The Stinger (alternately referred to as the AA Pod or AA Launcher) is a static anti-aircraft turret featured in ArmA: Armed Assault and ArmA 2.
ArmA: Armed Assault[]
The AA Pod is used by both U.S. Army forces and the SLA in ArmA: Armed Assault.
Overview[]
The AA Pod is a defensive, surface-to-air missile turret that launches infrared-guided missiles.
It can launch Stinger missiles at a rate of one every 4 seconds (~ 15 rounds per minute). An additional nine 2-round missiles are available in reserve, providing a total of twenty missiles per launcher.
Upon depletion of all reserve missiles, it will take at least 5 seconds for U.S. Army AA Pods to rearm from a supply truck. SLA AA Pods on the other hand, will need up to 30 seconds to fully restock all missiles from logistics vehicles.
Optics[]
The AA Pod's sight has variable zoom magnification. It is not possible activate any enhanced vision modes, but the sight does allow for the user to wear their night vision goggles whilst looking through it.
Munitions[]
The AA Pod is only capable of loading and firing one type of missile:
| Damage type | Base damage value |
|---|---|
| High-Explosive | 70 |
Stinger missiles are launched with an initial velocity of 5 m/s and require a further 2.5 seconds of flight time to attain a maximum speed of 800 m/s. The missiles utilise a high-explosive (HE) warhead that has a blast radius of 7 metres.
Trivia[]
- The in-game Stinger's setup is based on a real-life configuration dubbed as the "Dual Mount Stinger" by the Hughes Missile Systems Company (now owned by Raytheon Missile Systems).
- The AA Pod was not originally available at release and was only added after Patch 1.14 (alongside the introduction of the Warfare game mode).[1]
- Like the AT Tripod, it is also shared with the SLA even though the Stinger is clearly an American-made weapon.
- For unknown reasons, the SLA's AA Pod specifically has a 30 second reload time compared to the U.S. Army's AA Pod which only needs 5 seconds to complete the process (a 500% increase).[2] It's unclear if this was a deliberate design choice or was an oversight.
Gallery[]
ArmA 2[]
| « | The Stinger is a man-portable, shoulder-fired anti-aircraft guided missile system designed to defeat low-altitude air targets. The system is a fire-and-forget missile with a passive infrared seeker and IFF (Identification-Friend-or-Foe) system. The latest versions have improved range, maneuverability and significant countermeasures immunity. The Stinger anti air missile pod is a support device which heavily reduces the supersonic wave drag. Armoury Description
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» |
The Stinger is used by both the U.S. Marines and U.S. Army forces in ArmA 2.
Overview[]
Returning from Armed Assault, the Stinger's stats and overall functionality remains mostly unchanged. The only real difference is that Stinger turrets are now exclusive to BLUFOR and are no longer shared with REDFOR factions.
Each launcher still comes pre-loaded with two missiles and has access to a further nine more reloads (for a total of twenty SAMs). Like its predecessor, it will take at least 5 seconds to fully rearm the turret from a supply truck.
The Stinger's 70 mm missiles are still fitted with HE warheads but are capable of hitting target at ranges of up to 4,000 metres away. The turret can be freely rotated in any direction horizontally but is restricted to a maximum elevation of 120 degrees and a depression of just 10 degrees.
The Stinger pod still shares the exact same performance metrics as its handheld counterpart in ArmA 2. The only difference is that it is (obviously) static and cannot be carried over the user's shoulder or unpacked into a man-portable backpack form. However, as it isn't constrained by the need to "store" backup missiles within the user's inventory, the Stinger pod can house more than just two extra missiles at a time.
For comparison, only the M6 Linebacker and HMMWV Avenger carry an equal (or more) Stinger missiles. Against countermeasure-equipped aircraft, the static Stinger pod's extra missiles will give it an advantage over handheld Stinger launchers.
Optics[]
The Stinger's sight has variable zoom magnification. It cannot toggle enhanced vision modes, but the user is able to activate their night vision goggles while attempting to aim at targets with it.
Munitions[]
The Stinger is capable of firing only one type of missile:
| Damage type | Base damage value |
|---|---|
| High-Explosive | 70 |
Stinger missiles are fired with an initial velocity of 40 m/s. The motor will ignite 0.2 seconds after launch, and take an additional 2 seconds to reach a top speed of 750 m/s.
The warheads utilise a high-explosive (HE) payload with a blast radius of 8 metres. The seeker has a 20% chance of losing lock to countermeasures.
Trivia[]
- Following the latest Steam version patches as part of the Community Configuration Project update, ArmA 2's Stinger pods were generically renamed to "AA Pod" (for USMC Stingers) and the "AA Launcher" (for U.S. Army versions).[3]
- Prior to the latest CorePatch updates, AI units manning Stinger turrets would have their hearing ranges and vision ranges sharply cut (temporarily).[4]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Španěl, M et al. 2007, ArmA: Armed Assault: Version History, Bohemia Interactive Community Wiki, viewed 2 November 2023, <https://community.bistudio.com/wiki/ArmA:_Armed_Assault:_Version_History#Version_1.14>.
- ↑ ARMA: Armed Assault 2007 [Video Game], Bohemia Interactive a.s., \ca\cti_buildings\stinger_stat\config.bin, CfgWeapons >> AALauncher_twice >> magazineReloadTime
- ↑ Foltyn, D, Španěl, M et al. 2013, Roadmap - Arma 2: Community Configuration Project, DevHeaven, viewed 2 November 2023, <http://web.archive.org/web/20130627131748/https://dev-heaven.net/projects/arma-2-ccp/roadmap>. (archived link)
- ↑ Mazzon, M et al. 2019, CorePatch, GitHub, viewed 2 November 2023, <https://github.com/Goliath86/CorePatch/blob/master/Changelog.txt>.
External links[]
See also[]
Static weapons of comparable role and configuration[]
- RBS-70 (ACR counterpart, ArmA 2: ACR only)
- Igla AA Pod (Russian Armed Forces/Takistani Army counterpart)
- Static Titan Launcher (NATO/CSAT/AAF counterpart, ArmA 3 only)
| Weapons of ArmA: Armed Assault | |
|---|---|
| Handguns | M9 9 mm • Makarov 9 mm |
| Submachine guns | MP5A5 9 mm |
| Carbines | AKS-74U 5.45 mm • M4A1 5.56 mm (M4A1 GL, M4, M4 GL) |
| Assault rifles | AK-74 5.45 mm (AK-74 + GP-25, AKS-74 PSO) • G36 series (G36, G36C, G36K) • M16A2 5.56 mm (M16A2 + M203) • M16A4 5.56 mm (M16A4 M203) |
| Designated marksman rifles | Mk12 SPR 5.56 mm |
| Sniper rifles | KSVK 12.7 mm • M107 .50 • M24 7.62 mm • SVD Dragunov 7.62 mm |
| Squad automatic weapons | M249 SAW 5.56 mm |
| Machineguns | M240 7.62 mm • PKM 7.62 mm |
| Grenade launchers | 6G30 |
| Launchers | 9K32 Strela • FIM-92F Stinger • Javelin Launcher • M136 • RPG-7V |
| Static | AA Pod • AT Tripod • AGS-30 • D-30 • DShKM • M2 • M119A1 • Mk. 19 • Searchlight |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. Queen's Gambit | |
 U.S. Army - Armoury (ArmA: Armed Assault)
| |
|---|---|
| Handguns | M9 9 mm* |
| Submachine guns | MP5A5 9 mm |
| Carbines | G36 series* (G36C*, G36K*) • M4A1 5.56 mm* (M4A1 GL*, M4, M4 GL) |
| Assault rifles | G36 5.56 mm • M16A4 5.56 mm (M16A4 M203) |
| Designated marksman rifles | Mk12 SPR 5.56 mm* |
| Sniper rifles | M107 .50 • M24 7.62 mm |
| Squad automatic weapons | M249 SAW 5.56 mm* |
| Machineguns | M240 7.62 mm |
| Launchers | FIM-92F Stinger • Javelin Launcher • M136 |
| Static | AA Pod • AT Tripod • M2 • M119A1 • Mk. 19 • Searchlight |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. * denotes weapons also used by the Black Element sub-faction. | |
 SLA - Armoury (ArmA: Armed Assault)
| |
|---|---|
| Handguns | Makarov 9 mm |
| Carbines | AKS-74U 5.45 mm* |
| Assault rifles | AK-74 5.45 mm (AK-74 + GP-25, AKS-74 PSO) |
| Sniper rifles | KSVK 12.7 mm • SVD Dragunov 7.62 mm |
| Grenade launchers | 6G30 |
| Machineguns | PKM 7.62 mm* |
| Launchers | RPG-7V* • Strela-2 9K32 |
| Static | AA Pod • AT Tripod • AGS-30 • D-30 • DShKM • Searchlight |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. * denotes weapons also used by the Resistance sub-faction. Queen's Gambit | |
 USMC - Armoury (ArmA 2)
| |
|---|---|
| Handguns | M1911 .45 • M9 9 mm |
| Submachine guns | MP5 9 mm |
| Shotguns | M1014 |
| Carbines | M4A1 5.56 mm (M4A1 M203) |
| Assault rifles | M16A4 5.56 mm (M16A4 M203) |
| Designated marksman rifles | DMR 7.62 mm • Mk12 SPR 5.56 mm |
| Sniper rifles | M107 .50 • M24 7.62 mm (M40A3) |
| Squad automatic weapons | M249 SAW 5.56 mm |
| Machineguns | Mk 48 Mod 0 7.62 mm • M240 7.62 mm |
| Launchers | FGM-148 Javelin • FIM-92F Stinger • M136 • SMAW |
| Static | M2 • M252 • Mk19 • M119A1 • Searchlight • Stinger • TOW |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. | |
 U.S. Army - Armoury (ArmA 2)
| |
|---|---|
| Handguns | G17 9 mm • M1911 .45 • M9 9 mm |
| Submachine guns | PDW 9 mm |
| Shotguns | M1014 |
| Carbines | Mk16 CQC 5.56 mm |
| Assault rifles | SCAR series (Mk16, Mk16 EGLM, Mk17, Mk17 EGLM) |
| Designated marksman rifles | M14 7.62 mm • Mk17 Sniper 7.62 mm |
| Sniper rifles | M107 .50 • M110 7.62 mm • M24 7.62 mm |
| Squad automatic weapons | M249 SAW 5.56 mm |
| Machineguns | Mk 48 Mod 0 7.62 mm • M240 7.62 mm |
| Grenade launchers | M32 • Mk13 |
| Launchers | FGM-148 Javelin • FIM-92F Stinger • M136 • MAAWS |
| Static | M2 • M252 • Mk19 • M119A1 • Searchlight • Stinger • TOW |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. Operation Arrowhead | |