AS didn’t make a separate rule for infantry to be able to IF, but only 16”. But I did not want to allow infantry to IF out to 42” like other IF units. So I choose to leave them unable to indirect fire over those two options (a specific rule for infantry and IF, or allow infantry to IF out to 42”).
But, there is nothing under the rules for IF stating it can make an attack to any specific range (unless there has been errata to say otherwise), simply YES it can make an attack, or NO it cannot.
Further, the Rules on PAGE 41, the only mention of 42" is for the spotter, not the attacker.:
Indirect Fire: If a unit has the Indirect Fire (IF) special ability, it
may still attack targets within its range (and firing arc) even without
a direct LOS. To use indirect fire, there must be a unit friendly to the
attacker that has a valid LOS and is within 42” of the target (if using
advanced environmental conditions, see the Visual Spotting Range
Table, p. 157). This friendly unit is the spotter.
Indirect fire attacks use the range and movement modifier of
the attacking unit, the movement modifiers of the target, and terrain
and movement modifiers based on the spotter’s LOS. An additional
+1 Target Number modifier applies to the attack itself. Another +1
applies if the spotter makes an attack of its own in the same turn.
Units with the IF# and LRM#/#/# specials may use all alternate
munitions, Special Pilot Abilities available to the LRM#/#/# special
when making indirect fire attacks, but are limited to using the LRM
special ability’s long range value if it is lower than the IF special
ability value. (For details on Special Pilot Abilities, see p. 92).
A unit used as a spotter for an indirect fire attack may be used
to spot for more than one IF attack in a turn, but cannot choose
more than one target to spot in that same turn. Note that aerospace
units can spot for indirect fire while they are in the Central Zone,
provided they have the Recon (RCN) special ability.
The way the highlighted rule reads, the spotter must have LoS and be within 42", not the attack. The rest of the rules makes no mention of the actual range of IF.
In fact, going based on the History of HEAT attacks, IF could simply be changed from:
IF# to IF#/#/#
Alternately, make a note under the IF Special ability that IF can only deal damage as the highest Range Bracket that can deal damage.
For example, the
Grasshoper 5H has an IF of IF0*, and subsequently also has a Long Range Damage value of 0*.
A quick perusal of units with IF has yet to reveal to me any unit that does 0 damage at Long Range that also has an IF ability.
