The Rhino MGS UP is a variant of NATO's Rhino MGS tank destroyer in ArmA 3. It was added with the release of the Tanks DLC.
Overview[]
- Roles:
- Tank destroyer
- Armoured assault gun
| « | The Rhino MGS is the latest wheeled tank destroyer in NATO armored forces, designed for easy transportation to crisis regions. Its lightweight 120mm main cannon can use all conventional rounds including MARUK ATGMs, which increase its effective range to 8 km. The vehicle's secondary weapon is the .338 magnum SPMG coaxial machinegun. The price paid for the Rhino's great mobility and firepower is its light armor and low supplies of ammo and fuel. The 'UP' version is equipped with a remotely operated 12.7mm HMG and improved protection, provided by a cage and reactive armor. However, with this setup, it's too bulky to fit into many transport vehicles, including the Blackfish VTOL. Field Manual
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Design[]
The Rhino UP is simply a modified variant of the Rhino MGS that has been retrofitted with additional Explosive Reactive Armour (ERA) blocks and a turret-mounted remote weapons station.
Armament
It is armed with the same 120 mm smoothbore cannon and has a coaxial .338 medium machine gun.
Like the baseline Rhino, the commander can also make use of a laser designator to mark targets independently from the main gun. The main difference on the Rhino UP is that the commander can also engage targets with the mounted 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
Its loadout for the main gun consists of 12 rounds worth of armour-piercing fin-stabilised discarding sabot (APFSDS-T), 8 high-explosive (HE-T), and 8 high-explosive anti-tank multi-purpose (HEAT-MP-T) shells. It can also load and fire MARUK anti-tank guided missiles, which are launched directly from the cannon itself.
The coaxial SPMG is pre-loaded with a 200-round belt box and has a further three belt boxes available, while the commander's HMG feeds from a single 200-round belt and only has one spare belt to reload from.
Rhino UP with all crew positions turned out. Note the additional slat cages attached to all sides of the hull.
Features
Just like its baseline counterpart, the Rhino UP shares the same ability to combine its MARUK ATGMs with other data linked vehicles. This enables it to attack laser marked targets even if the crew do not have line-of-sight of it.
But aside from the ERA blocks and having slat cages attached by default, the Rhino UP is virtually identical to its parent vehicle in almost every way. The ERA blocks mostly enhance the Rhino UP's resistance to HEAT projectiles, while the slat cages prevent explosive-based munitions from damaging exposed parts of the chassis like its wheels.
Crew Capacity
The Rhino UP has the same number of seats as the baseline Rhino; enough for the driver, a gunner, and the commander. It is also unable to transport any passengers.
Camouflage[]
- Green: Standard flat olive green paint scheme. Any camo nets applied on the Rhino UP's hull or turret will use a two-tone woodland camouflage pattern scheme.
- Sand: Pattern-less dark tan paint scheme. Modifies all camo nets attached to the Rhino UP to use a two-tone desert camouflage pattern scheme.
Protection[]
The Rhino UP has a base armour value of 480. It relies on both Composite Armour plating and Explosive Reactive Armour blocks. Optionally, it is able to mount addon armour in the form of Slat cages.
The ERA blocks are installed onto the front of the hull and all sides of the turret (save for the front). Slat cages can also be attached onto both sides and rear of the hull, though none can be fitted onto the turret itself.
The following highlighted positions serve as weak points on the Rhino UP:
Note that in order to inflict actual damage, a munition must first penetrate through the surrounding armour plates and directly hit the component's weak point. Any strikes on non-highlighted parts will cause little (if any) noticeable damage.
Hull[]
The hull can resist up to 672 points of damage. Will cause a catastrophic kill if fully depleted.
| Munition type | Damage reduction (%) | Velocity reduction (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Armour Piercing | None | 10 |
| High-Explosive | 80* | 50 |
| High-Explosive Anti-Tank | 80* | 80 |
| Tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank | 80* | 10 |
(*) Reductions only apply to the explosive component of the munition i.e. Tandem HEAT explosive charge
If the hull has been compromised, no reductions will be applied to the velocity/raw damage of incoming projectiles.
Hull ERA[]
Only the front of the hull is protected by an array of ERA blocks. These blocks are able to withstand up to 200 points of damage.
| Munition type | Damage reduction (%) | Velocity reduction (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Armour Piercing | N/A* | 35 |
| High-Explosive | None | None |
| High-Explosive Anti-Tank | N/A* | 99 |
| Tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank | N/A* | 35 |
(*) Damage reductions are not listed here as the ERA block instantly destroys the projectile upon contact which automatically negates all damage
Each of the blocks take 200% additional damage from high-explosive (HE) type munitions. No damage inflicted upon them will be shared with the Rhino's "health" pool, however.
Upon detonation, ERA blocks must be manually replaced by hand or with the help of a logistics vehicles.
Hull Slat[]
When installed, slat cages protect all sides of the hull. They can take up to 200 points of damage before they break.
The cages incur a 200% increased damage penalty from HE-type munitions. If the cages are broken, they will no longer protect the hull and must be refitted either by hand or with the help of logistics.
Engine[]
The engine can survive 768 points of damage. Only 10% of incoming damage on the engine is transferred onto the Rhino UP's "health" pool. It takes 50% less damage from HE-type munitions.
It will not cause a catastrophic kill by itself unless the Rhino UP is critically damaged.
If damaged: Reduces power output, acceleration is decreased and it may become impossible to climb uphill.
If destroyed: Immobilises the Rhino UP.
Fuel tank[]
The fuel tank can resist up to 480 points of damage before failing. 30% of incoming damage onto the fuel tank is always shared with the Rhino UP's "health" pool. It takes 40% less damage from HE-type munitions.
A destroyed fuel tank will not result in a catastrophic kill unless the Rhino UP is at critical "health" status.
If damaged: Gradually leak fuel over time.
If destroyed: Causes it to rapidly lose its entire fuel capacity in just a few seconds.
Wheels[]
All eight wheels are able to withstand up to 250 points of damage. They are susceptible to small arms fire and take 400% extra damage from HE-type damage. No amount of damage inflicted is shared with the Rhino UP's "health" pool, however.
Destroying all of the Rhino UP's wheels will be needed to immobilise it. Depending on which and how many are remaining, it is entirely possible for the Rhino UP to continue driving even if half of its tyres are missing (though the number of tyres remaining must be evenly balanced on both sides).
Turret[]
The turret can resist up to 384 points worth of damage. No amount of damage incurred is shared with the Rhino UP's main "health" pool.
| Munition type | Damage reduction (%) | Velocity reduction (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Armour Piercing | None | 10 |
| High-Explosive | 80* | 50 |
| High-Explosive Anti-Tank | 80* | 80 |
| Tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank | 80* | 10 |
(*) Reductions only apply to the explosive component of the munition i.e. Tandem HEAT explosive charge
If the turret's armour has been compromised, no reductions will be applied to the velocity/raw damage of incoming projectiles.
Turret ERA[]
A set of ERA blocks shield the turret's top, sides and rear (excluding the front). Each of the blocks are able to take up to 200 points of damage.
| Munition type | Damage reduction (%) | Velocity reduction (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Armour Piercing | N/A* | 35 |
| High-Explosive | None | None |
| High-Explosive Anti-Tank | N/A* | 99 |
| Tandem High-Explosive Anti-Tank | N/A* | 35 |
(*) Damage reductions are not listed here as the ERA block instantly destroys the projectile upon contact which automatically negates all damage
ERA blocks incur a 200% extra damage penalty from HE-type munitions. However, no damage inflicted onto them will be shared with the Rhino's main "health" pool.
If any of the blocks are detonated, they must be manually reinstalled or refitted with the aid of a logistics vehicle.
Gun barrel[]
The turret's gun barrel can resist 480 points of damage before failing. No damage inflicted on this component is transferred onto the Rhino UP's "health" pool.
Destroying this component will lock the barrel and prevent the gunner position from adjusting its elevation/depression. It should also be noted that unlike the turret, the barrel is only capable of reducing 60% of incoming damage from HE-type munitions.
Commander HMG[]
The commander's turret can only resist against 240 points of damage. It is fully susceptible to all kinds of damage. No damage is inflicted onto this turret is shared with the Rhino UP's "health" pool, however.
Disabling this component will prevent the commander from being able to utilise the mounted heavy machine gun.
Sensors[]
The Rhino UP is outfitted with two passive-type sensors:
| Sensor type | Max range (Air/Ground) | Min range (Air/Ground) | Affected by environment? | Target max speed (km/h) | Azimuth coverage (°) | Elevation coverage (°) | Friendly identification range (m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Link | A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
A: 16,000 m G: 16,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 360° | 360° | 0 m |
| Laser | A: 6,000 m G: 6,000 m |
A: 6,000 m G: 6,000 m |
Nothing | 1e+10 km/h | 180° | 180° | 0 m |
Data Link[]
The Rhino UP is data link-enabled and can obtain the location of laser designator spots and the positions of allied data-linked vehicles.
Note that the Rhino UP can receive the location of spotted contacts from other vehicles but cannot actually transmit targets that it sees. It is also unable to distinguish between friendly and hostile contacts.
Laser Sensor[]
The Rhino UP's Laser Sensor is embedded within the main turret. It is (mostly) forward-facing, therefore laser spots will only be visible on the SENSORS panel when the Rhino UP is facing in the direction of the laser spot.
Components[]
- Slat Cage (Hull): Attached by default. Cages surround the entire hull except for the turret. Slat cages will protect the Rhino UP from non-AP munitions but can be destroyed after multiple hits.
- Camo Net (Hull): Drapes most of the hull with camouflage netting (except for the crew hatches). Partially conceals covered sections from thermal sensors.
- Camo Net (Turret): Identical to the Hull camouflage netting, but for the turret instead. Most of the turret (including the barrel) is covered, though certain components like the commander's RWS turret are left exposed.
Armament[]
NOTE: For specifics on the Cannon 120 mm's munitions, see its related section listed here.
The Rhino UP's gunner operates the Cannon 120 mm and SPMG .338 machine gun while the commander controls the RCWS HMG 12.7 mm.
For optics, both the gunner and commander have access to three fields of view and can toggle a day, night or green-/black-hot thermal vision modes:
Cannon 120 mm[]
120 mm smoothbore gun.
It can load conventional AP/HE-type shells or gun-launched laser-guided ATGMs. Swapping between "magazines" or reloading a shell/missile takes 6 seconds to complete. Accuracy-wise, it has a dispersion of 0.00057 rad.
The Fire Control System can automatically adjust zeroing/lead on targets moving at speeds of 90 km/h or less. There is an imposed delay of 1 second before the FCS can finish calculating. The gunner can also choose to manually zero the gun, though it is only available in increments of 100 m that go up to a maximum of 4000 m.
It should be noted that neither the FCS nor manual zeroing has an effect on the range or accuracy of gun-launched ATGMs.
SPMG .338[]
| Base damage value | Aerodynamic friction | Initial velocity (m/s) | Penetration depth (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | -0.00061 | 807 | 21.79 |
Coaxial .338 medium machine gun.
The SPMG can attain a fire rate of up to ~ 699 RPM and has a muzzle velocity of 807 m/s. Accuracy-wise, it has a dispersion of 0.0014 rad at all ranges. It takes 10 seconds to reload a fresh belt or to fully rearm from a logistics vehicle.
The FCS can auto-adjust zeroing but does not automatically lead against targets. It can also be manually zeroed. However, both automatic and manual zeroing is restricted to a hard cap of 1500 m (adjustments are still made with increments/decrements of 100 m). This 1500 m cap cannot be exceeded even by the FCS.
RCWS HMG 12.7 mm[]
| Base damage value | Aerodynamic friction | Initial velocity (m/s) | Penetration depth (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | -0.00086 | 910 | 35.49 |
Remote-controlled 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
The RCWS HMG can attain a fire rate of up to 600 RPM and requires 20 seconds to reload a fresh box. Accuracy-wise, it has a fixed dispersion of 0.0012 rad regardless of distance.
The FCS is only able to automatically zero on stationary targets and requires 1 second to finish adjusting. Manual zeroing is also possible, though only in increments/decrements of 100 m (up to a maximum of 2000 m).
Achievements[]
- From Within
- Spend a total of three hours inside the Rhino MGS UP as either the driver, commander or gunner (in real-world seconds/hours). The hours can be accumulated over time and does not have to performed in a single session.
- Can be gained in either singleplayer or multiplayer scenarios.
Trivia[]
- Like its parent model, the Rhino UP is based on the real-world "Rooikat" AFV designed by Land Systems OMC of South Africa (specifically the experimental, 120 mm gun-armed "Medium Turret Technology Demonstrator" or MTTD for short).[1]
- Despite what its Field Manual entry states, the Rhino UP does not actually have any issues with being loaded into the Vehicle Transport variant of the Blackfish VTOL.
- Oddly enough, the UP variant does not make use of the same Mk30 HMG mounted on M2A4 Slammer UP MBTs for its remote weapons station and uses an exposed turret design armed with the older M2 instead.
- When the Tanks DLC was first launched, the Rhino UP's commander could clip outside of the vehicle's hull in specific stances (and could be killed by small arms fire if they were exposed in this way).[2]
- Before the free Encore Update was released for the Jets DLC, the Rhino UP was not given access to a Laser Sensor and was reliant on other Data Link-capable platforms to relay the location of laser spots back to the vehicle's crew. Its Laser Sensor was eventually restored with the patch's release (as part of Game Update 1.84).[3]
- Following an overhaul to ArmA 3's thermal imaging systems in Game Update 2.10, the commander's terminal now properly renders its display in green-/black-hot thermal vision when either mode is activated and the user isn't "looking" through it (previously the display could only render in white- and black-hot).[4]
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ Venter, D 2018, Rooikat, Tank Encyclopedia, viewed 13 March 2024, <https://tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/south_africa/rooikat.php>.
- ↑ Kovařič, V 2018, SPOTREP #00080, Arma 3, viewed 2 February 2024, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00080>.
- ↑ Kovařič, V 2018, SPOTREP #00081, Arma 3, viewed 2 February 2024, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00081>.
- ↑ van 't Land, J.J. 2022, SPOTREP #00105, Arma 3, viewed 23 April 2023, <https://dev.arma3.com/post/spotrep-00105>.
External links[]
See also[]
Variants[]
Vehicles of comparable role and configuration[]
- AMV-7 Marshall (Wheeled NATO IFV counterpart)
- Stryker MGS (U.S. Army predecessor, ArmA 2: OA only)
 NATO - Vehicles (ArmA 3)
| |
|---|---|
| Wheeled | AMV-7 Marshall • HEMTT • Hunter • Prowler • Quadbike • Rhino MGS (UP) • UGV Stomper |
| Tracked | CRV-6e Bobcat • ED-1D Pelter (ED-1E Roller) • IFV-6a Cheetah • IFV-6c Panther • M2A1 Slammer (A4 UP) • M4 Scorcher • M5 Sandstorm |
| Rotor-wing | AH-9 Pawnee • AH-99 Blackfoot • AL-6 Pelican • AR-2 Darter • CH-67 Huron • MH-9 Hummingbird • MQ-12 Falcon • UH-80 Ghost Hawk |
| Fixed-wing | A-164 Wipeout • F/A-181 Black Wasp II • MQ-4A Greyhawk • UCAV Sentinel • V-44X Blackfish |
| Aquatic | Assault Boat (Rescue) • Speedboat Minigun • SDV |
| (Parenthesis) denote variants. Helicopters DLC | Apex DLC | Jets DLC | Laws of War DLC | Tanks DLC | Contact DLC | |