Hunter/Killer (Recon)

There's no confusion about it - the goal of an ambush or "Hunter Killer" mission is to get the kill count going. Usually, a team will infiltrate the AO and seek to eliminate a certain number of enemies depending on the mission requirement dictated by the strategic situation. There are few ways to conduct an ambush mission in Recon and it is entirely up to the team commander to make the call on the execution. Kill Cards will be awarded for taking no damage.

**Killcard Unlock:** Extract without a scratch *(Note: Bringing Rangers with less than 100HP will **NOT** award you the kill card, even if you have taken 0 damage, so make sure all your Rangers have 100hp before inserting.)*

## Tactics

**Hunting Party:** This is where the team once on the ground will actively seek the enemy, either by following tracks or navigating to a point of interest where the enemy is likely to gravitate. This variation is slightly more aggressive since the team is on the move and may potentially walk into more trouble than initially anticipated. This approach is suitable for cold AOs (Area of operations where the heat level is relatively low). In order to maximise the chance of success, a hunter/killer mission needs to be performed with maximum speed and aggression followed by a quick evac.

**Killzone:** Once the team hits the LZ, the commander assesses the ground and determines a suitable kill zone where the enemy can be funneled for maximum effectiveness. Claymores will be set in accordance with the reality on the ground and also cover the team's rear. Once the enemy walks in the kill zone the team will quickly dispatch the enemy, strip the bodies of intel and extract. This is the safest method of conducting an ambush. Depending on your area and your tactical situation, a squad leader may want to set nearby the LZ and hope to catch any QRF dispatched to investigate the commotion.

**Target of opportunity:** This is an unplanned contact with a mobile enemy force resulting in the number of kills required in order to complete the mission at hand. Contact ambushes are tricky since the initiative can be seized by the enemy as much as the team on the ground. With the lethality of the weapons carried by both parties and the nature of jungle warfare, it comes down most of the time to who sees who first. The result is usually danger close encounters.  Often these encounters present very volatile situations that can turn into a disaster fairly quickly if not managed with utmost tactical sense with regard to fire and movement dealing with the actual terrain at that given time. It goes without saying that this course of action shouldn't be part of your best-case scenario.

**Hit Squad:** Load up your four-man team with as much gear as they can carry - heavy weapons, grenades, LAWs, smoke for support airstrikes, extra ammo. Go in o the AO with no intent of staying Covert. Use the Covert/Overt manual switch to run your squad around quickly, mercilessly hunting the enemy with superior firepower or drawing them ni to four machine gun barrels in a tight space. Can also be used in conjunction with Bird Dog runs to assault enemy emplacements with shock-and-awe grenade barrages or support runs. The goal with this tactic is to keep the enemy pinned or dead so that they never have the opportunity to fire a shot at you, and then evacuate quickly before the QRF shows up. Not advisable in missions with a large enemy QRF response force or a well-equipped enemy force

## Tips n Tricks

* Every hunter-killer mission will have ablack trail generated. Once spotted, a group of VC will walk along the trail, in accordance with the direction in faces. It's a great idea to set up traps such as Claymores, M16A2 Bounding Mine, M86 Pursuit Deterrent Munition & M14 Anti Personnel Mines along the trail.
* Once the black trail has been spotted by your Rangers, the patrol group will rapidly spawn at its start and will walk the along the trail. The enemies will spawn on the edge of the AO, so if you spot the trail on the edge of the AO, and the footprints face inwards, it is recommended to avoid the trail & regroup after. If the footprints face out towards the AO, you will have plenty of time to set up.
* It has been observed that there are 1 group of enemies that will constantly walk along the trail in the same formation. If you kill 3 of the enemies and miss 2, the VC will come back after reaching the end of the AO and will spawn back on the other side, they will keep doing this. It is noted that the enemies can spread out as far as your camera from the black trail, so spread out accordingly.
* The black trail will not always generate all the enemies you need to kill, and you may still have to seek out other enemies. Since enemies tend to spawn guarding assets, it can be useful to call Bird Dog to find them. Another possibility is making a fuss (shooting or blowing something up) and ambushing the responding enemy QRF.
* It is not recommended to do hunter/killer when the kill requirement is disproportionately high compared to the current heat score. Hunter killer missions will often generate the bare minimum amount of enemies required to kill. If the requirement is too high, this can result in a lengthy patrol as you scour the map for any signs of life.