[Beta] Altis Armed Forces 2017

[fingolfin 1972]

After teasing people with promo shots in the combat photography thread for quite some time, I decided to open a separate thread for my upcoming AAF add-on. The idea behind this was to have a AAF faction for contemporary missions on Altis and Stratis using RHS assets and having only the RHS mods as a dependency. Over time I got permission to add some more models to this add-on and, so you’ll get a bit more than just RHS retextures…

 

To provide mission makers with a possible storyline, I wrote a small history of Altis, which ends in a republic being on the brink of civil war in 2017 and with interventions of both Russia and NATO as a real possibility:

Spoiler

A History of the Republic of Altis and Stratis

 

The modern history of the islands Altis and Stratis began in the early 19th century during the Greek Revolution of 1821. Incited by the uprising on the mainland, the inhabitants of the islands took up arms against their Ottoman overlords and proclaimed the first Republic of Altis and Stratis in 1822. Their autonomy lasted only for three years until the Egyptian fleet under the command of Ibrahim Pasha reoccupied the islands in February 1825, but these three years of self-rule proved to be crucial for the upcoming developments since they brought the rise of the two dynasties that would shape the future of Altis and Stratis until today: the Stavrous and the Akhanteros’ families. Both took leading political roles in the short-lived first republic and while Dimitri Stavrou vehemently fought for the Altian independence, his counterpart Janis Akhanteros was in favour of affiliating the islands with the First Hellenic Republic. After the London Protocol and the Treaty of Constantinople, the islands remained a part of the Ottoman Empire although they were granted a partial autonomy in 1842, and Aristotélis Akhanteros, the son of Janis Akhanteros, became the first Prince of Altis and Stratis.

 

In the aftermath of the Russo-Turkish War and the Congress of Berlin, the islands of Altis and Stratis, together with Cyprus, were leased to the British Empire. The British had already taken control of the islands in 1878, and had established a new administration which was led by a British High Commissioner. Within this government body, Nestos Stavrou became the highest ranked non-British administrator. In the following thirty years the Akhanteros family built up an independence movement which was supported by Greece and the Russian Empire. Their covert military assistance would ultimately lead to the Selakano Uprising in 1908. The protests were bloodily suppressed by the British armed forces and three leading members of the Akhanteros clan were sentenced to death and hanged one year later. Many more were exiled and fled to the Greek mainland where they participated in the Balkan Wars as volunteers in the Greek and Serbian Armies. When the Ottoman Empire declared war against the Triple Entente powers in 1914 Britain annexed the former protectorate of Altis and Stratis and the islands became a vital naval base for the British operations against the Turks in the Aegean Sea. Many ANZAC troops were stationed on Altis before they embarked on their fateful journey to the shores of Gallipoli in 1915. After the Great War the islands remained a part of the British Empire but the calls for an independence began to rise even in the Anglophile Stavrou family.

 

Finally, far-reaching autonomy was granted in 1924 and the second Republic of Altis and Stratis was officially proclaimed on February 16th, 1925, exactly one hundred years after the end of the first republic. The first law signed by the new president Léandros Stavrou was a pardon for all exiled members of the Akhanteros family and this sign of unity marked the beginning of a rather peaceful period in the Altian history. Even though two major political parties, the Democratic Party for Progress and Prosperity (DPPP) under the leadership of the Stavrou clan, and the Altian Independence Party (AIP) founded by members of the Akhanteros clan, competed for power, acts of political motivated violence seldom occurred. The British forces completed their withdrawal in 1928 and the Altis Armed Forces (AAF) were founded in the same year. This prosperous phase even endured during the Great Depression since the agricultural economy of Altis and Stratis was only impacted in a minor way.

 

Violence returned to the islands in 1941 when Wehrmacht forces invaded Greece and the British Army stepped in to support the Greek Army. According to the Treaty of Kavala signed in 1925 the Republic of Altis and Stratis was obliged to provide naval and air bases and supplies to the British Forces in the event of a war in the Aegean Sea. And so, in January 1941, the British once again set foot on the islands. After the Axis occupation of the Greek mainland, German paratroopers of the 7th Flieger-Division landed on Altis on April 26th, 1941 and took control of the islands after three weeks of bitter fighting. Later, control of Altis and Stratis was transferred to Italian troops. Almost immediately after the occupation resistance cells started to form and by 1943 two major groups of rebels emerged. The nationalist Freedom Alliance (FA) was founded by Nikólas and Tímon Stavrou, with support of the Western Allies, while the Akhanteros family resuscitated their connections to the Greek and Serbian guerrillas and established the communist Altis Liberation Army (ALA), which was in turn supported by the Soviet Union. A volatile ceasefire lasted between both groups during the fight against the common fascist enemy but when British forces liberated the islands in 1945 civil war broke out soon afterwards. Supported by the Soviet Union with weapons and money, the ALA was able to hold their strongholds in the Altian mountains and inflicted rising casualties among the British occupation forces and their Altian allies, the newly founded AAF. The nearing defeat of the communist forces in Greece opened up the way to negotiations between the British and Americans, the Soviets, and both Altian parties which resulted in the Treaty of Split in 1949. The treaty declared the lasting neutrality of the Altian Republic as a bloc-free state while the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, the United States and Greece guaranteed its sovereignty and territorial integrity. The subject of the British right to use Altis and Stratis as a base in a case of war in Aegean Sea was not addressed in the treaty. Afterwards the Soviet side declared the Treaty of Kavala obsolete while the British government concluded that their rights stemming from the 1925-treaty remained in place.

 

A second amnesty was granted to the Akhanteros clan and the communist rebels in 1952 and both leading families remained active in the political life of the small republic. Dimítrios Akhanteros became the first leader of the Communist Party of Altis and Stratis (CPAS), the new rival of the DPPP and even won the presidential election in 1963. His attempts to widen his powers beyond the constitutional bounds failed, in some part because of the restrained support from the Soviet Union, but more importantly because of the 1967 coup d'état in Greece and the following August Crisis. The far-right military junta in Athens treated to occupy the islands to eliminate what they called “a communist threat to the whole Aegean Sea”. Military preparations for an invasion were completed in August 1967 and operatives of the Hellenic National Intelligence Service (EYP) had already infiltrated the islands and contacted anti-communist elements of the Altian society, particularly the Stavrou clan. Only the joint intervention of the UK, the USA and the Soviet Union could deter the junta from taking military action but the position of Dimítrios Akhanteros was significantly weakened during the crisis. As a result, his opponent Tímon Stavrou won the 1968 presidential election in a landslide. After winning an outright majority in the next parliamentary elections President Stavrou and the DPPP banned the CPAS and forced their members to underground or exile. Left-wing terrorist activities emerged in the following years and caused a modernization of the AAF and police force. In 1976 alone, terrorist acts claimed more than one hundred lives and provoked a large-scale military operation against presumed terrorist strongholds in the mountains of Altis. Although two suspected leaders of the newly founded ALA were captured it took seven more years until the attacks declined, not least because of the receding support from the Soviet Union and Palestinian groups.

 

After the fall of the Iron Curtain, the Stavrou clan and its pro-western course continued to dominate Altian politics and in 1995 the Republic of Altis and Stratis became a member of the European Union together with Austria, Sweden and Finland. Profiting heavily from EU agricultural subsidies the economy grew and in 1997 the parliament adopted a new tax law that lowered corporate taxes and attracted oversea investments, especially from Russian oligarchs. After the withdrawal of NATO forces from the island of Malden in 1998 a loose political and economic alliance between the two island chains was formed which included the stationing of a company-sized force of the AAF (later called the Malden Company or M-Company) to provide security, while the regional government of Malden remained largely autonomous. In the early 2000’s the Akhanteros family re-emerged on the political scene with their new Altian Nationalist Party (ANP) and received growing support from the new post-Soviet Russian Federation under Vladimir Putin. Following the economic crisis in 2009, the ANP won a shock result in the next election, standing on an anti-EU/anti-globalist ticket. In 2011 Geórgios Akhanteros became the first president who was not a member of the Stavrou family since 1968. Akhanteros started several economic stimulus programs that were largely sponsored by Russia. The most important one was the Altian Energy Plan, a program to gain energy autarchy by providing wind and solar power for the whole republic. The program was conducted by a Russian consortium named SolaRus and graft allegations were voiced by the opposition even before the contracts were signed. Further public turmoil was provoked by the 2012 Military Modernization Contract (often called Sotschi Contract) in which the Altian government purchased large quantities of Russian military hardware including BMP-3s, GAZ Tigr APC and AK-103 assault rifles. The 2014 parliamentary election brought a narrow victory for the ANP, but allegations of voter fraud and manipulations were voiced immediately after the results and protests in Athira, Pyrgos and Kavala turned violent in the following days. It took the security forces sixteen days to restore order and even afterwards attacks of Stavrou supporters occurred regularly.

 

The Altian society remained in a fragile state of peace while both sides prepared for the seemingly inevitable confrontation: The AAF received their new hardware, were trained by Russian military advisers, and built up fortified bases across the Islands while the pro-western resistance procured weapons and build underground networks. The spark to ignite the conflict was the leaking of secret negotiations between the Altian und Russian governments to establish a Russian air and naval base on Altis in 2016. Attacks against military installations and police outposts marked the beginning of the rebel offensive and the AAF hit back hard causing many civilian casualties. Soon a large-scale insurgency spread over the main island of Altis and the events were further politicised when two Russian military advisers were captured and later killed by pro-western forces in April 2017. The Akhanteros government calls for Russian support were enough to prompt the UK and Greece to proclaim that a prolonged deployment of Russian forces would constitute a violation of the Treaty of Split and the guaranteed neutrality of Altis and Stratis. Military actions to secure the neutrality like a no-fly zone to prevent the deployment of Russian troops would be justified by the Treaties of Split and Kavala. While the Trump administration voiced concerns of a possible Russian engagement in the Aegean Sea, it was reluctant to make definitive statements about possible military actions. In October 2017 news emerged that Russian paratroopers and marines are preparing for a deployment on Altis. These reports were immediately denied by the Russian and Altian Governments but the tensions in the region are continuing to rise as the military situation on the ground deteriorates for the government forces.

 

Some screenshots:

More:

Spoiler

 

The content so far:

• AAF infantry in pixelated camo

• AAF reservists in greek lizard camo

• Altian Police units

• BMP-3s, GAZ Tigrs, HMMWVs and Urals for the AAF

• Ka-60 and L-159 for the Altian Air Wing

• pro-western Rebels

 

Links:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Yxn32iV400uCdolzrKmTl5ftJq5jZnGr

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1298282761

(More mirrors are always welcome!)

[carlosxx 63]

Nice to see this! Can´t wait go get my hands on those units!

[jordanbache97 47]

They do look really nice, will this mod include any navy or will it just be airforce and land (im not asking for it im just inquiring if it is in the Pipeline.) 

[fingolfin 1972]

6 minutes ago, jordanbache97 said:

They do look really nice, will this mod include any navy or will it just be airforce and land (im not asking for it im just inquiring if it is in the Pipeline.) 

 

I would love to include a navy component, but since I have absolutely no skills in 3D modelling I have to work with the RHS and A3 boats. Some of them will definitely make it into the mod at some time.

[deathwatch4 89]

It's good to see that AAF getting some love! Now if only CSAT, NATO can get a good realistic face lift like this. I do really like that digital camo for the main infantry.

[fingolfin 1972]

16 hours ago, deathwatch4 said:

It's good to see that AAF getting some love! Now if only CSAT, NATO can get a good realistic face lift like this. I do really like that digital camo for the main infantry.

 

Thanks, I used the pattern of the Chinese Type-07 camo with colors suitable for Altis.

[deathwatch4 89]

I thought that camo looked familiar! Also, will the new AAF have any sort of special forces contingent? 

[fingolfin 1972]

20 minutes ago, deathwatch4 said:

I thought that camo looked familiar! Also, will the new AAF have any sort of special forces contingent? 

 

So far, I have no plans in this direction, but maybe somewhere down the line. Perhaps some recon units for the AAF and a counterterrorism unit for the Altian police.

[yevgeni89 163]

I am glad to see the AAF getting some love ,  I really love the Coat of arms on the Vehicles, its a good touch

[Pansarskytte 34]

Yes, Finally! Keep up with the good job.

[R0adki11 3949]

On 16/01/2018 at 8:18 PM, fingolfin said:

 

The content so far:

• AAF infantry in pixelated camo

• AAF reservists in greek lizard camo

• Altian Police units

• BMP-3s, GAZ Tigrs, HMMWVs and Urals for the AAF

• Ka-60 and L-159 for the Altian Air Wing

• pro-western Rebels

 

Will we see pro western rebel vehicles? And perhaps an AAF T72B?

[bars91 956]

1 hour ago, R0adki11 said:

 

Will we see pro western rebel vehicles? And perhaps an AAF T72B?

 

Since he's clearly going for that "pretty much contemporary Greek/Cypriot military but not copyrighted" look, i'd say T-80U would be a better fit)

 

Spoiler

 

 

Also note that IRL Greece uses early BMP-3 model.

[Poentis.K 125]

Urals are great and all but I think some of the vanilla trucks fit better. In realistic terms their armed forces would procure weapons and systems close to home, mainly Europe. just putting that out there :P
Edit: Then again all their trucks are kamaz trucks.. which is Russian.....

 

[yevgeni89 163]

well for sake of continuity there are quite a few wrecked urals and eastern vehicles on altis /stratis so they ended up there somewhow 

[fingolfin 1972]

On 19.1.2018 at 2:18 PM, R0adki11 said:

 

Will we see pro western rebel vehicles? And perhaps an AAF T72B?

 

In the first release the pro-western rebels will only get vanilla vehicles (offroads, trucks and the Orange DLC vans). Maybe later I'll add some more retextures.

 

On 19.1.2018 at 3:36 PM, bars91 said:

 

Since he's clearly going for that "pretty much contemporary Greek/Cypriot military but not copyrighted" look, i'd say T-80U would be a better fit)

 

  Reveal hidden contents

 

 

Also note that IRL Greece uses early BMP-3 model.

 

I think the T-80UM will make an appearance in later versions.

 

17 hours ago, Poentis.K said:

Urals are great and all but I think some of the vanilla trucks fit better. In realistic terms their armed forces would procure weapons and systems close to home, mainly Europe. just putting that out there :P
Edit: Then again all their trucks are kamaz trucks.. which is Russian.....

 

 

I thought about using the vanilla trucks, but I wanted to have a truck-mounted ZU-23 as an AA-vehicle. So, I went with the Urals.

[Broseph_Stalin90 72]

Love the idea behind this, Altis needs some modern love. 

[bars91 956]

It's actually a fairly good idea lore-wise to go w vehicles based on wreck props. Well, except for the T-72A that is not present in RHS. But at least the rest are (BMP-2, BRDM-2, Urals, UAZs).

[Poentis.K 125]

17 hours ago, yevgeni89 said:

well for sake of continuity there are quite a few wrecked urals and eastern vehicles on altis /stratis so they ended up there somewhow 

Okay you just make perfect sense just now. 
 

It's actually a fairly good idea lore-wise to go w vehicles based on wreck props. Well, except for the T-72A that is not present in RHS. But at least the rest are (BMP-2, BRDM-2, Urals, UAZs).

old T-72As wrecked but that doesn't mean they weren't upgraded.

[Cumali Bey 4]

New Altian Republic also can be supported by Turkey which odds of Greece.

[Jamal Nilsson 3]

Really nice mod I will be waiting for it, but maybe instead of doing pro-western you could make nationalist rebels which will fit better in the story because the nationalist rebels will fight to unite Altis with Greece and that will make more sense.

[fingolfin 1972]

1 hour ago, Jamal Nilsson said:

Really nice mod I will be waiting for it, but maybe instead of doing pro-western you could make nationalist rebels which will fit better in the story because the nationalist rebels will fight to unite Altis with Greece and that will make more sense.

 

They are only pro-western in the sense that they are on the BluFor side and wear mostly western style uniforms. So, you can use them as nationalists if you like.

[deathwatch4 89]

Will the Western Rebels use weapons like AK's and RPG's? Or will they be more true to the style of vanilla?

[fingolfin 1972]

14 hours ago, deathwatch4 said:

Will the Western Rebels use weapons like AK's and RPG's? Or will they be more true to the style of vanilla?

 

They are mostly using weapons captured from the AAF (AKMs, M21s and a few AK-103) and some US weapons like M16A4s and M249 SAWs.

 

[wendyvonbraun 164]

Do you have any armored units in mind besides the BMP-3?

[fingolfin 1972]

On 29.1.2018 at 7:05 AM, wendyvonbraun said:

Do you have any armored units in mind besides the BMP-3?

 

Yes, a T-80UM for the AAF is planned for later versions.

 

While I'm fixing the last bugs and getting the first version ready for a release, here's a short article about the AAF:

 

Quote

The Altis Armed Forces

 

The Altis Armed Forces, in their current form, were initially established in 1946, although the first standing army of the Republic of Altis and Stratis was formed in 1928, disbanding after the German invasion in 1941. The new AAF served as an auxiliary force for British occupation forces in their fight against the communist Altis Liberation Army. After the Treaty of Split in 1949 and the subsequent withdrawal of British troops, the AAF was reorganized into a self-sustaining force consisting of three (battalion-sized) regiments, an air wing and a small naval detachment. It inherited most of its equipment from the British garrison, including 4 Daimler Dingo light armoured cars, several Bedford trucks, US-made jeeps and a variety of machine guns, mortars and a few anti-tank weapons (namely M20 Super Bazookas and a small number of PIATs).

 

During the August Crisis of 1967, the glaring deficiencies of the AAF’s military capabilities and equipment were exposed, when only a joint intervention of the UK, the USA and the Soviet Union could deter the Greek junta from taking military action. In the wake of this crisis the government, under leadership of the new President Tímon Stavrou, announced a military reform and bulk purchases of modern military equipment. In the following years the draft was expanded, and a reserve force raised to bolster the AAF’s fighting strength in the event of an invasion. Kalashnikov assault rifles, PKM machine guns and RPG-7 anti-tank weapons were ordered from the Soviet Union and Romania to replace obsolescent World War II-era small arms. D-30 howitzers and ZU-23 anti-aircraft guns formed the nucleus of the newly established artillery force.

 

The new strength of the AAF was put to the test in 1976 when the government ordered a large-scale operation against left-wing terrorists in the Altian mountains. Although the operation resulted in the arrest of two terrorist leaders and many affiliates, it took seven more years of fighting and several counter insurgency operations until the attacks against government installations died down. During these years of constant attacks and assassinations the Altian police force grew and evolved into the paramilitary organization it is today.

 

After the end of the Cold War, the Altian government seized upon falling arms prices and surplus stocks in many countries to modernize the AAF’s equipment. Kevlar helmets were purchased from the US, in addition to HMMWVs and Soviet-made Ural trucks to supplement the motor-pool.

 

In 2012, the controversial Military Modernization Contract (“Sotschi Contract”) was signed, wherein the Altian government purchased large quantities of Russian military hardware including BMP-3s, GAZ Tigr MRAPs, Ka-60 helicopters and AK-103 assault rifles for the police force. The contract also included an option for a later procurement of eight T-80UM tanks. In additional deals, M21 assault rifles were received from Serbia, ballistic vests were procured, and the Czech Republic delivered ten L-159 trainer/fighter jets for the Altian Air Wing.

 

Following the tensions after the 2014 election, the AAF prepared for civil war and its focus shifted from national defence to counter insurgency. Russian advisers instructed the Altian forces in combined arms operations and passed on their expertise from Chechnya and Syria while combat outposts were established all over the islands. By 2017 the AAF had evolved into a modern, well-trained force ready for combat.

 

Organization

 

The Altis Armed Forces fields three (battalion-sized) regiments, the Altian Air Wing and a small naval detachment.

 

The first regiment is Altis’ infantry unit, and its primary responsibility is the territorial defence of the islands. It is composed of a headquarters company, three rifle companies and a support company. Each rifle company consists of a small HQ section, a mechanized rifle platoon on BMP-3s, two motorized rifle platoons equipped with GAZ Tigr MRAPs and one weapon platoon fielding two AGS-30 grenade launchers, an anti-tank section with Carl Gustav recoilless rifles, an anti-aircraft section equipped with 9K38 Igla MANPADs and a sniper team. The support company provides mid-range fire support with 2B14 Podnos mortars and 9K133-1 Kornet-M ATGMs. In 1998, a fourth rifle company was established on Malden, called the Malden Company or M-Company.

 

The second regiment provides Altis’ primary air defence and artillery capabilities. It fields four batteries; two anti-aircraft batteries defending the airfields on Altis and Stratis with ZU-23 guns and Igla MANPADs, one battery equipped with six D-30 howitzers and a rocket artillery battery with eight BM-21 Grad launchers.

 

The third regiment functions as the main combat service support unit and consists of five operational squadrons:

· the Engineer Squadron

· the Ammunition and Explosives Squadron (with organic EOD section)

· the Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Squadron (responsible for the repair and maintenance of all AAF vehicles, generators, plant and other service equipment)

· the C2S Squadron - responsible for all communications across the Altis Armed Forces

· the AAF Training School.

 

The Air Wing consists of a headquarters squadron, an operational squadron fielding ten L-159 Alca trainer/fighter jets for air defence and close air support and four Kamov Ka-60 utility helicopters. There is also a support squadron in charge of the maintenance of the aircraft inventory, emergency firefighting, aircraft marshalling, aircraft towing, aircraft refuelling and other essential line duties.  

 

The reserve force is organized in three light infantry battalions (two on Altis, one on Malden), each consisting of:

· one HQ section

· three rifle companies (one of them motorized) each with three rifle platoons

· a support company providing fire support, a motor-pool and maintenance services.

 

Patches for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd regiment: