Arma 3 Overview – the most authentic, diverse and open tactical military shooter series – returns to PC. Providing a true combat gameplay experience in a massive military sandbox, Arma 3 sends you to war.
Storyline - Tensions rise as NATO and Iranian forces stand-off in the Aegean: the strategic fault-line between crumbling European influence and a powerful, resurgent East. But when a key radar facility drops off the grid, a Greek flashpoint risks escalating into global conflict.
Caught up in a situation beyond their control, a botched withdrawal traps men of the US 7th Infantry Division and a clandestine group of UKSF operators in a fight for survival. With only a crippled local resistance to turn to, they must rapidly adapt to overcome an unforgiving environment and defeat a brutal enemy.
Military Sandbox - Defeat your enemy on a richly detailed battlefield modeled from real-life geographic data; stretching over 320 km2 of Aegean island terrain.
Deadly Vehicles & Weapons - Engage in an unsurpassed military combat experience: master a diverse range of authentically simulated aircraft, vehicles and ships; choose your gear and customize your weapon.
Revamped Engine - Navigate the battlefield with fluid new animations; feel the devastating power of combat with the upgraded sound engine, new ragdoll simulation and PhysX™-supported vehicles.
Online Warfare - Pick a side, form a squad, and team up against your enemy in massive competitive and co-operative battles on multi-platform dedicated servers.
Solo Campaign - Evolve from hunted prey to military commander in the varied, gameplay-driven, singleplayer campaign.
Content Creation - Design your own missions, campaigns and scenarios with the powerful mission editor and share them for others to play.
The events precipitating the 2035 Aegean stand-off.
Blighted by the long tail of a deep-rooted economic crisis and sliding toward the threshold of war, beleaguered NATO member-states stand weakened against an ambitious, resurgent Iran.
Flooded with profits from the rich export markets of a resource-thirsty SE-Asia and the rising price of oil, bolstered by strong ties with China and strategic entente with Russia, Iran sought to expand its influence.
Deployed under the auspices of a swift humanitarian response, Turkey – decimated by a series of devastating and unprecedented natural disasters – fell within months to ruthless Iranian Armed Forces. Iran’s aggressive expansion – spilling over into Greek sovereign territory – was brought to a halt in Rhodope Prefecture with the ratification of the Jerusalem Peace Accord of 2034, which crystallised a new strategic front along the shorelines of the Aegean Sea.
With the US locked into its own proxy-wars against aggressive Chinese expansionism in the Pacific, with each year more member-states leaving NATO on the promise of Russian oil, the fragmented alliance faces the growing risk of a global conflict that they can ill-afford.
NATO - The troops serving under NATO’s Mediterranean Joint Force Command are deployed across the North and South Aegean municipal regions of Greece. Bases across the archipelago – a strategic borderline between NATO and Iranian influence – are in a state of alert, following a period of heightened tension since The Jerusalem Peace Accord of 2034.
The serving contingent is a composition of elements of the reactivated US 7th Infantry Division (7th US Army Europe), primarily tasked with the security and maintenance of Air Station Mike-26 – a critical part of NATO’s radar shield – and providing air support in the Aegean Sea region.
Iranian Armed Forces - The presence of Iranian Armed Forces in the Aegean is estimated to consist of a battalion-sized combined fighting force with conventional capabilities. This deployment is concentrated around a newly constructed military base, adjacent to a former NATO/Greek air force base (ICAO: LGLM). The majority of this force is designated to base perimeter protection and a counter-insurgency campaign, fending off the threat posed by an active local resistance movement.
The equipment and order of battle of the Iranian troops is reportedly compliant with the common Resource Zone Protection Force structure, including enhanced defensive, ELINT and SIGINT capabilities. Due to the proximity of the Turkish coast, the force is estimated to be fairly well supplied.
Greek Resistance - With rumoured joint CIA and SIS support, an armed local resistance was formed on Limnos in the weeks and months following the Iranian annexation of the island. Composed of former Hellenic Armed Forces and aided by smugglers and weapon merchants, the resistance is an active, hostile, guerrilla faction acting against Iranian forces.
Little is known about their current strength or capabilities. Presumably, the resistance relies upon only light equipment, augmented by captured or stolen assets of the Iranian army, obtained from hidden military depots or via a black market network. Cooperation with local resistance seems viable, yet a cautious approach is required.
Limnos Civilians - Located at the crossroads of eastern and western socio-political dogma, 2035 Greek society struggles to remain a part of Europe. The financial crisis contributed to the rapid downfall of centralised governance, with smaller regional units and local areas becoming more close-knit; yet, standing apart from each other, economically and militarily weakened.
Locals now try to avoid foreign influence; they dislike the militant Iranian presence, and blame the rest of the Europe for the crisis that forced Greece to leave the European Union, and exposed them to rampant Iranian strategic expansionism.
The island of Limnos, once an important Greek air force base in the Mediterranean, is now a remote hostile territory. Still partially inhabited by a fraction of the original Greek populace, the island bears many scars of the fierce battles between Hellenic armed forces and invading Iranian troops in 2033. The large airfield and adjacent military facility now serve as the basis for a fairly large Iranian force supporting a large military compound, designated Objective-Omega, and an air-radar station covering Aegean airspace.
Limnos, spreading over an area of almost 300 square kilometers, is situated in the Northern Aegean (39°54’04″ N, 25°14’25″ E). The terrain of its North-Western territory is remarkably hilly, gradually lowering Eastwards into the flatlands; its highest peaks reach almost 400 meters above sea level. The island’s climate is Mediterranean, with particularly strong winds and average temperatures, slightly colder than Greek mainland, mild winters with the occasional seasonal snowfall.
The most inhabited and developed areas can be found on the South-West of the island. The current population (excluding military personnel) is partially scattered amongst the isolated farms and villages, estimated to be approximately 2,000.
Limnos played a vital role for many cultures throughout history, with many traces of antique history to be found across the island. Limnos became particularly important to Allied troops during the Gallipoli campaign and later in 1918, when the armistice between the Allies and the Ottoman Empire was signed in the city of Moudros.
During 2033, the island was defended by a weaken contingent of the Hellenic Air Force and Army, elements of which successfully repelled Iranian attacks for several weeks. In the following years, the island has been occupied by the Iranian Armed Forces. Since then, some of the Greek troops established a resistance movement covertly backed by the United States and Great Britain, despite the current cease-fire in Mediterranean theatre. The Iranian garrison are currently engaged in a low-intensity COIN campaign with the guerillas, which is not stopping them from strengthening their military presence on the island.
Most of the formerly inhabited areas are currently unpopulated; the highest population density can be found in the vicinity of Myrina and along the Southwestern coast. The biggest settlement is currently the military base, inhabited only by the Iranian deployment.
The basic infrastructure is mostly decayed due to combat damage and lack of proper maintenance. Limited support is available in the housing of Myrina: electricity, intact sewage systems, drinking water distribution. The local economy is based mainly on direct bartering on local products; mostly vegetables, genetically modified corn and olives, meat and fish. The services are limited, probably strongly dependent on educated or trained individuals; there is a general lack of hi-tech equipment, medical supplies, clothing and luxury goods.
The majority of the island is in the hands of hostile forces. Numerous observation posts and checkpoints were rapidly established, many of them in remote parts of the island. Several resistance groups are most probably hiding in the mountainous regions far from the frequently used routes and military outposts. Iranian troops are supplied by air and sea; the base provides power generation, water desalination and other life support.
