Armoured Corps - tanks or reconnaissance?

[Mjr. Kurt]

Hi guys!

I would like become an armoured officer, but i don't know what's better between the Coyote reconnaissance vehicule and the Leopard tank.
Please help me.

 

[Rogo]

People won't be able to help you decide your personal preference between a light armoured vehicle and large tank.  imo

Have you visited the recruiters? They are usually very insightful in being able to determine what people are looking for.

Also, consider that you may not have a choice.  I am going through the training process for INF O and as far as I know once I am commissioned and finish occupational training I will have no choice in if I join a mechanized Infantry unit or a dismounted unit.

Food for thought, I hope this is insightful from another angle.  Either way good luck and all the best.

 

[aesop081]

Hi guys!

I would like become an armoured officer, but i don't know what's better between the Coyote reconnaissance vehicule and the Leopard tank.
Please help me.

Its not like you get to choose......

 

[Mjr. Kurt]

Ok, thanks for your answers

 

[Ex-Dragoon]

Hi guys!

I would like become an armoured officer, but i don't know what's better between the Coyote reconnaissance vehicule and the Leopard tank.
Please help me.

You can't really compare the two as they are both used in different roles....

 

[Franko]

Hi guys!

I would like become an armoured officer, but i don't know what's better between the Coyote reconnaissance vehicule and the Leopard tank.
Please help me.

Upon completion of DP3 ARTL Mod 2 you will be placed in a unit and told what role you will be tasked with, either Recce or tank.

Regards

 

[untouchables]

If you want to know more about these vehicles, wikipedia has a brief summary of them.  Or briefly explained here Coyote is a 8x8 wheeled vehicle with a 25 mm chaingun based off the MOWAG Piranha, a widely used vehicle . The  Leopard is a tracked tank with a 105 mm cannon, the recently introduced Leopard IIA4,5's and 6's are gradually replacing the Leopard I in frontline service of the Forces, a fine piece of German engineering equipped with a 120mm cannon.

 

[EpicBeardedMan]

I don't understand how the OP's question is going to affect if he becomes an Armored Officer or not.

 

[REDinstaller]

It won't as he has no control of what type of platform he will be employed on.

 

[Tetragrammaton]

I'd go with the Leopard.

When I think armor, I think battle tanks.

 

[vonGarvin]

Hi guys!

I would like become an armoured officer, but i don't know what's better between the Coyote reconnaissance vehicule and the Leopard tank.
Please help me.

As stated, if you become an officer in the Armour Corps, and if you succeed at training, you will be posted to a unit.  But first, speaking of training, you will be trained on how to command a troop of armoured recce vehicles.  The platform is the Coyote, and you will be expected to be proficient on the platform as a gunner and as a crew commander.  From there, you will have to demonstrate proficiency at being a recce troop leader.  These means doing your job as a crew commander AND leading those seven other coyotes in your troop.  Along with this will be your demonstration of leadership, the ability to receive and issue orders and so forth.
So, you graduate ARTL (Armoured Recce Troop Leader) and you go to a Regiment.  Upon arrival, you will be assigned to either a recce troop as its leader, or to a tank troop, as its leader.  I'm not 100% certain of the training to get you there, but certainly you'll need to be proficient as a gunner and a crew commander of a tank.  Then you will need to demonstrate proficiency at leading a troop of four tanks.  Remember this: leading a troop of Coyotes is much different from leading a troop of Leopards.  Coyotes are used to find the enemy, and tanks are used to destroy the enemy through shock action, etc.  (I just like using the phrase "shock action").  They are different skill sets, and you may be able to tell your superiors which you prefer; however, it is they who make the decision. 
So, in conclusion, you will have the Coyote as your platform during your officer training.  After that, I'm not sure how it works, exactly, but you'll either lead a Coyote troop or a Leopard troop.

 

[Rogo]

Coyotes are used to find the enemy, and tanks are used to destroy the enemy through shock action, etc.  (I just like using the phrase "shock action"). 

Mmmm Shock Action.  I like that word too

 

[TangoTwoBravo]

When the dust settles each Regiment should have one tank squadron and three reconnaissance squadrons.  Officers will be assigned to a squadron based on the needs of the Regiment at that time.  In the good old days you spent a year in a tank squadron (usually Cougars but some on Leopards) and then maybe went to Recce Sqn for your second or third year.  Regiments then had two `tank`squadrons and one recce sqn.  The near future might have something like starting in a Recce Sqn and then go on tanks.  If the Regiment is short on officers then you spend more time as a troop leader and could do both.  If there are lots you might do just one.  In any case you don`t get to choose so relax!

T2B

 

[REDinstaller]

The latest to be passed down was 1 Sqn of Leo2s in Gagetown ala C Sqn RCD, and 2 Sqns at the Strathconas. With the remainder in Op stock.

 

[Tetragrammaton]

What are our armor units using these days anyways?

Leopard C2s and Coyotes?

 

[REDinstaller]

The Strathconas are Leo C2, Coyote. The RCDs are Coyote. And 12 RBC has a loaner fleet of C2s and their normal compliment of Coyotes.

 

[SeanNewman]

While I am not an Armour Officer (Infantry), and a lot of the other points have been covered above like not really getting to choose, they're for different roles, etc...if I had to objectively compare them as an outsider I would look at what is better against its competition for what they do.

The Leopard, specifically the 2A6 is arguably the world's best MBT, and since the word "best" can be argued in circles, few could argue that it's mix of capabilities and pros/cons puts it at the very top of a short list.  If you go tanks and do ops in a 2A6, you are using the Rolls Royce of MBTs and there is something to say for that in terms of confidence in your equipment.

The Coyote, however, while quite good in the Recce role, and with a fantastic turret, IMO lags severely behind due to its relatively poor mobility (not just in terms of tracked vehicles, but even other wheeled ones).  I have seen Coyotes stuck on the side of the road in Gagetown in what looked to be a 1-2' deep ditch, and the LAV I was in was able to blow right over it without hardly a hiccup.  Don't get me wrong, the Coyote is not a terrible vehicle, but it does have some significant cons.

I am curious to hear the opinions from the Armour specialists on this one, though.  How do you feel when in one vs the other?  As stated my opinion only counts for 1c on this one.

 

[Franko]

When it comes to mobility in any platform, it's all dependent on the skill and experience of the CC and crew.

I've gone in places where I should have gotten stuck...mere meters from tanks that were requiring 2-1 pulls in a Coyote.

Regards

 

[SeanNewman]

When it comes to mobility in any platform, it's all dependent on the skill and experience of the CC and crew.

I would certainly grant you that in a lot of cases a good driver can avoid getting stuck where a bad driver would, but I would not use the words "all" dependent.

With equal drivers, it is impossible to ignore ground displacement ratings. 

If a bad driver in a BV206 could go through things that the word's best driver would get stuck in a Coyote, the logic is flawed.

Not that drivers are not important, but that it's the only factor.

 

[REDinstaller]

I would certainly grant you that in a lot of cases a good driver can avoid getting stuck where a bad driver would, but I would not use the words "all" dependent.

With equal drivers, it is impossible to ignore ground displacement ratings. 

If a bad driver in a BV206 could go through things that the word's best driver would get stuck in a Coyote, the logic is flawed.

Not that drivers are not important, but that it's the only factor.

For the purposes of this topic, it does all depend on the Driver and CC. Comparing a BV to those 2 platforms is like discussing the ability to deliver mail between a Grumman mail truck and a Porsche with Canada Post stickers on it.