M113 106mm Recoilless
In Team Yankee
Iran
Iran gets these units in competition with the Jeep 106mm for the ranged fire-support role. They can only be taken as part of a Mechanized Company as company support, an unimpressive unit compared to the line infantry units of the East and West.
Players are advised to look at the Jeep 106mm Recoilless from the Basij Infantry Company formation, which lack the heavy weapons of their mechanized comrades but have the numbers and firepower to outdo them (if you can afford them).
Apart from protection against small arms and artillery, there isn't much difference between this and the AT Jeeps. Factions with ‘expensive’ tanks like the IDF might prefer the M113 106, but this falls to the lack of a cheap fire support unit. Iranian players will have no shortage of budget tanks for the enemy to shoot to engage softskins considering Iran’s access to T-55s and Pattons. They might lack brutal, but a Patton platoon will stay on the board for much longer and has the range advantage to destroy many more IFVs, APCs and light tanks than a 106mm platoon.
TLDR: a situational pick for mechanized company lists which need brutal fire support for a low cost. Tank platoons preferable for the anti-armour role. Basiji preferred for an offensive infantry role.
IRL
The M40 Recoilless rifles had largely become obsolete by 1985, with guided missiles being far more effective and accurate for the role of light anti-tank weapon. However, by comparison, recoilless rifles were still very cheap, easy to operate, and could be mounted on a large enough vehicle with little trouble. In fact, they could even be locally produced, as the technology didn't require any expensive electronics or programming; they're little more than modified cannons. For this reason, many countries continued using recoilless rifles like Iran.
While the US never mounted the M40 on an M113, they did produce a dedicated six-rifled tank destroyer called the M50 Ontos. This vehicle however was short-lived, so most countries used what they had, like the M113.
| Iranian Forces in Team Yankee | |
|---|---|
| Tanks: | T-55 - T-62 - M60 Patton - Chieftain |
| Transports: | M113 Armored Personnel Carrier - BTR-60 - BMP-1 |
| Troops: | Iranian Mechanized Platoon - Basij Infantry Company |
| Artillery: | M109 Howitzer - BM-21 Hail - M125 81mm |
| Anti-Aircraft: | ZSU 23-4 Shilka - ZSU-57-2 - SA-8 Gecko |
| Tank Hunters: | Jeep TOW - Jeep 106mm Recoilless - M113 106mm Recoilless |
| Recon: | Scorpion |
| Aircraft: | AH-1 Cobra Attack Helicopter |
| Soviet Support: | SU-25 Frogfoot |