising No. 1)
• The ability to cover your squad's current location, not just the route you believe the vehicle is (or will be) taking.
• An escape route (for post-firing)
• The element of surprise 
• No enemy presence

You are not going to have the ideal position so always do a risk assessment. If your squad/team is safe then let the opportunity pass, if not then take the shot. Always try to approach stealthily, without firing your weapon. Use the element of surprise.

Position of LAT in Squad

Offensive: In general the AT should just stick with the squad, unlike the AR or the marksman who occasionally fall behind the squad to provide covering fire. Not only is your squad able to provide you with cover when you have the launcher equipped, but it is also your main source of ammo when moving toward an objective. You are a Rifleman first and only when a vehicle is in the vicinity you become the AT.

Defensive: When defending an area try to position yourself at the locations where you are most likely to encounter enemy vehicles. This is usually close to roads but depending on the terrain this could also be other vantage points. Try to have a rearm point close to your position as most vehicles will take multiple hits to take out. If there isn't any then request your Squad Leader. Note that the positioning for the HAT kit can greatly vary per map and situation, often requiring the HAT (or even the LAT) to roam around and look for opportunities to deal damage to enemy vehicles. 

Acquiring and engaging

Acquiring a target:

Locating a target can be done in multiple ways. For start, a lot can be displayed on the map by certain vehicle marks. This is done by your own squad leader or others. These marks give you an indication of what kind of threat you are going to be facing and an estimated location. However, the marks that are displayed can be false as they sometimes are outdated, meaning the vehicle has relocated or has already been destroyed. 

The best ways to acquire a target are visual or audible clues. Visual gives you all the information you need to plan any further actions but it also means there is a chance the threat sees you. As audible Audio clues give you less information but are the safest option of the two because the threat cannot engage what it can’t see. Being able to recognize what kind of vehicle you hear and what it is doing does take some experience so try to familiarize yourself with the sound the game provides. 

Asking your squadmates to assist you in this task will help enormously, as 12 eyes and ears are better than two. When you are confident in the direction of the vehicle, as well as that you are not going to be taken down or be forced to engage enemy infantry, deploy the AT weapon, and aim in the direction you believe the vehicle will come from.

Engaging:

Once a target is acquired and your SL gives the green light, it’s time to engage. To make sure you come out on top, you have to plan your actions. Use all the intel you've got to get yourself in the right position. If it is an armed target you want to hit it on the rear as this is the safest option. To be able to do so on a stationary target you will have to flank it and sneak up behind it. Take your time when doing so as it will make your job a lot easier if you don’t get spotted. If it is a moving target try to estimate where it is going and position yourself next to its path (but not too close, don’t forget the minimum arming range, varies per launcher). Pull the trigger once it has passed and it exposes the weak rear armor. Only shoot when you are 90 percent sure you are going to hit your target as you likely only have one rocket, and thus one chance. Once fired, hit or miss, you want to relocate as the backblast will leave a smoke cloud which can be seen from afar giving away your position. So ideally you want to take the shot from a covered position with an escape route. Knowing where to go after the shot can and will save your life.

Where to hit:

SQUAD has a wide variety of vehicles with each their own sweet spots. It is your job to familiarize yourself with all of them as knowledge is half the battle. Trucks and most 4 wheelers are fairly easy to take out but when you are up against bigger armed target you really need to know what you are doing and where to hit them. 

• When engaging APCs, IFVs or Tanks your main focus is to immobilize them which will make them a sitting duck for the rest of your team. You do this by taking out the engine block and/or destroying the tracks/wheels. Track and wheels are pretty obvious to locate but the engine is not on the same spot for every vehicle so educate yourself on the shooting range.
• Another viable target is the (commander)turret. When this sustained enough damage it will become almost inoperable.
• Taking out any of these targets will force the enemy to either go back to base or do a field repair and make them a vulnerable target.
• Keep in mind that rounds can ricochet when the impact angle is to steep. The closer you are to 90 degrees the more likely the round is to penetrate.   

Timing:

Golden rule: Be patient, don’t run to the vehicle, and don’t chase him! Do not open fire as soon as you see the vehicle, as you will most likely miss the vehicle unless you have prepared properly for such a situation (eg. you have positioned yourself so that the vehicle takes up your entire screen or the position you have pre-aimed at is where the vehicle is). When you encounter the vehicle, let it come to you. Let it move into the best position for you to destroy it.

How to shoot with AT launchers

Firing an AT launcher is obviously a lot different than shooting a rifle. A rocket is a lot slower and heavier than a bullet meaning you have to account for travel time and drop. Some launcher in Squad have zeroing, this allows you to set the sights to a certain distance. By doing so you don’t have to arc your shot as much and keep the target in your sight. Make sure that you have your weapon set to the right distance before taking any shot. By default, you zero a weapon by holding X and using the scroll wheel while looking down the sight. Once zeroed in, you sometimes need to lead your target if it is moving. This comes down to skill and practice as you can’t set you sights to horizontal movement.

All launchers have a backblast when you fire them. BACKBLAST IS LETHAL so make sure there is no one standing behind you when firing. To do this you need to take a few steps before each shot, first, you check for yourself if there is someone behind you, second you call it out in local comms (“BACKBLAST”) then, after waiting for a second or two, you take your shot. As with all weapons,  accuracy comes with practice so get yourself on the firing range and familiarise yourself with all the launchers.

Moving Targets

The hardest thing with LAT is to hit moving targets. You need to be patient if an enemy vehicle won’t stop moving. You need to use your gut and experience to guess where the enemy vehicle will move next and send your rocket in his path. The trick is that the enemy vehicle should hit the rocket, and not that the rocket should hit the enemy vehicle. You will use your experience and intelligence to estimate where the vehicle will move and when to hit it. Remember it takes time until for the rocket to travel, so shot with some lead. lead your target.

Tips

• Do not fire when there is a chance of impacting on any obstruction immediately in front of you (e.g. windows, low walls, etc.) regardless of whether it looks like it should make it through. You won’t take damage, because the rocket won’t have armed, but you also won’t hit anything useful and so wasting your ammo. 
• Vehicles who are hit by a rocket will usually switch focus to locating the AT and thus giving friendly units room to maneuver.
• People tend not to look above their own eye line, especially if they are busy.
• If you are moving, people will look at you first.
• Only shoot when you are 90 percent sure of a hit
• Follow orders
• Enemy vehicles will prioritize too - if they have a choice between shooting an APC in front of them or the infantry that’s just bailed out, they will normally shoot the APC. If that infantry happens to have been holding an AT weapon, then they would have made the wrong choice - be that infantry.
• Don't get the kit when it’s not needed. This leaves it free for someone else to pick up in a pinch.
• Killing infantry is not what the AT is for - use a grenadier if you want to feel special whilst killing infantry - It is called AntiTank for a reason.
• Kill the crew as they bail out - they are disoriented
• If you miss, run away. The backblast leaves a smoke trail that gives away your position so relocate after firing. 
• And please, PLEASE don't fire when there is a chance of impacting on any obstruction immediately in front of you.

Practicals

There will be practical "exams" which will be explained to you by your AI. 

You will do some practice tests on the testing range (you need to have 50% accuracy at least) and then you will be put in a squad with other candidates and an AI will follow you to see if you are implementing stuff that you have been taught in the course.