It doesn't even take a normal platoon to maneuver on 2-4 structures, doesn't need super platoon. Why is the platoon even assaulting something that can be easily destroyed by CAS or precision tube or rocket arty? If there are
No, as a platoon leader I'd not want to have to ask for everything. But at the same time I don't want more assets than I need, let alone control. Its overkill. Very few missions need every platoon to have large numbers of CG and MG assets. When they do, almost never does every platoon need to be individually plus'd up, that's not how operations work, where often one platoon is the main effort, others are supporting efforts. Task allocating weapons at the company level, like how the Marine Corps does with a Weapons Platoon, or how the Army does with Mortars and snipers, allowing the company commander to dictate where they go based on his needs, is far cheaper and easier to control than trying to build those same assets into every platoon.
And at the end of the day, every single extra infantryman has to come from somewhere. Meaning either Congress approves a larger force structure, or else those bodies are removed from some place else they are currently. That was the problem the Marine Corps had. They didn't want to shrink their fire teams, but it was either go to three man, or else lose a fire team and thus the SL loses a maneuver element, or don't get the drone operator (which they want and know will be a major force multiplier). So for your 60 man platoon, where do they come from?
One would still need small arms, not every situation involves infantry shooting something necessitates blowing something up, sometimes something just needs a bullet or two.
But the OICW was pushed because studies showed how effective, in theory, programmable air bursting fragmentation rounds would be. Unfortunately, the OICW was an overly heavy and complicated weapon, much too large. The stripped down version of the grenade launcher part, the XM25, not only were the 25mm rounds too expensive, but they had horrifically small kill radius, basically 1 meter or less. Not worth the money, not effective enough.
But I think it points toward the future. The present incarnation is crap, but the concept works.
Duncan got a reaction from Gripen287 in The Suppressive Effect of Small Arms
Duncan got a reaction from Sturgeon in The Small Arms Thread, Part 8: 2018; ICSR to be replaced by US Army with interim 15mm Revolver Cannon.
Duncan got a reaction from roguetechie in The Suppressive Effect of Small Arms
