Armored Vehicle Launched Brigade (AVLB). The AVLBs were originally assigned
to the tank battalions.
Now the AVLBs have been placed in the engineer
battalion of the heavy division.
The division commander task organizes
these assets as he sees fit to support command operations.
AVLBs are
normally employed during assault crossings of short gaps by combined arms
teams. They are suitable for spanning the following:
o
Narrow streams.
o
Antitank ditches.
o
Craters.
o
Canals.
o
Blown bridges.
o
Similar obstacles that would slow the momentum of attack.
If the banks and the bottom of the stream of gap permit, the bridges can be
"stacked" to provide 90 to 100 feet of crossing.
Attack Helicopter Battalion.
The primary tank killer of the attack
helicopter battalion is the AH-1S COBRA/TOW, or AH-64 depending on current
fielding status of the APACHE.
The AH-64 battalions will be corps assets
and the AH-1S will be in the heavy division. The AH-1S in division offers a
range of 3,750 for the TOW.
Heavy Division and AirLand Battle
There have been a number of changes caused by the impact of AirLand Battle
doctrine and the heavy division.
We will review the significant changes
pointed out thus far in the lesson. Those changes include:
o
Single weapons systems in tank and mechanized infantry companies.
o
AVLBs moved out of armor battalions and located in the engineer
battalions.
o
8-in (SP) howitzer battalion moved to corps artillery.
o
MLRS weapons system organic to division.
These changes reflect initiatives which are designed to make the heavy
division a more effective fighting force as part of the Army of Excellence
structure in support of AirLand Battle doctrine.
So far we have covered, in depth, the organizations, capabilities,
limitations, and weapon systems of the heavy division.
We have also
discussed how the heavy division functions with respect to the Army's
AirLand Battle doctrine. Next, we will discuss the airborne division.
Airborne Division
We will present the organization, capabilities, limitations, and weapon
systems of the airborne division.
While airborne forces fight like
other infantry units, there are factors and considerations peculiar to
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