Hi Chino,
If SAF now is in 3rd transformation, than I belong to early 2nd generation.
Got a change to talk to guard man Bat 2IC, in actual combat situation for them drop off is 6km instead of 3km, reason being it has to be away from red force Bat support weapon range(81 or 120mm mortar).
Not sure of the new amour doctrine, during my day, the AI would not use as a direct assault force or defend ground; this shall be the trooper job. The AI shall only use if weakness point of red force identify, AI shall concentrate & ramp thru it than back franking & the AI shall dismount, by now the red force is facing 2 front line. I am from Arty organic to Amour brigade participated some of the amour ex & pro-test.
I am also 2G SAF. Old man already.
Yes, agree. Guards, like infantry is 6km from objective if arriving by ground transportation. But this is all training SOP. I would imagine in battle the SOP will be flexibility.
I am not Guards but I reckon that 6km from objective will be too far if the Guards are arriving by heliborne insertion. You will lose the element of speed, surprise (to a certain degree), and defeat the whole advantage of heliborne insertion to begin with.
I would imagine the heliborne insertion be heavily supported by combat aircrafts and arty suppressing fire.
By my experience, a normal infantry battalion takes at least 3 hours to walk 6km through the forest at night and then form up for the assault. No one can see anything in the forest at night so it is all a complete mess, I can tell you.
For a heliborne force, that would be crazy waste of time.
The other unfortunate thing about this is that you will be quite tired by the time you reach the FUP even before assault. Yes, we are talking about 30+ year old reservists.
I don't know what AI SOP is. But, I know they are not used like infantry and you are right that one of their job is to exploit enemy weak areas.
But again, doctrine is a piece of paper. In Israeli wars, armour, and AI, are often used in head on frontal attacks by all sides. (Very hard to do flanking in the open desert without the whole world being alerted.)
And it will be unthinkable to use AI like infantry in having them march a few km to objective and then have them assault without fire support from their vehicles which they just dismounted from.