Close Quarter Battle
From Airsoft Community Wiki
Close Quarters Battle(CQB) or Close Quarters Combat (CQC) is the type of fighting in which small 4 or 5 man teams engage the enemy at very short range, even sometimes to the point of hand-to-hand combat. In the typical CQB scenario, the attackers try a very fast, violent takeover of a or structure controlled by the defenders, who usually have no easy way to withdraw. Because enemies, hostages/civilians, and fellow operators can be closely intermingled, CQB demands a rapid assault and a precise application of lethal force. The operators need great proficency with their weapons, but also the ability to make split-second decisions in order to limit friendly casualties.
CQB is one one of the main airsoft playing styles (the other main one being Woodland).
Contents |
Fundementals
Surprise
The objective is to complete all offensive action before the party being engaged is able to react. To gain this element of surprise, the entry teams use stealth movement and noise/light discipline to get as close to the targets as possible, hopefully putting themselves in a position to engage an enemy from the moment he becomes aware of them. Some larger teams use sniper rifles to remove sentries and allow the main team to enter undetected.
Aggressive entry speed and excesive fire are the best ways to secure an area and keep frendly casualties to a minimum, commonly referred to as "spray and pray" tactics. Explosive room clearing tactics can also be used to soften up a heavely defented area by using BFG's, smokes and thunderflashes.
Methods of entry
When law enforcement clears a building, they usually work in a slow and deliberate manner using ballistic shields and mirrors for searching. These same tactics can be used for airsoft teams in their attacks. This affords the highest degree of safety and security as well minimalising the threat of friendly fire or killing hostages.
However, against determined, well-armed opponents who fight in concert to defend an area and keep it under their control, slow stop-and-go movement can cause the deaths of many attackers and hostages. That leads to dynamic entry, used in military operations or hostage rescues. It is the popular image of CQB: a flood of gunmen who burst in without warning and attempt to seize the area. Dynamic entry tactics must be rapid and aggressive, ideally a continuous flow using overwhelming force that does not stop until the threat is eliminated.
In the vast majority of hostage rescue and other dynamic CQB operations, it is desirable to use multiple simultaneous attacks from different entry points to overload the target's ability to react effectively. The more entry points the attackers can choose from, the better their chances.
Speed
Once the assault begins, the team must gain control before the target understands what is happening and can prepare an effective defense or mount a counterattack. The defenders sometimes have a contingency plan that could cause the attack to fail instantly, such as killing hostages, detonating bombs, or destroying evidence. If they can execute an organized plan, such as falling back into a prepared stronghold, or breaking through the perimeter, the possibility of friendly casualties increases. Speed is achieved through well-designed tactics, such as gaining proximity with an undetected approach and the use of multiple entry points.
Note that the need for speed does not necessarily translate to individual operators choosing to run into heavily defended enemy possitions.
The CQB "Look"
Military
The most popular CQB looks are those of real life military hostage rescue teams or commando troops such as the Special Air Service, Delta Force or U.S. Navy SEALs.
Police
Another common CQB loadout is to resemple police crisis response teams (CRTs), armed responce units (ARU's) or SWAT teams. These are the primary non-military groups to engage in CQB.
Private Organisations
Many teams choose to be a fictional private corporations hired by governments who are unable to deal with a curtain hostage rescue situation. For example, these teams might be responsible for responding to an incident at a facility operated by a government agency who has engaged the independent contractor's services.
Terroists
A large number of defencive CQB players chooce to look like terroists in a classic CounterStrike manner. Most common loadouts are AK47's, Balaclavas, woodland or desert camouflage trousers and jacket, and a black or og tactical vest.
