Georgia At War Logistics

Logistics in GAW

Overview

Logistics in GAW refers to the use of helicopters and aircraft to deploy troops and vehicles to the front lines. This is crucial in the ground battle, as it's the only way that blue forces can get deployed to the field. These features are accomplished on the server using Complete Troops and Logistics scripts (CTLD) and available under the radio menu F10 Other menu. Check out the original source GitHub page, or to see how the server configures it check out the GAW GitHub

Available Aircraft

Players

• Mi-8TV2
• UH-1H Huey

AI

• C-130
• UH-60 Blackhawk
• CH-47 Chinook

AI Logistics

Capping Bases

The F10 radio menu has the option to send security forces to bases around the map (FARPs and Airbases). Deploying security forces spawns one of several aircraft depending on the destination. FARPs always get a helicopter, while airfields usually use a C-130. The aircraft spawn at a nearby friendly base which is sometimes up to 20 minutes away. There is a 1.5 minute cool down between deploying security forces to anywhere.

When the forces land, a small security force will be deployed around the touchdown point. This force consists of trucks providing fuel and ammo, and ground units to defend the base from Mi-26s trying to recapturing the base. Players may realize they cannot refuel or rearm because of a unit missing from an attack. A security force must be redeployed to replace it, or a server restart will respawn the force with full health.

Green smoke will spawn to mark the troop pickup zone and is a sign that CTLD is allowed at that base.

Security Force Components

• Ammo Trucks
• Fuel Trucks
• Vulcan
• Chaparral
• MG Humvee

Although the security force is intended to prevent enemies from recapturing the base, it is strongly encouraged for players to spawn at the base and use CTLD to supplement their offensive capability.

Player Logistics

Backed by CTLD, the main way to deploy blue forces (and the only way to deploy air defenses) is by Blue players flying CTLD crates and troops to the deployment zones.

Troops

Players can carry troops available as a number of presets visible under through F10 -> CTLD -> Troop Transport -> Load

• Standard Troops
• Anti-air Troops
• Anti-Tank Troops

Pickup

The player must be in proximity of the troop pickup zone marked by green smoke at available bases. Only one preset of troops can be loaded onto the aircraft.

Drop Off

Troops can be dropped when landed, and will spawn in a circle around the player. If this is done too close to a pickup zone, it will simply restock the infantry back into the logistics zone. Rally in a single file line towards the nearest enemy they detect. Their presence in proximity of a base also counts as capturing it. This will allow players to spawn at the base, but the absence of other logistic vehicles prevents them from refueling and rearming if they do not have fuel already. Troopps are also not persistent between server restarts. To persistently capture a base it is suggested to use security forces, or setup a persistent unit through crates such as a JTAC Humvee or Avenger.

Crates and Vehicles

Players can spawn ground units using crates. Crates can be requested within a few nautical miles of base. This zone was usually centered within 0.25nm around HEMT TFFT logistics truck. Some vehicles require multiple crates to be dropped in proximity of each other.

Unpacking a crate will despawn the crates and spawn the corresponding unit. Be sure about this step as vehicles cannot be repacked to be moved with a helicopter. The Combined Arms DLC would be required to move vehicles by driving them around. F10 -> CTLD -> CTLD Commands -> Unpack

1. Request the crate of the unit which will spawn about 50m in front of you. There is a 60 second cool down between spawning crates
2. Pickup the crate by hovering over it for 5 consecutive seconds. A crate must be picked up before it can be unpacked.
3. Drop the crate anywhere using F10 -> CTLD -> CTLD Commands -> Drop crate.

You may do this while in the air, especially to drop it immediately. Dropping the crate from too high will destroy it. When landed, dropping the crate with spawn it 50m in front of you.

1. Unpack the crate(s). They will despawn and be replaced with the relevant unit. This means that crates of multi-crate units need to be close to each other to unpack. For HAWK sites, the farthest a crate can be from any other is ~0.25nm as measured.

Ground Units

• JTAC Humvee
• TOW Humvee
• MG (Machine Gun) Humvee
• M1 Abrams
• Artillery
• Mortar

The TOW Humvee will continue to engage targets within range. It is not persistent between server restarts.

Other than the JTAC and Humvee, most of these are only useful when a player has the DCS Combined Arms module to be able to control them. This is possible by going to the Menu -> Select Role - > JTAC/Operator.

JTAC Humvee

The JTAC Humvee is persistent across server restarts.

The JTAC Humvee marks units with red smoke and lases it for aircraft to employ laser guided munitions.It can lase unit within a 10km line of sight including terrain, but excluding objects such as trees and buildings. Therefore, JTACs on top of buildings or on sides of mountains overlooking the valleys provide the best lines of site. Alternatively, a helo pilot may fly through a nearby city or forest to drop a JTAC. The JTAC will be able to lase while it and the pilot have cover from enemy fire.

The laser code will be broadcast server wide upon starting a lase, or it can be found under JTAC Status in the radio menu. It is good practice to mark the laser code next to the unit on the F10 map. This mark will persist until server restart even if the player logs off.

Anti Air Units

• Gepard (2)
• Avenger
• Hawk Components : Launcher, PCP, Search Radar, Track Radar

HAWK Sites Setup

Unlike other units, each crate of the HAWK site corresponds to a unique unit. The Track Radar and Search Radar attract anti-radiation missiles so they should be placed away from other HAWK components, other units, or player spawn points to avoid collateral damage. HAWK launchers don't friendly fire, so they're are just a harmless nuisance if accidentally put too close to a runway or a landing pad. Even if a HAWK site is inoperable, it will respawn with full health after a server restart if at least one component of it still exists. It is recommended to space out the crates of a HAWK site so that an anti-radiation missile does not take out the whole site in one hit. In fact, since there is a 60 second cool down time between requesting crates, and you're already hovering anyway there's no good reason to cluster crates together. Ideally, you are finished dropping a crate by the time you are ready to request a new one.

In short, one needs to keep the following things in mind when setting up a HAWK site:

• The track and search radar attract anti-radiation missiles and need to be placed with the most consideration
• Crates should be spaced out to maximize the chances that at least one HAWK component survives a until server restart
• There is a 60 second cool down time between requesting crates
• The crates spawn 50m in front of the player.

Leap Frogging

There are several reasons why you need to fly forward, and this method combines that with crate spawning behavior to space out a HAWK site with as little effort as possible. Go with the flow.

In the F10 map draw a 0.25nm line as a guide. Spacing 4 crates along this line meets the criteria above in terms of minimum spacing, time eaten up, and placement. Using the compass or a landmark will help a player stay in a straight line. This line could be oriented perpendicular to the direction enemies are most likely to come from. A reason is that a missile can overshoot an antenna and hit something else in its trajectory along the line.

1. Take note of your initial position
2. Request a HAWK Launcher and pick it up
3. Drop and unpack the Launcher.
4. "Hop" over the launcher crate, land, and request a HAWK PCP. If you had requested the crate right away, CTLD would not know which crate you'd want to pick up when they're clipped into each other. Notice that the crate is 50m in front of you, and consider that it is even further out from the previous HAWK component since you flew out a little. Even if there is still a cool down, half of it is gone because you were busy flying and getting some space between the crates.
5. Land and drop the HAWK PCP. Naturally, this is a rolling landing because to avoid vortex ring state while descending the fastest. This also avoids tail strikes from pitching back to slow down after moving forward. This adds even more space between the launcher and PCP.
6. Hop over the PCP and do the same with the Track radar and then the Search radar.
7. Spawn a M-818 crate and set it up near the launcher.

HAWK Maintenance

Repair

A damaged or dead component cannot be repaired individually with another crate, but instead the whole site is repaired by unpacking one HAWK repair crate.

Rearming

A HAWK Launcher can be manually rearmed by unpacking a HAWK Launcher crate nearby. At least one M-818 Ammo Truck has to be nearby to automatically rearm the HAWK launchers. Although behavior is inconsistent, one truck should be able to rearm several HAWK sites, but no one has determined if multiple trucks speed up rearming.

Placement Strategies Regarding Map Objects

Crates can be dropped directly below during a hover, and this can be used to setup units on top of buildings like skyscrapers. An alternative method is to land facing a building and drop the crate. The crate will clip through and be inside the building. Unpacking it teleports it straight up to the roof surface.

Because the crates spawn 50m in front of the helicopter, one can land right up against a tree line and place a unit within a dense group of trees to protect it. Although the crate can be dropped from above, the player would need to be able to land nearby to unpack it. This is usefully hiding Gepards and Avengers inside of trees.

Spawning into a slot

Almost all (pending bugs) Mi-8 and UH-1H helicopters will be enabled with CTLD, and can access the menu via F10 radio menu.