Automatic Rifleman

An Automatic Rifleman (AR) is an Infantryman carrying an Automatic Rifle - a weapon designed to provide low-level saturated fire against enemy Infantry and Light Vehicles. It is deadly at medium range, and only slightly less effective at close range.

Automatic Riflemen are members of an Infantry Fireteam. There are usually two such players in each Fireteam, each belonging to a different Color Team. They are usually first in line to inherit command of the Fireteam, in case the Fireteam Leader is taken out.

Automatic Riflemen carry little extra equipment beside their Automatic Rifle and ammunition, and are still the slowest members of the Fireteam due to the extreme weight. To mitigate some of this weight issue, Automatic Riflemen do not carry all of their ammunition themselves, instead relying on an Assistant Automatic Rifleman to carry extra magazines for their weapon.

If an Automatic Rifleman goes down, someone else in the Fireteam may attempt to recover their weapon and ammo, as it is often more effective than their own Assault Rifles.

Equipment
The Automatic Rifleman's role is pretty much defined by his primary weapon, the Automatic Rifle. Other than this weapon and its ammo, the Automatic Rifleman carries little else, to avoid exacerbating his already-serious weight issues. Even with so little extra equipment, the AR is still one of the slowest Infantrymen, and will often be the first to stop for Stamina during long runs or sprints.

Primary Weapon
As his name suggests, the Automatic Rifleman carries an Automatic Rifle. This weapon is similar to an Assault Rifle in many ways, but is designed to use much larger magazines that can usually hold at least three to six times as many bullets as a normal Assault Rifle magazine. This allows the AR to sustain fire at a target for quite some time before having to reload. In addition, the Automatic Rifle is of heavier construction, and when properly set up is a little more accurate than Assault Rifles at medium firing distance.

Most Automatic Rifles use the same Caliber of ammunition as Assault Rifles. A few of them can actually use smaller Assault Rifle magazines, if the AR's boxes/belts ever run out. Therefore, the advantage is not in firing larger (deadlier) bullets, but in firing more of them.

Due to its weight and size, the Automatic Rifle is harder to fire without first propping it up, such as resting it on its built-in Bipod or on a suitable terrain obstacle. When set up this way, however, the weapon's strong recoil is mitigated significantly, and it can deliver very accurate fire at considerable distances (medium engagement range, or even long range). The Automatic Rifleman will constantly be seeking positions to deploy his weapon, positions which have a commanding view of a large area through which enemies are passing or expected to pass. He will only fire on-the-move when absolutely necessary (such as when enemies get too close).

Most Automatic Rifles can only fire in automatic mode - meaning that bullets will continue to fire as long as the trigger remains pulled. ARs will generally limit the number of bullets they fire per burst, not only to conserve ammo, but to realign their weapon. Nonetheless, it is possible for an AR to spray-fire an entire area with a very long bursts, particularly to Suppress enemy infantry or overwhelm a vehicle.

Since they can and often do fire a large quantity of bullets over the course of a mission, ARs need to carry quite a weight in ammunition. Coupled with the weight of the weapon itself, this can cause them to become fatigued very quickly, especially when running or sprinting. To mitigate some of this effect, the AR will not be carrying his entire supply of ammunition for the mission. Instead, some of that ammunition will be carried by the Fireteam's Assistant Automatic Rifleman, who has the additional duty of providing that ammo to the team's ARs whenever they need it.

Most AR ammo magazines are Tracer magazines. The tracers are important to the AR himself, as they will help him direct his fire better onto targets. It also helps other members of the team spot the target being engaged by the AR, and assist him in taking that target down. However, tracer fire also often reveals the AR's position to the enemy, and he is very likely to attract fire as a result - especially in Adversarial missions.

Given the advantages of this weapon, it will very often be recovered if the AR is killed.

Alternative Weapon
On rare occasions, Automatic Riflemen may be equipped with a Light Machine Gun instead of an Automatic Rifle.

This weapon, while essentially similar in use and operation to an Automatic Rifle, fires bullets of a larger Caliber than most Assault Rifles (usually 7.62mm bullets). This makes each bullet significantly deadlier, with better penetration against light cover (wood, metal, or even brick) and vehicle armor. A Light Machine Gun can therefore effectively engage enemies in cover, as well as heavier enemy vehicles such as Armored Cars.

On the other hand, this ammunition is significantly heavier, and less of it can be carried. Also, because the weapon itself is heavier, it becomes harder to use without properly resting it on a Bipon/obstacle, and therefore much less useful in close-combat. It also means that the AR himself may have more Stamina issues, and may require the addition of a second Assistant Automatic Rifleman to each Squad, to carry all that extra heavy ammunition.

Light Machine Guns are generally part of low-tech infantry loadouts, from Vietnam or pre-Vietnam eras, or in Guerilla forces. In modern scenarios, ShackTac generally uses separate Medium Machine Gun Teams for heavy Infantry-based fire support.

Side-arm
Due to the somewhat-ungainly nature of the Automatic Rifle, Automatic Riflemen need some sort of extra protection for emergencies. This usually comes in the form of a Pistol. The Pistol is very easy to aim at close range, and can be quite deadly. Also, because the AR takes so long to reload, switching to a pistol is much faster, and can save one's life. This is especially true when the AR carries a Light Machine Gun, which is even more ungainly and even slower to reload.

First Aid Kit / Bandages
As with all other members of a Fireteam, the Automatic Rifleman will likely be carrying at least one low-level medical item - a First Aid Kit in ArmA 3, or a pack of Bandages in ArmA 2. These are meant primarily for the Automatic Rifleman's own use, to fix minor injuries. They are not effective enough to heal serious injuries.

Both of these items can also be used to treat others, in emergencies.

Map / Radio
Unless the scenario deliberately involves low-tech equipment (e.g. Vietnam and pre-Vietnam scenarios), the Automatic Rifleman carries both a map and a 343 radio.

Role
The two Automatic Rifleman in a Fireteam make up its backbone; they are the team's heaviest assets in terms of anti-infantry firepower. Whenever a Fireteam enters combat with enemy infantry, the ARs must be ready to fire back - providing suppression and/or cover for their team-mates, and killing the enemy rapidly if possible. Automatic Riflemen must be prepared at all times to open fire quickly and effectively; it is by far their primary duty.

ARs tend to be played by somewhat more seasoned players, since the role requires practice and sharp skills to perform properly. Experience is also important because within the Fireteam hierarchy, the Automatic Riflemen are first in line to inherit command from the Fireteam Leader (should he go down). Automatic Riflemen are also generally seen as being responsible for the well-being and cohesion of their respective Color Teams, though that is more up to the individual player in question.

Supporting Fire
In all engagements between infantry, whichever side can bring its Automatic Rifles to bear on the enemy more quickly usually wins a strong advantage. It is therefore the chief responsibility of the AR to be prepared at all times to quickly engage enemy infantry, should they be encountered.

As the Fireteam moves and attacks, the AR spends most of his time looking for a good firing position. This is any position that would allow him to rest his weapon on a bipod or obstacle. A good position may either provide a wide field of fire (for engaging distant enemies coming from multiple directions) or Keyhole a very narrow one (to cover a narrow approach where enemies could appear at any distance). From such a position, the AR would be able to easily engage any enemy that might appear - essentially denying the area to the enemy.

Once contact with the enemy is made, the AR may decide to relocate to a better position before opening fire - one that gives him a better coverage of the specific area where these contacts are coming from. It is often better for an AR to improve his position rather than open fire immediately, since even a slightly better position can significantly increase his chances of killing the enemy. Otherwise, he will open fire as soon as given permission, and will attempt to kill as many enemies as possible, while also suppressing any enemy infantry that try to fire back.

In certain situations, and especially when defending a position, an AR should become very familiar with all the different firing positions available around him; This helps him decide which position to relocate to whenever enemies are reported, in any direction or distance.

The AR also needs to keep a close eye on his ammunition and spare boxes/belts, as these can run out rapidly. Some of the AR's extra ammo is carried by the Assistant Automatic Rifleman, who will periodically ask the AR whether he needs that ammo. The AR will usually keep close tabs on the present location of the AAR so that in case he goes down, the extra ammo can be retrieved.

Authority Role
The Automatic Riflemen in a Fireteam are first in line to inherit command of the Fireteam, in case the Fireteam Leader is killed. Command generally falls to the Automatic Rifleman in slot 2 (colored red or blue in the STHUD), and then to the one in slot 4 (colored green or yellow).

When an AR becomes team leader, he will need to juggle this new responsibility with his original function as an AR. This can be very difficult, which is one of the reasons the Automatic Rifleman slot is often reserved for more experienced personnel. If neither AR is experienced, they may choose to pass leadership to someone else, possibly to one of the Riflemen.

Being the back-bone of the team also means that the ARs have some say in low-level tactical decisions. The FTL may defer to their judgment of a situation, because they are the ones most aware of how effective their weapon would be at the team's current or future position. If a position is not good for the ARs, the entire team could suffer for it.

Finally, within their respective Color Teams, the ARs may be seen as the ones with the most authority and responsibility to the other color-mates, by a very slight margin. They may occasionally direct their color-team-members to make certain changes to their position or behavior, for example to cover the AR's flanks more effectively. This is often the case when a Color Team is detached from the rest of the group.

Map Markers
An AR's position is not tracked on the main map. However he has a special icon that tracks his position on the STHUD. This icon will be visible to himself and every other member of his Fireteam.

Communications
As a member of a Fireteam, the Automatic Rifleman will normally rely on voice communications with his team-mates and the Fireteam Leader (FTL). The AR also carries a 343 radio for short-range communication when necessary, but will mostly use it to report large-scale contacts that everyone in the Squad should be made aware of.

Voice
The primary method of communication for the Automatic Rifleman is with Voice. As a member of a Fireteam, the AR will likely remain within voice range of his team-mates at all times, and should be able to communicate well enough without the use of a radio.

Most of the AR's communications will be with the rest of his Color Team, particularly with his Assistant Automatic Rifleman (AAR). The AAR will periodically ask the AR whether he has enough ammunition, and will provide extra ammunition when necessary.

Radio
The AR carries a 343 radio, which is set to the channel assigned to his Fireteam. Like most Fireteam members, he is not expected to transmit on this radio very often. He does however need to listen on the 343 to maintain awareness of the Squad Leader's intent and the position of different friendly units, whenever these are reported on the radio.

If the AR spots a significant enemy threat that he thinks the entire Squad should react to, he may want to report this on the 343 to make everyone in the Squad aware of the threat immediately. In all other situations, however, the AR is expected to report contacts by voice to his Fireteam Leader and other Fireteam members. If they are outside of voice range, the AR is justified in using the radio for any pertinent communications.

Callsigns and Terminology
The term "AR" is a short-hand for "Automatic Rifleman", and will be used much more often than the full term. The same term is also used to refer to the weapon itself, the "Automatic Rifle". Shackers can infer by context whether the term is referring to the person or his weapon.

When using voice communications to speak with his team-mates, the AR will likely refer to them by name, and they will refer to him by name.

On occasions when the Squad Leader wants some or all of the Squad's Automatic Riflemen to do any specific task, he will often refer to them with the general term "AR". For example, the Squad Leader may tell one of his Fireteam Leaders to "Leave your ARs here and advance with everyone else". However, when the SL addresses a specific Automatic Rifleman to give them a specific order, he will most likely call them by name. (A Fireteam Leader, on the other hand, is more likely to address his Automatic Riflemen by name, even when addressing them both at the same time.)