Ahoyy
| Ahoyy tactics | |
|---|---|
 Ahoyy deployment in east Charnea, 1983 | |
| Era | Modern |
| Battlespace | Land |
| Type | Counterinsurgency |
| Notable uses | Akzay War |
The Ahoyy is a counterinsurgency tactic of the Charnean Army first developed in response to the Agala War, refined over the course of the Akzay War, and evolving further in recent conflicts in the Charnean far-east. In Charnean military parlance, an Ahoyy (from the Tamashek word for "hunt") can be any form of military operation in which a mobile force is used to run down and destroy an enemy formation. Ahoyy tactics are a variation of the search and destroy strategy for tracking, trapping and destroying mobile enemy forces active in the countryside and the desert wilderness of Charnea which could otherwise evade unfavorable engagements. The term was originally used for the counterinsurgent raids of the Agala War which used ground-based forces ranging from camelry to A45 Torka armored car units as the main components of the hunt. However, the Charnean Army quickly embraced the use of helicopters and transport aircraft for Ahoyy missions almost immediately after the Agala War. An Ahoyy operation can be used to reinforce an ongoing battle, typically an enemy raid on a convoy or isolated outpost, or to mop-up enemy forces which are attempting to withdraw from a confrontation with an ICA ground formation. However, the quintessential Ahoyy and the tactic to which the term best applies are rapid offensive strikes against enemy formations not engaged in any battle and which have been detected by scouts, aerial reconnaissance or by means of satellite imagery.
The Charnean Army's Ahoyy operations have contributed to a number of innovations in tactics and technology. Early Ahoyys were some of the first ever helicopter air assault operations ever preformed, employing some of the very earliest models of transport rotorcraft designed for military applications. Today, the employment of the modernized Ahoyy tactic by the Charnean counterinsurgency forces makes use of newer and more capable helicopters and fixed wing aircraft, modern precision weapons, drone technology, and even satellite surveillance.
In the majority of wars in modern Charnean history have been asymmetric conflicts in which various rebel forces in different parts of the country have generally employed a similar strategy. The most common tactic used by forces opposing the Charnean government and the ICA security forces has been to carry out hit-and-run attacks, avoiding the powerful ICA ground formations, inflicting damage on the ICA military infrastructure and the Charnean economy, and incurring casualties on the state security forces all while taking advantage of the vast and barren wilderness that covers most of Charnea's land area to evade counter-attacks and hide base areas and strongholds. In order to effectively combat rebel forces employing such tactics, the ICA must utilize forces capable of responding rapidly to an attack or report of insurgent activity, crossing vast distances across desert and xeric scrubland where there are few roads, and operating from remote bases with minimal infrastructure. Units properly outfitted for Ahoyy operations fit all of these requirements, mobilizing an immediate response to the enemy with very little preparation time that is capable of striking even up to 100 kilometers away in a matter of minutes, all requiring no more than a modest airstrip as a springboard for the operation.
Baskets
The basic unit of an Ahoyy operation is called a 'basket' (tikeba), an irregular sub-unit smaller than the typical hewwa 12-man infantry squad of the Charnean Army. The need for infantry Baskets came from the limited space aboard the light helicopters and aircraft available to the Charnean Army which were often too small to carry a full squad and their equipment. Each Basket consists of a team leader, a machine-gunner, a grenadier-rifleman and a medic-rifleman, which together fulfill all of the critical functions of a Charnean infantry unit with the minimum possible number of soldiers. In Basket units of the modern ICA, the leader and both riflemen are armed with AK-54C automatic carbines while the machine-gunner is equipped with the KZ Zabik SAW. The Basket leader is equipped with a radio and coordinates with other Baskets and the overall commander of the Ahoyy operation, the machine-gunner is able to engage the enemy with sustained automatic fire, the grenadier-rifleman is able to engage the enemy in cover or low-lying terrain and the medic-rifleman satisfies the ICA doctrinal requirement for all independent formations to have such medical personnel.
The Baskets deploy to the target area through a variety of means. The most common is by a transport helicopter which can carry 1-2 infantry Baskets depending on the type and size of the helicopter. Depending on the terrain, the disposition and number of the enemy, and the available aircraft, paratroopers are sometimes used as infantry Baskets in an Ahoyy operation. When ICA paratroopers are used in an Ahoyy, they are often dispatched some time after the helicopters take off so that the paradrop will arrive at the target at roughly the same time as the helicopters. Ahoyy paradrops take place at low-altitude and in very close order such that the paratrooper Baskets will be able to form up on the ground and engage the enemy within one minute of the start of the drop.
The primary role the Baskets play in the Ahoyy is that of a blocking force that envelops the enemy, and either pins them down in combat or otherwise prevents them from leaving the area. Ahoyy operations almost always take place on sections of terrain that the commander has never personally seen due to the immensity of the Charnean landscape. Therefore, maps and reconnaissance imagery are used to plan to the deployment of Baskets overlooking trails or other likely paths the enemy might take as well as any available high ground presenting a favorable vantage point. This allows the Baskets to fully encircle the enemy and create a 'cauldron' which can be liquidated with the use of air strikes and fire support from helicopter gunships. The Baskets can then narrow their enveloping cordon, mopping up scattered enemy infantrymen and calling in aerial fire support to reduce any stubborn pockets of enemy resistance and especially to destroy enemy vehicles that they can identify. This is particularly important in scrubland environments where it is possible to conceal significant encampments, bunkers and heavy equipment from aerial detection, requiring infantry on the ground to identify targets and direct air attacks.