OOB 17- Iraq Mod
 

This is an hypothetical mod based on the iraqi OOB. Basically it is an "iraqi superpower" scenario where Iraq is armed with sophisticated weapons, including some speculative units.
Beyond that I have also improved the historical accuracy of the iraqi OOB.I have modified units characteristics, availability dates,formations etc to better reflect their actual characteristics.I have assigned more accurate icons and pictures among those available. In order to avoid confusion the "iraqi superpower" units are available only after the fall of Saddam, starting from 5/103.
It works as follow:

- Until 4/103 only historical units, which also stop at that date to reflect the iraqi collapse.

- From 5/103:
1)"iraqi superpower" units;
2) insurgents, in their own separate formations;
3) new iraqi security forces, with dates reflecting their actual availability, either in their own separate formations or available with X3 radio code. They are marked in any case with their acronymus (es NIA, New Iraqi Army, IBP, Iraqi Border Patrol etc.). I have done a lot of testing and fiddling with formations to ensure coherent AI purchases. Against the US and such it will only buy insurgents and insurgent related units. Against Iran and such it should only buy "iraqi superpower units". You might get odd RPG-29 team among the insurgents though but apparently that too has happened in the real world.

"This mod contains highly altered or additional files that may or will cause interference with the master game files and it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED that this mod be installed and played ONLY in a separate copy of the game and NOT run from the master game"

EDIT

The above is as per moderator request. In practice however having tested it playing with stock scenarios there are only very few and minor issues due to some weapons being changed. Aside from that since picture, icons etc are all from the standard game stock there is very little disruption.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

I should note that some things,in particular the iraqi air force, will be improved in the next release. The helicopters should already be OK in the current version but not being a plane enthusiast I have had a few difficulties trying to figure out realistic payloads, which PGM was available for a given version of a plane at a given date and so on. Neverthless I have managed to find a couple of good source on the IrAF and I should be able to come up with something better in the next future.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Some of the changes which will be included in the next release.
1) Overhaul of several mechanized/motorized infantry formations. A couple of them in particular were screwed and have been fixed.
2) Republican guard now available since 1985.
3) I have managed to obtain more informations on the iraqi inventory of 155mm artillery (types, availability dates etc.), there will be several changes.
4) NLA units (iranian exiles armed by Saddam) added; they were involved in some late iran iraq war engagements and allegedly took part in the suppression of the kurds after GW1.
5) Type 69 tank armor values standardization.
6) More accurate fighter bombers payloads.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

The new version of the mod is now up. Additional changes include

1) Historical tank guns have been reworked on the basis of rounds actually used by the iraqis.
2) Many of the new iraqi security forces are now available in separate dedicated formations instead of under the X3 radio code as previously.
3) Engineers mounted on MRV APCs for route clearing have been added.
4) Several artillery formations reorganized.
5) The new icons and pictures have been incorporated; vehicles like the Dzik-3 have their own now instead of generic.
6) The characteristics of some tanks, like speed, number of rounds carried, presence of smoke dischargers etc have been modified on the basis of historical research.
7) The new iraqi army is supposed to get some fire support in 2008. Tentatively I have put some units in, even if the exact models have not been announced yet.
8) In addition to the QM some others experimental prototypes from the 80's have been put in, like the upgunned BRDM-2 or the wheeled Al Faw SPA. All these units are available from 1989 to 1991 under the X3 radio code.

EDIT
I should also mention that in the previous version there was an issue with APCs carry capacity and squads sizes.
This has been reworked. I also eliminated LRF and FC ratings from the vehicles fitted with HOT 3 launchers, given that they apparently made no practical difference.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

On a slighty different note is there any interest in a purely historical OOB to be incorporated in some future patch?
It would pose a few problems with formations design (due to the disbanding of the iraqi army post OIF and others issues) but with a few modifications in the picklist should be doable.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Some of the changes planned for the next release, due for some times after the next patch.

1) I had mistakenly equipped some on map artillery units
(the 25pdr, the Zis-3, the indirect fire version of the
T-55A) with AP rounds, without remembering that this gave them cluster rounds in the game.The AP rounds will be replaced by Sabot, HEAT or more HE rounds, depending on the platform.

2)Further revision for tank guns values. In particular the data that I used to calculate the penetration of the
BM-6 and the BM-3 for the 115mm guns turned out to be incorrect, I hope to have them fixed now. Further updates to the 125mm guns, to reflect the fall out of use of the BM-9 and BM-12 between GW1 and OIF, as well as the aquisition of small quantities of BM-42 and BK-29 in those same years. Small update for the 100mm guns.

3) Revision of antitank guns along the lines of what has been done for the tank guns.

4) Noting that many of the new iraqi security forces vehicles have extensive ACAV style gunshields for their machine guns some of the AAMGs have been replaced by MGs that can be fired while buttoned up.

5) Cougar replaced with ILAV (well basically not a big change)

6) Whatever new useful icons and similar stuff that will become available will be included.

7) Others various things.

EDIT

In addition to the above the light artillery has been reorganized. The iraqis used to have a 120mm mortar battery at the divisional level, formed by three platoons. As I realized that nothing with a range of fewer than 200 works offboard they have been deleted. The 105s followed the standard 18 tubes per battalion deployment, so they are reassigned to the medium artillery. The only things left under this classification are therefore the Zis-3. The 4.5 howitzer has been deleted and the weapon slot used for a full range Zis-3.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

The new version of the mod is now up.
In addition to the changes listed above the new iraqi army has been totally redone, with the formations
following the US patterns. Also its equipment has been updated on the basis of new informations. Changes incude but are not
limited to introduction of M60 tanks, the switching (now underway) from the AK-47 to the M16/M4,
the planned aquisition of COIN turboprop, etc. The insurgent forces have been rationalized as well.
Fortifications have been revised on the basis of my (albeit rather limited and imperfect) undestanding
of the strenght of concrete and earth structure.
Various other things (changes to RPG ammo loadouts etc.).

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

I don't see M60's or units with M16's what numbers are they?

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

The M60 are units 610, 680 and 681. They are available under NIA (New Iraqi Army) Tank Co/Plt. The infantry with M16 are available under NIA Rifle Co/Plt at page 3.

EDIT
One of the M60 has a wrong availability date (102-109 instead of 108-120). I have corrected this mistake and uploaded the corrected version.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Quick summary of abbreviations.
NIA = New Iraqi Army, the post 2003 Army raised by the coalition.
INP = Iraqi National Police, a mechanized police force mounted on BTR-94/ASV
ERU = Emergency Response Units, basically militias raised among pro government tribes in Anbar and elsewhere.
IP = Iraqi Police, nuff said
FPS = Facility Protection Service, static defense units used to protect fixed objectives etc.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Thanks

I was wondering about some of these abbreviations.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Some others points.
The Baathist units you can find at page three are not supposed to represent baathist insurgents. Rather they are supposed to represent an alternate history
loyalist militia/home guard sort of organization. The insurgents are all available under the guerilla units.
I toyed with the idea of specific formations (Mahdi Army etc.) but given the number of organizations I decided to keep it generic for now.
I also thought about a purely historical OOB but given that for most formations there would be gaps ranging from a few months to five years with no units in service in that period this would present several problems (I also lack the time ATM).

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

In case you were interested in gaming current Iraq war scenarios here is the best source online about the iraqi security forces; I have used it extensively for drawing up the OOB.
http://billroggio.com/oob/index.php

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Plans for the next version.
1) I have managed to find some very interesting material on Peshmerga; the kurdish forces are going to be overhauled on the basis of that (availability dates, organization, weapons etc).
2) I am going to include a shiite rebels formation so that you can play scenarios set during the revolts of march 91.
3) Various modifications and corrections.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

The new version of the mod is up. In addition
to the changes described previously several things have been added or modified.
Among other things.
- Jash units (kurdish units fighting alongside the government).
- iraqi paratroopers (there was a british trained battalion in the fifties-sixties).
- I got some info on the early iraqi tank forces. Sherman Firefly, M4A3 etc added.

For the fictional units:
- revised SAMs
- I decided to replace the Milan 3/HOT 3 combo with the Kornet.

And many others modifications.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Just looked over it and it looks really good. Just some questions. LBM 2464 and 2465 seemed to be used a lot, seemingly by accident (like on units 257 DHC-1 and 258 Zlin). Is this just an error in the version I dled? I dled the one in the first post in this thread.

Also, any chance of possibly doing a new picklist to go with this?

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Those LBMs are the ones I use when I can't find an adequate picture for the item. In the OOB editor you see a simple grey area instead of the picture and I prefer it to the standard "no picture found". The download at the beginning of the thread is the only place to download this mod in any case.
I regards to the picklist there are a few problems.
The first is that I have no clue how to go about that, nor much time available especially for what seems a particularly tedious job. The second is that this OOB is really two or three OOBs rolled into one: the real
iraqi army, the fictional one and the insurgents. Reconciling them would be very difficult in a picklist. Separating them would be very time consuming and make new picklists absolutely necessary as several gaps would open (think to the disbanding of the iraqi armed forces in 2003).
Finally the current AI picklist seems to make do, sort of. It buys mostly insurgents against the US and such. And it buys mostly "great power" units against Iran and such. So I do not find worth the trouble, not in the short term anyway.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

I just noticed I made a couple of mistakes (Humber Mk.IV ammo loadout and some minor armor discrepancies in a few vehicles). I have uploaded a corrected version.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

Alright, I was just curious. Its great to have an updated OOB for Iraq though.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

I have added an updated version of the iraqi OOB.
Several changes among which
1) Different in and out of service dates for several vehicles of the new iraqi army. In particular the delivery of the M60s is being delayed; tentatively I have pushed it to september of this year.
2) M48 added (they are going to be included in the M60 delivery).Some others vehicles have been added or replaced as well.
3) Multiple Rocket launchers have been revised: the speed of several MRLS has been changed to reflect their actual speed, the BM-14 has been deleted etc.In addition several dedicated guerilla rocket launchers have been added or modified.
4) Various others refinements (Shermans now have dedicated MGs instead of generic etc.).
5) Some dedicated new iraqi army formations added (mech scouts, forward observers since 2009).

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

New version is up. It incorporates the changes brought by the latest version of the game.
In addition several changes have been implemented.
- I have spent considerable time and efforts changing many of the pictures with better or correct looking ones.
This could also be useful to others modders who are using similar units.
- Most of the new iraqi army formations have been modified on the basis of new info.
- Some units have been added (BM-21B, mt-lb based MRLS etc.) or tweaked (guerilla rocket launchers etc.).
- various others changes.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

What about the BTR-3E1 IFVs Iraq has ordered?

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

That is unit 826 and 313: NIA BTR-3E1.
It is available since 2009.

Re: OOB 17 Mod
 

I made two versions, one with AT capabilities (AP rounds for the gun and ATGMs) and one with only HE.
Tentatively I have put 2009 as starting date. Time will tell.