21st Century U.S. Military Manuals: Opposing Force OPFOR Worldwide Equipment Guide (WEG) Part 3 - Ground Systems - Reconnaissance, including Russian, Chinese, U.S., Sensors, Radar, UAV, Night Vision

This illustrated Worldwide Equipment Guide (WEG) describes the spectrum of worldwide systems and system trends in the Contemporary Operational Environment (COE), serving as an authoritative "encyclopedia" of weapons around the world. This is the newest edition revised in 2011. This handbook is one of a series that describes a contemporary Opposing Force (OPFOR) for training U.S. Military commanders, staffs, and units. Together, these handbooks outline an OPFOR than can cover the entire spectrum of military and paramilitary capabilities against which the U.S. Military must train to ensure success in any future conflict.

Part Three includes the section of Volume One covering reconnaissance.

Contents: CHAPTER 4 - RECONNAISSANCE * Table: RISTA Systems: Key Technology Trends * Reconnaissance Vehicles * BRDM-2 Armored Scout Car * BRDM-2M-98 and BRDM-2M-97 ASCs * BRM-1K Combat Recon Command Vehicle * BRM-3K Combat Recon Command Vehicle * Fox Armored Scout Car * HJ-62C Sensor Reconnaissance Vehicle * VBL and VBL Mk2 Armored Scout Cars * Reconnaissance Systems * Sensor Technologies for Ground Forces * Fara-1E Ground Surveillance Radar * PSNR-5, PSNR-5M, and Kredo-M1GSRs * Kredo-1E Ground Surveillance Radar * Sophie LR Thermal Binoculars/FO System

Reconnaissance represents all measures associated with organizing, collecting, and studying information on the enemy, terrain, and weather in the area of upcoming battles. Aggressive, continuous reconnaissance allows the timely accomplishment of combat missions with minimum losses. Poor reconnaissance can lead directly to failure. The OPFOR term which addresses the totality of reconnaissance activities is RISTA (reconnaissance, intelligence, surveillance, and target acquisition). Thus RISTA does not equal the U.S. term C4ISR (command, control, communications, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance). The OPFOR commits significant resources to any reconnaissance mission. Prior to the beginning of hostilities, the OPFOR will already have developed an intelligence picture and expected military courses of actions. Similar intelligence and reconnaissance disciplines (HUMINT, SIGINT, IMINT, etc.) available to U.S. forces are also available to the OPFOR, albeit with different assets, focuses, and methodologies.