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Armored Freerunner
APC Freerunners
A trio of APC Freerunners, with distinct sensors and green stripes
Usage
Faction Rebel Alliance
Role APC, Assault
Technical Information
Positions Driver, 1 Gunner, 4 Passengers (APC); Driver, 2 Gunners (Mortar)
Equipment Dorsal Anti-Vehicle Turret, After Anti-Personnel Turret
[Source]


The now-defunct Kalliak Arms and Armor Company's Armored Freerunner was considered one of the most powerful transportation assets of the Rebel Alliance arsenal. Named for its freely rotating gun platforms and considerable speed, it is armed with stripped-down anti-personnel, antitank, or anti-aircraft batteries, sensor and communication equipment, and/or artillery.

Kelliak advertised the Freerunner as the "ultimate in fast, flexible firepower", which allowed the owner the "freedom to meet any combat situation with the appropriate countermeasure". In the end, however, the product did not appeal to the Imperial Army, which already had the AT-AT walker, and so the entire advanced stock of Freerunners was sold to arms merchants and undercover Rebel agents. Packing an offensive punch, Freerunners serve regularly as front-line transports and have reasonable maneuverability and armor.

Configurations in First Strike[]

APC Configuration[]

The Armoured Personnel Carrier configuration, marked with green stripes, features a mobile spawn function, a passenger compartment for up to four men, a long-range scanner activated when the driver's seat is occupied, and several smoke grenade launchers. It is used to transport troops rapidly to the front lines, using its boost function to reach its destination sooner, and also servers as a forward command post, with the Squad Leader, after having placed his Repeating Blaster and whatever else is required outside of the vehicle, returning to the driver's seat to direct his troops from there, using the long-range scanner of the vehicle to keep track of enemies. Keep in mind that it will self-destruct quickly if left unattended, so if you plan to park it at a safe distance and use it as a spawn point, you should leave somebody remain on board if you can.

Artillery Configuration[]

Mortar Freerunner Firing

A Mortar Freerunner, with distinct heavy mortar and red markings, fires a volley of HE bolts

Artillery Marker

An Artillery Distance Marker (the red cross with the cyan distance indicator), seen through the binoculars of a rebel trooper

Shots Tracking

HE bolts with distance indicators seen from the Mortar Freerunner that fired them.

See also: Artillery System

The Mortar Freerunner has no room for passengers and doesn't feature a boost function or radar as its place, despite defensive laser cannon and smoke launchers, is far from the front lines. Its role, instead, is to lay down artillery fire with its heavy mortar, which can lob three-bolt volleys of high-explosive bolts over a range of more than 700 meters. Since this means the vehicle will be operating against targets well beyond its visual range, it requires the efforts of Forward Observers (FOs) marking targets, as well as its built-in shots tracking system, to effectively hit targets.

To work in conjunction with FOs, ask them to place markers by aiming their binoculars at the spot that needs bombardment and hit Fire (def. Left Mouse Button). Distance markers are visible to all players on the same team, including the player in the Mortar Freerunner. He, in turn, can hit the marker by aiming his gun in its direction and then correct his fire until the distance the shots travels appears to line up with the distance to the marker. Feedback from FOs (such as "aim further south", "you're hitting, keep firing for effect", or "spread your shots out a bit more") helps greatly here.

It is important to note that while the Mortar Freerunner can carry up to three people, it is considered bad form among experienced Battlefield series players to do so. The reason is that the Mortar Freerunner, as a long-range artillery platform, will spend large amounts of time sitting still far from action, effectively leaving the driver and aft gunner with nothing to do, which effectively robs their team of two men. In addition, whoever is in charge of firing the mortar also typically appreciates the freedom to move it himself when the situation calls for this. It is equally important to remember that the Mortar Freerunner is an artillery platform, not a battle tank - its mortar is not effective in direct combat with armour, and its aft laser cannon offers little additional protection. Keep the vehicle away from the enemy, preferably behind concealment such as hills, and withdraw when hostile combatants get too close.

48px-Emblem-important-yellow.svgNote: As of 1.4, a bug prevents anyone but the person firing the Mortar Freerunner from seeing or hearing the bolts or their impact effects.
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Freerunner Mortar version

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