Tracked Rapier

In Team Yankee

Missile away...reporting enemy splashed!

the stats

Hailing from the Royal Artillery, the Tracked Rapier is an air defense weapon system at the Divisional level. As a dedicated anti-air unit, the Rapier is totally incapable of dealing with any ground forces whatsoever, to the point where the unit literally dies the moment it is assaulted by infantry. What it can do, however, is to destroy enemy aircraft and helicopters with impunity. Boasting a 3+ FP and stationary ROF 3, a battery (A section refers to an infantry unit of 8 men, not a vehicle!) of 4 Rapiers can comfortably put out 12 shots with guided, meaning that it does not suffer from the typical penalty for units beyond 16 inches. With an all-round armor profile of 1, the Rapier can withstand pepperings of artillery fire (compared to the unarmored Gecko and Chapparal).

HOWEVER, with all of these advantages wouldn't the Rapier be an auto-include? No. The current meta favors massive blocks of infantry with supporting arms, meaning that taking a Rapier battery is a gamble. Should the enemy not take a single aircraft, it means that you have just wasted 6 points in your list and your opponent now has a point-advantage. With this issue, players in a meta with an unpredictable air presence may opt for a Blowpipe battery instead which sacrifices efficiency for versatility. Consider these two options very carefully.

As should be obvious, the Tracked Rapier should be deployed in your rear due to its massive 64" threat bubble. Unlike your artillery pieces, the Rapier may not be used as a makeshift tank.

Costing 1.5 points per vehicle and coming in units of 2 or 4, the Rapier is a brutally cost-efficient unit comfortably surpassing Geckos, Rolands and Chapperals.

In Real Life

In the proud NATO tradition of turning metal boxes into death machines, the Tracked Rapier is essentially an M113 variant designed to carry the British Rapier missile. Contrary to the French and Americans, the British opted for a manual guidance system rather than a heat-seeking system. While requiring more training to effectively use under the stress of combat which was not helped by the missile's inability to explode based on proximity, it does mean that well-trained crews would be notably more effective against ECM. The chassis itself is rather uninteresting, being a flatbed M548. Slow, cumbersome but steady, the Tracked Rapier was a capable tool in the hands of an air defense commander.

Operated by the Royal Artillery Regiment's Air Defence Batteries (derisively called Cloudpunchers) and the RAF Regiment (derisively called many things, most unprintable) the Rapier system was generally a static unit towed into position to provide Ground Based Air Defence and designed to replace ageing Bofors AAA guns. Imperial Iran also purchased the system and a unit operated by a British training team downed an Iraqi transport; impressed with his new toy but wanting something that could also keep up with his new Chieftain tanks the Shah requested a mechanised version. By the time it was ready the Shah had been overthrown and left with a bunch of vehicles they couldn't sell they were pressed into service for the BAOR along with several million Mars Bars also meant for Iran. Neither were popular with the Tracked Rapier being withdrawn from service after the Gulf War, well before the last Mars Bar had reluctantly choked down by squaddies who still found them in their rations until the late 90's.