Re: Los thoughts on breaching

Ok who's ready for a class on breaching? (What I'm about to tell you has
all
been learned the hard way) First off, there are three main types of
breaches:

1. Mechanical breaching. This is basically "picking the lock, SWAT-type
RAM,
or the Tom B. "gimme a crowbar and a minute and I'll get through a
wall", or
in FMA example either a techie running a hand held bypass or a PA guy
using
a power glaive to scoop out a wall. These should generally be
multi-action
events unless mister PA is litteraly running through a typical 20th
century
sheetrock and 2x4 type wall. This is the least desirable method as it
takes
the most time, often while making noise, thus exposing the breacher to a
longer period of risk, (though a bypass or lock-picking could be a
stealth
entry.) During the planning stages of dynamic ("loud boom boom") entry
this
should never be consider this is a primary method.

2. Ballistic breaching: This is another alternate means of gaining entry
through a  window or a door. It entals basically shooting out hinges and
locks with a shotgun using certain types of rounds (rifled slugs, bird
shot,
buck shot, and specialist breaching rounds such as "shocloc"
"lockbuster"
and "hatton" rounds) These require extremely accurate placement.   Again
during planning stages this is never considered as the primary means of
entry due to its unrelaiability. (though it may occasionally be
necessary).
The reason is that this breach is not reliable or positive means of 
gaining
entry, and it does not supply teh speed, surprise, and violence of
action
necessary to minimize friendly losses upon entry. Though if your main
breaching charge fails then this is the alternative. An FMA type attempt
requries, I would say, an appropriate weapon, a dr to see if it's
successful
based on troop quality, weapons effectiveness, opposed by the door
strength,
this could be improved by spending an additional action (aim) to make
sure
you get it right. As for an apporpriate weapon, those would either be a
shotgun or better off the GL fitted to most ARs would be loaded with
tehse
specialist rounds.

Explosive breaching. This should always be the primary means of dynamic
barrier penetration.

1. It must be easy to carry and be "pre-setup". There's normally no time
to
do any special rigging of the breach at thetime of emplacement. So in
FMA
terms this is something you have to have going into the game and track
as a
seperate munition.

2. It must be able to be placed on the breaching surface silently an d
within seconds once you get there.

3. The charge must be large and efficient enough to cut a large-enough
hole
so that you can rush through it without getting hung up, since once you
create a breach, you create a natural fatal-funnel for enemy fire. On
the
other side of the coin, the explsoion must be small and directed enough
to
allow the breachers to remain close enough to the breach so that they
could
get through it before anyone on the other side recovers and starts
filling
the breach full of lead.

4. In short it must be relaible, durable, (so the rig doesn't fall apart
on
you when you are carrying it,) easy to transport, safe for the breacher,
and
uses the least amount of explosives possible.

Just remember a breaching charge is a cutting charge, which uses a
proportionately small amount of explosives,. specifically placed and
shaped
to cut a hole. And almost always this is done in door not a wall. i
think
people are seriously overestimating the easye of creating a breach even
in
regular civilian construction. A normal charge not cutting charge of
sufficient uqantity could achieve teh same result but woiuld destroy
everything around it and put the breachers/assaulters at risk unless
they
were far enough away from the breach to negate the advantage of placing
and
entering the breach.

Sample breaching devices could be Tom's spray-type example, (we actually
have a caulk gun type applicator,  detcord precut and prepareed and
placed
with 100mph tape, a doorknob charge, a charge placed on a piece of
cardboard
that you apply to a door with tape (it only has to stick for less than a
minute.) There are also more esoterinc breaching charges., Just coming
into
sevrice is a charge that looks like a cross between a panzerfaust and a
closed umbrella that goes onto an adapter-fitted M4 or M16. You fire it
at
the door from x feet away, it opens like an umbreall and makes an
immediate
breach. Cool.

Note that all of these point to specialist rounds or charges that need
to be