One of the most recognizable armored vehicles of the Cold War era and beyond, the M2 series infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) has a reputation for being second to none. With space for a squad of infantry and a full set of weapon systems to support them, the M2 is a true jack of all trades.

In GHPC, the base-model M2 fills the standard IFV role for the US Army, giving it center stage in mechanized assaults and recon missions. This earliest of variants is not equipped with many of the well-known upgrades the platform would receive in later years, like add-on armor, a commander’s independent viewer, and a laser rangefinder. Nevertheless, its I-TOW missiles and 25mm turret make it a force to be reckoned with in the CENTAG 1985 setting.

This guide will explain the details of using the M2 and its systems in GHPC.

Overview

Unlike the M113 armored personnel carrier (APC) it supplanted, the M2 is no mere battle taxi. Much like other IFVs, it brings a diverse array of weaponry to serve as a fire support vehicle and even an anti-tank platform in emergencies. Its thermal optics and easy-to-use fire control system give it remarkable firepower when it has the advantage of range or taking the first shots.

Unfortunately, this pile of features comes with a downside: the M2 is a bulky and obvious target. The large troop-carrying hull and added turret bring the vehicle’s overall height to a substantial 3 meters (nearly 10 feet), placing it in stark contrast to its Soviet counterpart, the 2-meter-tall BMP. Additionally, in order to remain light and nimble and keep pace with the M1 tank, the M2 IFV is constructed largely of aluminum alloys, providing little or no protection against anything larger than a heavy machine gun. To make matters worse, the vehicle is packed full of ammunition and spare missiles, along with a dense arrangement of crew and troops, making any penetrating hit likely to be fatal or catastrophic. When using the M2, it is of vital importance to find good cover, turret-down if possible, and avoid over-exposing during maneuvers.

An interesting quirk of the M2 is its retractable TOW missile pod. With two ATGMs at the ready, this system allows the M2 to hide almost all of its mass behind a berm and still guide missiles onto targets at up to 3750 meters. The pod must be retracted when the vehicle is on the move, to avoid damage from jostling. In GHPC, this process is automatically handled by the crew.

Gunner’s primary sight

Though its symbology may appear similar to those of the M1 and M60A3 TTS, the M2’s primary sight does not share most of their features. It lacks a laser rangefinder and automatic lead compensation, instead relying on automatic superelevation and manual range setting to let the gunner point and shoot. Rangefinding can be carried out using the stadiametric (“stadia”) reticle, which is calibrated for the height of a BMP hull. The image below shows a stadia reticle measuring a BMP hull at around 1900 meters (1.9 on the scale).

An unusual feature of the M2’s primary sight is that it features both a yellow-colored projected reticle (for cannon and machine gun aiming) and an etched reticle (the TOW crosshair). The TOW reticle, being a physical feature of the glass, cannot be hidden, so it remains visible in the day sight at all times. By contrast, since the projected reticle can be turned off, it vanishes from the sight picture when the gunner selects the TOW as the current weapon. The TOW reticle is offset from the centerline of the sight, and the missile system is calibrated to aim for this offset angle.

For night fighting (or target spotting at any time of day), the gunner’s sight can be switched to thermal view, using the night vision keybind (default: T). In this view, a live feed from the vehicle’s thermal sensor is projected in a red-toned image, with brighter spots depicting higher temperatures. Since the thermal view is composited using a screen rather than a traditional optic, the reticle can fully switch between main pattern and TOW crosshair in this view, without either of them remaining active at all times.

When the thermal sight is in wide field-of-view mode (WFOV) it will use the TOW reticle regardless of which weapon is selected, as seen above.

Additional notes on sights

If day sight use is required in dark lighting conditions or against a dark background, the TOW crosshair can be illuminated using the usual keybind (default: i).

The M2 in real life also has an auxiliary sight fixed to the gun angle, with markings for manual elevation. As of this article’s publishing, this sight is not implemented in GHPC’s M2.

The autocannon

For general duty, the M2 carries an M242 autocannon in 25mm caliber (often called a chain gun due to its drive mechanism). The weapon is able to fire the gunner’s choice of two ammunition types: Armor-Piercing Discarding Sabot with Tracer (APDS-T) and High Explosive Incendiary with Tracer (HEI-T). A standard ready load comprises 70 APDS-T and 230 HEI-T in ready bins with a dual belt feed into the gun.

The M2’s APDS-T ammunition is the correct choice for dealing with light armor of any kind, even something as weak as a BRDM scout car. HEI-T ammunition will have difficulty damaging armored targets and is instead used against infantry and light cover. (For tanks, the M242 could potentially perform a mission kill by damaging tracks or optics, but it’s best to use the TOW missiles for dealing with heavy armor.)

The M242 can immediately switch between its two loaded ammo belts, allowing a new ammunition choice with the flick of a switch. In GHPC, this is accomplished with the ammo selection keys (default: alphanumeric 1 and 2). The text at the bottom of the gunner’s sight will update to show which ammunition type is selected, and the new selection will be loaded after the currently chambered round is fired.

The gunner must set the range of the autocannon manually. This is accomplished with the usual controls: LCtrl + mousewheel, or PgUp and PgDown as an alternative. The range is adjusted in 100-meter increments and reported as a truncated number at the bottom of the gunner’s sight (so for example, “12” means 1200 meters).

The range setting causes the autocannon and the coaxial machine gun to automatically superelevate to match the aiming reticle if one of those weapons is currently selected. If the TOW is selected, the range setting has no effect on its aim.

Reloading the M242 is a lengthy and complicated process, which has been greatly simplified in GHPC. In the game, it is one of the longest “restocking” procedures of all weapon systems, transferring 50-round supplies of the chosen ammunition to the associated ready bin. Due to the simplified implementation of the ammo system, the bin in question must have at least 50 rounds worth of free space before restocking it is possible – so, for instance, the APDS belt cannot be replenished if there are more than 20 rounds remaining.

In real life, the M2’s reloading process is much lengthier and requires the vehicle to be essentially shut down and cleared out. 50-round ammo boxes containing short belt segments are retrieved from spare ammo stashes elsewhere in the vehicle, and these segments are then manually clipped onto the ready belt one by one. The process takes several minutes. If the gunner has overrode the ammo feed’s limiter and fired until only a few rounds are left on a belt, the tail end of the belt will no longer be easily accessible to add more belt segments, and further delay for disassembly will be required! In GHPC, at the time of this article’s publishing, these pitfalls are glossed over for the sake of less confusing gameplay and a cleaner control implementation. You are allowed to fire and restock the M242 belts without worrying about belt length or taking the entire vehicle out of action.

The TOW missiles

Elevating the M2 to its legendary status as a tank killer, the deployable pod on the turret carries two TOW anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs) ready to go. When the vehicle is stopped and the pod is raised, the missiles can be fired, one at a time, and guided using the offset crosshair in the gunner’s primary sight.

In GHPC, the TOW can be selected as the active weapon system by cycling weapons (default key: F, with square brackets as an alternative). The panel at the bottom of the gunner’s sight will display the text “TOW” when the system is active. The coaxial machine gun is also available by cycling through weapons, with the weapon selection in the sight showing “762” when it’s active.

Using the TOW is extremely simple: keep the crosshair on the center of the target, hold the trigger to fire, and wait for the hit. The only real pitfall of the TOW system on the M2 is the fact that it only has two missiles ready and then requires a lengthy reload. It also has an arming distance, giving it an effective range of 65 meters to 3750 meters.

In reality, the TOW system on the M2 is subject to additional restrictions. Notably, it can only be reloaded with the turret locked while aimed up and to the left, so the TOW pod angles toward the air guard hatch on the rear hull roof, and a rear compartment passenger can physically emerge from the top of the hull to heft new missile tubes into the pod. This process takes around two to three minutes. In addition, the TOW system will not function if the vehicle is on a slope greater than 10 degrees, and it can short out if the guidance wire touches water or physical obstacles. GHPC does not currently model any of these disadvantages, though a future implementation of the full TOW reload sequence is likely.

Infantry

In the future, GHPC is planned to feature mechanized infantry and various game mechanics surrounding their usage in battle. The M2, as an IFV, will play a pivotal role in this system and will feature additional controls related to the squad of troops sitting in its rear compartment. Stay tuned for more information on this feature when it arrives!

Conclusion

With a varied suite of weapons and an iconic charm, the M2 can get into, and out of, all kinds of trouble in GHPC. If you use it carefully, shooting first and not getting hit in return, it will be a deadly implement on the battlefield.

Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy playing Gunner, HEAT, PC!