FV430 Series

I dare say, this page is delightfully British. Spot of tea?

Shut up with the tea jokes, yanks!.

The FV430 Series, is the culmination of British effort to create a metal box similar to the American M113 Armored Armoured Personnel Carrier (and with about the same number of derivatives). Standard capabilities of a FV430 series vehicle include amphibious operations, cross country mobility, and the ability to brew a nice cup of tea wherever it goes.

FV 432 Armoured Personnel Carrier

The humble, British workhorse.

In Team Yankee

The FV 432 is the workhorse of the British Army, seen in virtually all ground combat formations from territorial infantry companies to regular forces like the Coldstream Guards and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Much like it's American counterpart the M113, it is a metal box designed to carry troops to the battlefield in safety and comfort along with their hourly tea ration from the boiling vessel. Unlike the M113, the FV432 carries a puny 7.62 machine gun with a stunning AT value of 2, meaning that it would take around 36 shots to kill a BTR from the front. It retains a moving ROF of 3 at all times, restricting it to engaging soft skinned units like BM-21s and infantry. Furthermore, British infantry rarely wish to leave their foxholes to get up close with the enemy, preferring to stay back and let artillery and milans do the heavy lifting rendering the FV432's use as a transport rather minimal. Treat these as mobile MG carriers with the potential to be used for blocking off enemy movement. If destroyed, they also provide bulletproof cover.

The FV432 has a decent tactical movement speed with mediocre dash speeds. They may be used in assaults if needed, and possess a cross rating of 3+ if you wish to move into treelines.

Ironically, these things have better utility dead than alive. Treat them as expendable forces if playing an Infantry Company, or as a mobile anti-infantry unit if playing an Armoured list. Take note that should your infantry platoons fall back or are wiped out, the transports retreat off the battlefield.

In Real Life

METAL BAWKSES!!

As the British Army reformed from a force relying on conscription to a smaller, professional force, the FV432 became instrumental to greater mechanisation to improve the efficiency of the force. Arguably the poor old FV432 was been done dirty by Battlefront as it's traditional half inch steel armour was always supposed to offer about the same protection as the M113's fancy aluminium skin, albeit at the cost of weighing a bit more. While it served its time as a decent battle-taxi, the role of the armoured personnel carrier in the British Army was superseded by two main competitors, the CVRT and the Infantry Fighting Vehicle concept. As proven in exercises with West German Marders and the effectiveness of BMPs in the 1980 Polish Crisis, IFVs acted as a force multiplier to the infantry. By 1988, armoured divisions and brigades began deployment of the FV510 Warrior to replace the aging FV432. Rather than mothball these perfectly functional vehicles, they have been transferred to many reservist infantry units and most notably, the Supply Corps. Today, some variants of the FV430 series are still in service as specialist vehicles such as the FV430 bulldog; an FV432 equipped with an armour package considered equal to a Warrior. For similar vehicles, see Metal Boxes. No seriously, the IRL Rhino that Games Workshop put together for giggles during the development of Dawn of War II, and the one that sits outside of Warhammer World to this day, is actually an FV430 with some cosmetic plates welded to it. There's a museum in the UK called Armourgeddon where you can pay to spend the afternoon driving FV432s modified with Fox armoured car turrets around and shooting at one another with giant paintball guns.

FV 436 Forward Observer

"Its an hour past tea time. Hmph."

In Team Yankee

The Forward Observation Officer or FOO serves as the eyes of the artillery battery, represented in-game by his 2+ to range in. Visually identical to the FV432, the Forward Observer uses his trusty binoculars to direct artillery fire on the Ruskies. For one point, you gain an independent character with thermal imaging for his machine gun and free up your other squad leaders to command their troops, rather than staying still to call for arty. Deploy him in a treeline or somewhere where he can benefit from concealment and go to ground for a 6+ to hit! Do note that unlike other NATO forces, British artillery is able to have their team leader direct artillery on a 3+ without penalties in a 4 or 8 vehicle battery.

A cheap unit ideal for freeing up your unit leaders do their job of ordering the chaps or shooting at the enemy, with his 2+ Range In being a very welcome bonus rather than the selling point.

In Real Life

While theoretically possible for Royal Artillery Officers to ride about in an FV432, it is far more likely that they would be using a specialist vehicle like the FV 436. Crucial to the Forward Observer's job is to mark potential spots for counterbattery fire, in addition to directing fires. To do so, counterbattery radars provide data such as the speed and direction of incoming Soviet artillery. While too slow to warn troops of incoming fire, this data is essential in artillery warfare where shoot-and-scoot tactics are the norm, rather than the exception as suggested by Team Yankee. Simple battle taxis may suffice for calling fires but in real life, counterbattery units would have already been deployed, should the battle have escalated to a Regiment or Brigade level which is the lowest level where mechanized artillery units can be found. Consider modelling your Forward Observer with a radar dish in the back, or a miserable pair of binoculars if you care not for historical authenticity (you bastard).

FV 432 Mortar Carrier

"Hurry up with that shell you mong!"

In Team Yankee

Essentially an FV432 with its crew compartment filled by a mortar crew, the mortar carrier is a ubiquitous part of every mechanized infantry formation in the Western world. It is the cheapest artillery unit in the game at 0.5 points apiece (in batteries of 2, 4 or 8) but is incapable of engaging anything other than enemy infantry. Armed with an 81mm mortar with firepower 4+ and a 7.62mm MG, a mortar battery provides an artillery template capable of reliably hitting infantry with the reroll bonus. For the low, low price of 5 points, you can purchase 8 mortar carriers and a single forward observer. This bags you rerolls to hit (and forcing rerolls on enemy saves in repeat bombardment) and a nice bonus on the range in roll. The provision of 8 artillery pieces also makes this ideal for firing smoke; as you may have 5 carriers firing bombardments (hence retaining the reroll to hit bonus) while the other carriers pop smoke.

The top armour of 0 is an exception for an FV430 chassis, due to the open hatch for the mortar team to do their job. Try to neutralize enemy artillery or your mortars will be turned to mince.

Absolutely critical to any player in an infantry-spam meta, and one of the best units in the game due to the sheer utility it provides for such a low cost.

In Real Life

Surprisingly, the role of the mortar carrier is represented rather well in the game. Mortars have always been traditionally under the Infantry, typically in the Weapons Platoon or Company in an Infantry Battalion. When mechanized, all elements would simply be carried on their own APCs. Due to the fast and close quarters nature of modern infantry combat, the mortar was the ideal weapon: accurate, precise and the fastest firing artillery design. Its portability and simplicity makes it cheap enough to be battalion-issued items. Furthermore, it has the unique trait of being far more accurate than howitzer and rocket artillery due to its trajectory, reliably allowing for enemy controlled city blocks to be shelled without endangering a neighbouring block held by friendlies. The simplicity of such designs also allows for far more of these artillery pieces to be produced: mortars are considered Company level equipment; whereas howitzers and rocket artillery have traditionally been Division or even Corps assets; depending on the ORBAT of the country in question.

FV 438 Swingfire

The Unit Card

In Team Yankee

The FV 438 is an ATGM carrier unique to the Chieftain squadron, and may not be brought more than once unless fielding several squadrons. For 2 points per piece in a 2 or 3 vehicle platoon, you get an AT23 missile which is guaranteed to destroy virtually all tanks in the game without a problem, with the possible exception of the M1IP Abrams. As with all other FV chassis, the 438 is equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun for engaging enemy infantry which gets too close for comfort if you somehow allowed enemy forces into your backline. Unsurprisingly, the FV438 should be fielded as far back as possible, using its superior range 48" to destroy enemy armour. Expect these things to die if touched by anything in the game. It is also one of the few British units equipped with Thermal Vision, allowing you to fire through smoke. Use its Swingfire rule to go-to-ground when firing missiles, making them 6+ to hit or 7+ in cases without the guided special rule.

The Swingfire is a poor choice unless playing in a tank-only meta, due to the cheapness of Milans. While its main draw might be the Swingfire rule, the effective halving of your potential firepower makes this an incredibly poor choice. For 6 points, you may either have 3 missiles that will stay in the fight or 6 slightly inferior Milans. Even in a tank game, AT23 is overkill against all current tanks apart from the M1IP. Consider taking an additional Chieftain for 6 points instead of all-around firepower capable of reliably defeating enemy tanks and infantry. If your anti-air net is rather shoddy, consider taking a Rapier or a Blowpipe Platoon instead. Even a Recce platoon can provide more utility. The Swingfire is an incredibly specialized vehicle for defeating friendly tanks and is one of the most questionable units in the British Arsenal, whose survivability would not matter if everything else you have is dead.

In Real Life

Fortunately, its real-life effectiveness is far less miserable than its in-game depiction. Rather than being a stationary ATGM wasting valuable points, the Swingfire was embedded in tank units as the designated marksman of a Chieftain Squadron, giving them an organic ability to engage high value targets beyond gun range such as command vehicles or minesweepers. While conceptually similar to the American TOW, it had a portable sighting system that didn't require the launcher to have line of sight on the target, making it much more useful as an ambush weapon.

FV 433 Self Propelled Artillery

HE in effect, 5 rounds out...

In Team Yankee

The FV 433 serves as the artillery piece of choice for mechanized and armoured brigades of the British Army. For 1.5 points per vehicle in a battery of two, four or eight, the Abbot provides versatile artillery support capable of defeating vehicles, and cheap enough to use on infantry. As with other FV430 series vehicles, it is a very fragile vehicle which will be destroyed the moment it minces up the hill. As a company level unit, multiple batteries of abbots may be deployed if you field several companies of infantry or tanks. As only 3 or 7 guns are required for a -2 to hit bonus or no effect, it is possible to have a single artillery piece fire smoke (if spotting using an observer) or spot without penalty.

If using direct fire, is capable of defeating first generation tanks like the T-55AM2 and the Leopard 1 using it's anti-tank 17, albeit with slow firing causing a +1 to hit penalty on the move. If firing directly at infantry and soft-skinned vehicles, it has the Brutal rule and 1+ Firepower.

A highly versatile, affordable artillery piece which may be used as a tank, situationally. Ideal for lists which do not know what they may be coming up against, but affordable enough to engage both BMP hordes and infantry.

In Real Life

The FV 433, or "Abbot" is a self-propelled artillery piece based on the FV430 chassis, with a 105mm main gun capable of firing as a howitzer or direct fire against vehicles or infantry. Unlike its in-game depiction as a Company-level artillery piece, real-life Abbot batteries have consistently been placed at Brigade and Division organization. The deployment of artillery is a reflection of the battle escalating to higher levels, much like the use of air power. As a 105mm artillery piece, its rate of fire would theoretically be faster than the M109 due to the faster loading process (open the breach, eject the shell, extinguish flames, load shell, load powder charge, close the breach, fire). Instead, Battlefront has decided that tube artillery can reload as quickly as BM-21s...go figure. The portrayal of tube artillery in a company level game is a sin, but the decision to deploy these vehicles ON THE FRONT LINES when they could instead fire from 10-20km away can be mildly described as utter fucking lunacy.