GHQ Models Forums

Gents,
I had a question about materials which have been used and are still used in Afghanistan since a few years. I could not give a complete answer, nor give a complete list of vehicles, armour, helos artillery and aircraft.
After some research here is a compilation about vehicles and armour, any addition, correction, comments and suggestions for 6mm welcome (artillery, helos and aircrafts included),
Cheers,
Vdmfighter
BISON
BUSHMASTER
LAV III ............................................................................................................ GHQ
STRYKER GHQ
AT105 SAXON ...............................................................................................GHQ
FUCHS ............................................................................................................GHQ
LANDROVER ................................................................................................GHQ
DINGO
VAB ............................................................................................................... GHQ
BV206S
BV226
MERCEDES G-WAGEN
HMMWV ...................................................................................GHQ(which ones?)
SISU
COUGAR ...................................................................................................... GHQ
VBL .............................................................................................................. GHQ
RG31 Mk3 NYALA .
PUMA .
COBRA .
SHORLAND
MLV
VM90P
HERMELIN
CV90-30
BV10S
YPR 765
LeopardC2
Leopard Badger
PZH2000
Weasel
TAB 77
B33

Missing from the list are the many Soviet-era vehicles being used by various provincial governments and the "central" government (yes, yes I know Karzhai is really just the mayor of Kabul, but he's a well armed mayor!)

Here's a list from the Afghan army site:

http://www.mod.gov.af/#Current_equipment

Small Arms
AK47 Rifle
AK74 Rifle
M16A2 Rifle
RPK LMG

Tanks
T-55 Tank
T-62 Tank

Armoured Vehicles(800+)
BMP-1 ICV
BTR-80 APC
M113 APC
Humvee (213 in service)

Other Vehicles
4 1/2 ton trucks (50+)
2 1/2 ton trucks (100+)
Jeeps (120+)
Ambulances (15+)
Other Technicals of various origins.

Heavy Arms
Dragunov SVD sniper rifle
PK series MGs
RPG-7 Anti-tank weapon
Browning M2 heavy MG
SPG-9 Recoiless Rifle
82mm Medium Mortar
D-30 122mm Howitzer
M114 155mm Howitzer

Tim,
many thanks for the link and reply.
ANA armament could be for the next (political) question
I should have said the list was first for ISAF and Enduring Freedom forces.
Cheers,
Vdmfighter

No problem!

One thing I like about the Afghan campaign from a modeling perspective is the variety (I use the campaign partially as a basis for my fictional Afraqistan setting). You get super-modern equipment along with a mix of older western and Soviet hardware...on both sides when it comes to warlord clashes!

Another interesting aspect is that super high-tech doesn't dominate outside of engagements involving western forces. It's true small-war fighting in total scope but you still get some light AFVs and even older tanks.

Tim

Tim,
is your Afraqistan campaign a modernization of J. Scruby's Mafrica campaign ?
I do have a reprint of the Mafrica map and I have used it for 19C troops.
I'd want to know more about your campaign one day.
Agreed on the mix of equipment and variety, it's really (for me )a pretext for going back to some modern painting using GHQ stuff.
And good point on true small war fighting. The only problems I see are terrain,... rules, and 1/285 models to be used as such or as proxies.
Organization of forces being not a big issue here,what do you think ?

Cheers,
Vdmfighter

Never heard of Scruby's campaign but it sounds interesting. Rather than Scruby its closer to "AK-47 Republic" but up to date and more diverse. While AK-47 is purely Africa the terrain and cultures on my island of Afraqistan encompass Africa, Israel, various Arab states of the middle east, Central Asia, and southeast Asia.

Afraqistan is a huge island in the Indian ocean between Africa and India (think bigger/rounder Madagascar). Each region has it's own terrain/culture representative of parts of the places mentioned above. I arranged the terrain so that its flow makes sense relative to neighboring lands.

The idea is that different areas were settled over the centuries by various settlers/traders and have maintained cultural and political links to their homelands but are otherwise independent. The island is heavily balkanized politically. Some areas are ruled by city states or even alliances of multiple city states. Others are ruled by warlords or have devolved into chaos.

The purpose of the campaign setting is to allow one to use lots of different modern equipment in hypothetical scenarios without having to go with the standard Warpact vs NATO scenario. And you can do everything from pure light infantry actions to insurgencies to set piece battles between rival city states (backed by super powers if you wish!) Forces represent those of super powers, city states, warlords, mercenaries, or insurgents.

With this background one also has more freedom with respect to painting models. In that respect it's also similar to fictional 18th century campaigns popular among some horse and musket gamers. This background also avoids some of the blue-on-blue fights with game systems such as Flames of War. Two gamers can bring their own collections to a battle and have hostile forces equipped the same way but it makes perfect sense in this context.

At a recent local convention we did a US intervention in a Chinese-backed city state. More recently we did a scenario similar to the situation in Ossetia (conventional armored column must exit the table after a punitive expedition in a neighboring break-away republic...blue-on-blue fighting with respect to equipment.)

I actually intend to publish a campaign and scenario book with my homegrown rules thrown in for free. Should be ready by Cold Wars.

Tim

Very good ideas, and keep us posted with your project (and publication).
It's like using Boers, European colonial powers, Dahomeans, Chinese , Japanese,US, Zulus, Mahdists, Ashanti....and...well ...Afghans.... in a single country. The model after all are Greek classical cities and their neighbours
And I like the following : " more freedom with respect to painting models".
At one moment I thought to build a small fictitious army using British fantastic camo in Berlin.
One day or another perhaps...
Also :
in the list above I forgot the Coyote Recce vehicle (Canadian army).

Vdmfighter

BUFFALO should be added to the list too...

Kiowa Warriors, Apaches, Blackhawks and Chinooks. Also UAVs such as Predator.

The Dutch are using the Mercedes Benz Gelaendewagen 250 ‘Wolf’, soon to be released by SHQ as well as the Bushmaster IMV

GHQ really need to release this vehicle as it is not only used by the Dutch and the Brits contingents and with the Spanish showing very strong interest, but it is the mainstay of the entire Australian army.

Incidentally, with just two new releases (the Bushmaster IMV and the Eurocopter Tiger) GHQ would be able to offer a complete range for the Australian army. IMHO this possibility is too good to be missed, as Australia has one of the most important modern armies (Iraq, Afghanistan, Timor) with high potential for interesting conflicts (vs China or Indonesia for instance).

Anyway, the Dutch are also flying the Cougar helicopter.

CavDog,
thanks for the beginning of the Helicopter list (I have seen pics of AH-1, Lynx, CH 53, Mi-17 as well, also 2 Caracals and some others).
Rutgervanm,
agreed on Bushmaster and Tiger for Australia (and GHQ) .And thanks for the Mercedes.
Any idea about a good vehicle for a Bushmaster conversion?
This topic turns to be now half way between a review of military industry since 40 years and a wish list !
Addition to the vehicle list : Unimog.

I would like to add to the list few other Soviet made vehicles to the 'Afghanistan' list.
These would be found in Afghanistan too:

T-62 BBD (uparmored)
BMP-2D (uparmored)
BTR-60-R145 (command version)
BM-22 'Uragan':
GAZ-66 van
Luna-M (FROG-7)
ZIL-131 trucks,vans,tankers,MLRS
Ural-375/4320 tankers,vans.
KAMAZ-4310 and 5320 series trucks
MAZ-537 tank transporter (2 or 3 axle lowbeds).

Hi armorinscale,
thank you for your list.Lots of variety here !
New additions for ISAF :
Supacat hmt400
Mungo truck
It seems that both vehicles have been withdrawn from the theater now (?).
And : A10, F15, F16, F 35a,Tornado, Harrier, Mirage 2000, Rafale...etc
AB-212, MH6 J
Historians of the future will have a lot of work, and a lot to say about supplying , organizing coalition forces.

Hi,
some more,
old, modern, modernised or ultra modern ...
Super Etendard,
upgraded VAB,
VBL with additional (light)armour,
MRAP
Mastiff
Jackal
Panther (2009?)
And a daunting variety of trucks ...Ouch !

Leopard 2A6M