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Question on the MANPADS Platoon Organization in the ADA Batteries: I have more than one source, which maybe all have the same source, that the MANPADS platoon in each ADA Battery consisted of a platoon HQ and eighteen MANPADS teams in four squads. I know it was a really, REALLY long time since I did math in school but eighteen does NOT divide evenly in to four pieces. And, yes, I still use enough math in work and outside it that I feel comfortable in that statement. So, anyone know how the team organization into squads worked? Platoon HQ have two teams? Two squads of five and two squads of four teams? Six squads of three teams? Next, anyone know what version of HMMWV the teams were assigned? And were they also assigned a trailer? I will likely not have all eighteen teams in all four batteries in the battalion but each will certainly have some. I have enough weapons packs to fill out the dismount squads for two mech battalions so however many teams that nets me will be modeled and assigned to the individual batteries. This will go along with the sixteen stands of dismounts to do for the second mech battalion. The first mech battalion being done a few years ago. At the time I am modelling the battalion was a two Chaparral / two Vulcan batteries configuration.

I don’t know much about ADA back then…or now…but I know that in my day the divisional ADA batteries had 2 platoons of BSFVs and 1 platoon of Stinger MANPADs. The BSFVs were just normal Bradleys and a Stinger team jumped out of the back. So we had a total of 18 Stinger teams in the battery (10 in the MANPADs platoon and 4 in each of the BSFV platoons). Any chance there is something like that going on with all those teams belonging to different platoons?

Here is a pic of a Stinger MANPADs team HMMWV. This must be from the late 1990s or early 2000s. Just 2 dudes up front and the Stinger launchers were in the long rectangular box strapped to the side at an angle. I never saw any trailers, but that might vary from location to location.

Thanks for this Redleg! Cool picture. We really need to ALL get together and storm the gates as it were and demand junk packs to use to litter the outsides of vehicles! Seeing this picture really reinforces the need.

While some things changed radically from H to J to L, like Mech and Tank battalions going to a Service company and then the Service company being rolled into the battalion HQ, others did not. I thought I saw somewhere a Stinger team with a GHQ type M-1025 with a trailer in the background in a picture of a Stinger team. Instead I should use a C-in-C M-1037 without the canvas top. Or maybe with until I figure out how to do all of the fancy in the back to attach Stinger boxes to the side of. Maybe pieces of slat armor? And I have enough spare Stinger boxes from the packs for my thirty-six HMMWV Avenger vehicles order. And of course a handful of antennas.

redleg wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 15, 2023 4:41 am

So we had a total of 18 Stinger teams in the battery (10 in the MANPADs platoon and 4 in each of the BSFV platoons). Any chance there is something like that going on with all those teams belonging to different platoons?

I did not think so but I double checked and it is not that. Each battery's Stinger platoon is listed as having a platoon HQ, four Stinger team HQs and eighteen teams. Barring any information otherwise I will have four teams in each section and give the battery HQ a two-team section for it's defense. That will be the MyTOE.

That solution makes sense to me! We always had some variation in our units - slight differences between TO&E and the MTO&E. Nothing major, just small variations in number and type of HMMWVs and trucks and stuff like that.

Now you need to post some pics of your unit. And I vote for you to just do the entire 3AD!

redleg wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 16, 2023 7:10 pm

That solution makes sense to me! We always had some variation in our units - slight differences between TO&E and the MTO&E. Nothing major, just small variations in number and type of HMMWVs and trucks and stuff like that.

Now you need to post some pics of your unit. And I vote for you to just do the entire 3AD!

I am sure plenty of commanders decided they were allowed to command and moved people & equipment where it would be most effective for their unit / objective.

I cannot believe I have gotten this far. I was originally going to do the 11th ACR because a friend of mine in High School went there to follow his father who served in it. I looked at all of the vehicles and thought there was no way I was going to do anything that large! In 2021 I realized I already had more than an ACR would have. Could have done it and stopped there. But no. Instead I continue on. So I say I will never finish the 3rd AD and wonder if at some point I will realize I have not only finished it but am working on the 8th ID(M)?

I have stepped into the road, did not keep my feet, and am wondering just where I am going to be swept off to.

The road is paved with road apples. They are very slippery.

Hello, for each team they had one M998 with the stinger rack in the back which held 4 Stinger "coffins"(slang) and one firing post. There was no trailer.
As for dividing the teams it should be PLT HQ with 2 M998 then their are 4 Section HQ each with 1 M998 and each Section with 4 Teams each with a M998. I know all refrence shows 18 stingers, but MTOE has the amount of 16. If you want to be accurate put the 2 extra at the Platoon HQ. As for making the vehicle I took a M998 that you get in N120 and made a rack and coffins.

Jason

Hey Jason, thanks for the great info! What is the firing post? Did they mount the Stingers on something when they fired them? I always assumed they just put it up on their shoulder to fire.

Thank you Jason. Appreciate the Real World feedback. Did they look anything like the picture of the back of the HMMWV Redleg sent?

Being only able to work from TO&Es and the like I always end up wondering if I am even close to what the units actually had. I can imagine people who served looking at a TO&E and saying "Yeah, right. We sure never saw them!" Or "Wish we had them!"

We have some great people on here helping me keep it closer to Real.

Thanks again.

Sorry for confusoin, the firing post is the hand held firing unit. You attached the missile tube to the unit to fire. The vehicle is exactly as the one in Redlegs post. Glad this helped.

Jason

Not really related to the OP but when we got back from DS, 3rd ACR traded in 10 of our OH-58s for 10 OH-58 ATAS which had air to air stinger launchers installed. I got the privilege of firing two live missiles at drones during the time I was there.

Both hits thank you very much! And yes it was very cool!

CavDog, nice. Thank you for sharing. Keep up with the training.

Thanks for the clarification, Jason. Your information is very helpful!

Very cool CavDog! Do you get to paint a little drone on the side of your helicopter for the ones that you shot down?

Brigade Commander wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 16, 2023 3:32 am

redleg wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 15, 2023 4:41 am

So we had a total of 18 Stinger teams in the battery (10 in the MANPADs platoon and 4 in each of the BSFV platoons). Any chance there is something like that going on with all those teams belonging to different platoons?

I did not think so but I double checked and it is not that. Each battery's Stinger platoon is listed as having a platoon HQ, four Stinger team HQs and eighteen teams. Barring any information otherwise I will have four teams in each section and give the battery HQ a two-team section for it's defense. That will be the MyTOE.

So FM44-18-1 indicates three sections of five and one section of three. Which in my head makes even less sense! So, local organization will go the way it makes the most sense to me and what SMS KONIG (Jason) recommends since he Been There and Done That in the World. This is what is so great about the Forum. There has usually been someone who has done it or trained with a unit that did and you can get the Real World perspective. Thank you Jason! And redleg and hoth for always being my sounding board and assistant researchers.