Tango is the twentieth letter of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, corresponding to the letter "T". The word Tango is normally used instead of that letter in all communications.
The term "Tango" is almost invariably used as the callsign for Tanks or other heavy combat vehicles (IFVs). It is typically applied to tanks supporting an Infantry Platoon, whereas dedicated Tank Companies use different callsigns for their vehicles.
Furthermore, friendly OPFOR tanks tend to receive a different callsign, either "Bear" or "Hammer".
Uses[]
In ShackTac military parlance, the letter "T" is short for "Tank". The callsign "Tango" is therefore used for tanks, and especially for tanks supporting an Infantry unit.
"Tango" is primarily used only for friendly BLUFOR tanks. Soviet tanks typically receive the callsign "Bear" or "Hammer" instead, but the terms are used in the same way (as outlined below).
Tangos may operate independently, in pairs as Armor Sections, or together as a single Tank Platoon. Each Tango's callsign is followed by a number, e.g. "Tango 1" (or "T-1"), "Tango 2" (or "T-2"), and so on. There are typically no more than four Tangos in a single mission. If there are more, they will often be arranged as an Armor Company, and receive completely different callsigns following the infantry callsign format ("Alpha", "Bravo", etc.).
IFVs may also receive the callsign "Tango", despite not being tanks. This is extremely rare in ShackTac video, and often occurs when the IFVs are intended to support the tanks directly, e.g. with anti-tank missiles. Conversely, there has been at least one case where a tank was given the callsign "Mike" instead of "Tango", when operating in close proximity and in direct support of infantry.
If one tank is designated as the leader (coordinating the movement and actions of the other vehicles), it may be referred to as "Tango Lead". When referring to a specific tank without knowing its exact number, one may simply call it "The Tango"; This is commonly done by infantry to refer to a vehicle that is directly nearby. Similarly, all "Tango" vehicles can be referred to collectively as "The Tangos".
Objectives for a Tango vehicle are marked with the letter "T" (followed by the vehicle's number, if it has one). They will still be referred to as "Tango-1 Objective", "Tango-3 Rally", "Tango Resupply", etc.
The term "Tango" is never used as a callsign for any other kind of unit.
Exceptions[]
Tanks are not always given the callsign "Tango". There are several other possible callsigns for tanks, in specific situations:
- OPFOR tanks tend to receive Soviet-themed callsigns, including "Hammer" and "Bear". Nevertheless, OPFOR missions have included the "Tango" callsign for tanks in the past.
- An Armor Company contains too many tanks for them to all be referred to as "Tango". Instead, each Tank Platoon in the company receives a different callsign, following the same naming scheme used for Infantry Platoons: "Alpha" platoon, "Bravo" platoon, and so forth. Nevertheless, individual tanks may still be referred to as "The Tango" by nearby infantry; The word Tango is used in this context as a general term for a friendly tank.
Examples[]
The term "Tango" is very common in ShackTac videos, and is featured in a large number of mission videos. Specific examples of its typical use are therefore not required.
Nevertheless, please add below any examples of the term "Tango" being used in an unusual or unconventional manner (for example, when used for infantry units, in armor companies, or lighter combat vehicles, etc.).
- Beagle and his team repeatedly parodied the use of the word "Tango" in over-the-top Hollywood military movies in his video Team SPECTRE. In this mission, no friendly unit was actually called "Tango".