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[Baffler]

I'll vote for this:

Infantry Exoskeleton
Supercapacitor powered exoskeleton that greatly improves physical ability of human soldiers allowing them to run with a speed of a car, make high jumps, throw hand grenades really far and easily carry 12.7mm machinegun(s) or other heavy weaponry and\or additional armour plates.  Capacitor should have several ports to power energy weapons or other systems that require electricity.

This design doesn't try to make infantry immune to enemy laser weapons by creating walking tanks. Instead it allows us to use huge stockpiles of heavy weapons of humanity with a greater ease.

Our lasers really need more R&D time before they're viable, it seems. This doesn't use lasers, and it gives our infantry the ability to match the aliens'. I choose it over the AIPS because it's more modular, and modularity is good.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Switching my vote to Infantry Exoskeleton
To get majority sooner.


We will need to spend revision on improving our jets. I am worried that we are losing air superiority. And their damned tanks...

[TheLordofHouseRiley]

Well in favor of reaching a consensus I've came up with a compromise between the infantry exoskeleton and AIPS1 systems introducing the AIPS2.

Advanced Infantry Protection System MK2
Advanced Infantry Protection System MK2 or AIPS2 is designed as a compromise between the AIPS1 system and the infantry exoskeleton. The AIPS2 system is overall going to be a more lightly armored version of the AIPS1 one system in favor of increasing the abilities of the user. The system will include a large modular super capacitor in the form of a back pack. As far as armor goes unlike the full body suit of AIPS1 the AIPS2 system is a much simpler two piece system with one piece being a large armor vest featuring modified armor from the type 025 and a helmet with optional armored visor. The Armored Visor includes a full sensor suite featuring night vision and thermal optics as well as a GPS hud overlay displaying the position of friendlies and the relative position of enemies to increase battlefield awareness. 

[10ebbor10]

Infantry Exoskeleton

An infantry Exoskeleton, optimized for modularity and the ability for mass production. Focuses primarily on physical enhancement, allowing soldiers to be far faster, jump higher, and, if needed, punch through a wall (Voids Guarantee). Power is provided by modular super capacitors integrated in every part of the armor, though it's battery lifetime remains disapointingly short. Includes an enhanced reality battlefield awareness system to ensure squad cohesion, as well as the Death Hand, a system of distributed processors which allows the armor to function even if heavily damaged, including the severe injury or death of it's operator.

Can be equipped with a variety of weaponry.

Batch Size : 8

Gained : Battlefield Awareness System
Gained : Death Hand

[Baffler]

Nice, though that battery issue will need some attention. How's this for a jet revision, based on TopHat's J-33?

A mid-weight fighter designed following combat experience with the J-31. With a brand-new engine fixing the problems inherent in the old one (get in foreign experts if necessary, we are saving the world after all), whilst building off of its predecessor's good maneuverability performance should be generally enhanced. The hard points on the wings can mount a single-shot heavy laser instead of a missile to improve the craft's drop-ship interception capability, which can be replaced and refurbished for further use when the aircraft returns to base.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Ninja'd by a more ambitious revision... Combining my and yours in even more ambitious one.

J-311 revision of J-31
Revise J-31 by improving its electronics using lessons learn from battlefield awareness system. Improve its jet engines (seek Japanese and other international aid if possible) add anti-laser smoke\particle cloud discharger allowing to protect the aircraft from behind. Look for new ways to improve pilot's tolerance to high G. The hard points on the wings can mount a single-shot heavy laser instead of a missile to improve the craft's drop-ship interception capability, which can be replaced and refurbished for further use when the aircraft returns to base. Try to keep the cost same or even lower.

Spoiler: Non design strategy stuff. (click to show/hide)

 
I want to create  a special force with
[5/20] exoskeletoned infantry to act in South America and try to organize partisans there. South America is very partisan friendly area Who is the best general for the task? Mao looks perfect for his low profile but do we want to give our special forces to a guy with political connections? I am leaning toward Deng while placing Mao to air-defense

[Baffler]

Ninja'd by a more ambitious revision... Combining my and yours in even more ambitious one.

J-311 revision of J-31
Revise J-31 by improving its electronics using lessons learn from battlefield awareness system. Improve its jet engines (seek Japanese and other international aid if possible) add anti-laser smoke\particle cloud discharger allowing to protect the aircraft from behind. Look for new ways to improve pilot's tolerance to high G. The hard points on the wings can mount a single-shot heavy laser instead of a missile to improve the craft's drop-ship interception capability, which can be replaced and refurbished for further use when the aircraft returns to base. Try to keep the cost same or even lower.

I like this, +1.

Spoiler: Non design strategy stuff. (click to show/hide)

 
I want to create  a special force with
[5/20] exoskeletoned infantry to act in South America and try to organize partisans there. South America is very partisan friendly area Who is the best general for the task? Mao looks perfect for his low profile but do we want to give our special forces to a guy with political connections? I am leaning toward Deng while placing Mao to air-defense

Spoiler: Top Secret! (click to show/hide)

Deng and Mao both sound like great fits for coordinating guerrilla action, and South American terrain is pretty well conducive to it. I'm leaning toward Mao though. I'm wary of assigning troops before we get word on our revision, but depending on our roll it might be worth assigning a few Type 025's to Deng's expedition. How's this?

Generals and Forces before Production:
Central American Expedition (Zhou)
[9/20] J-31
[6/20] HQ-9
   -[5] HX-1
[4/20] Type 025 fighting vehicle 
Type 095-L "001" Nuclear Submarine
Role: Striking southward from Mexico to repel invaders, ideally with American support.
Location: Central America

East Eurasia garrison (Umar)
[12/20] J-31
[6/20] HQ-9
   -[6] HX-1
[6/20] Type 025 fighting vehicle
Role: Defending our production facilities

Air Defence (Mao)
[16/20] HQ-9
Role: Providing basic worldwide AA-defence. Mostly for psychological effect.
Location: Spread all over the world

Reaction Air Force (Lin) -
[8/20] J-31
Role: Airforce meant to intercept enemy drones and conduct air attacks on landed enemy. Should try to avoid detection by flying low and using other similar tricks. Should not try to shoot down descending droppods. Location: General Lin's decision

South American Expedition (Deng) -
[Assignment Pending]
Role: Cause as much disruption of enemy operations, particularly logistics and resource extraction, in coordination of local partisans.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Spoiler: top secret (click to show/hide)

My vision of the plan for the next phase

Orders

1) 4*lines will produce infantry
2) 2*lines will produce J-311
3) Create new army named "Special force" and assign Mao to it
(Special force  (Mao)
Role: Conducting various reconnaissance and Black Ops operation against aliens and collaborators.
Location: Spread all over the world)
4) Transfer 10 Infantry exoskeletons to expeditionary force, 10 to East Asia Garrison, 10 to Special force, 1 to air defence, 1 to Reaction Airforce. The last two for basic protection of facilities
5) Send 5 J311 to Expeditionary force and 5 J311 Reaction Airforce
6) Transfer 2 units of Type 025 from East Asia Garrison to Special force

Orders\Recommendations for our generals:
Expeditionary force: Arrive to USA and assist their military in whatever they will do. Will it be a static defence, counter-attack into South America, gaining control over Mexico\Canada\Caribbean, dealing with local riots or whatever else. Humbly ask for some support in return.
Reaction Air Force: Focus on covering skies of Africa assisting local weak air forces
Special Force: Focus on organizing resistance movement in South America

While giving special force in the hands of a semi-independent general has some risks, there are risks at giving him any force or no force at all.

I plan to not move equipment between forces or change their role for a long time. Only produce reinforcement and send them whenever they are needed

[10ebbor10]

Revision

J311 Swapping out the J31's troubled engines with a modern, Japanese engine has increased performance and resolved troubles that plagued the craft. Similarly, electronics were upgraded to include lessons derived from the battlefield awareness system. As a last addition, the craft can be equipped with 2 single-use heavy lasers attached to the wings. This has aerodynamic consequences, and leaves the craft mostly defenseless.  Batch Size: 5

[TopHat]

Not bad. The lasers should be good for busting hovertanks and possibly dropships, as long as our missile-armed fighters can keep the drones off their backs.
Ebbor: can the lasers be attached to standard J-31s as well, or just the J-311?
The exo-suits are excellent, though, and Death's Hand will help us if we go down the drone route.
As for research, I have two proposals:
1) Further compact energy storage research. - Should help with the Exosuit's battery problems and is just generally useful for future weapon systems.
2) Anti-Gauss theory. Because the aliens will soon be commonly utilising Gauss weapons and we will need some sort of defense.

[Baffler]

I don't think 2) is feasible. I mean, how do you protect yourself from a piece of metal moving at that kind of speed? I'd say that 1) sounds more promising, but I'm worried about them just copying our countermeasures and make all their equipment resistant to laser fire. I suppose the time it takes for them to refit their equipment will tie up their production lines, which is good, but I foresee lasers being a mostly anti-infantry weapon past the early game and it'll be some time before we get there.

My suggestion is that we attempt to produce our own copy of the alien alloy. Their huge advantage in materials technology is one of the biggest barriers to technological parity we have right now, and if we're lucky it's going to be possible for us to produce the SMES with native materials within a couple turns. Even if we can't determine anything about it beyond the rough proportions of metals it's made from we'll still have something.

[Ukrainian Ranger]

Study communication, radars and other detection equipment, drone control(we should have enough wrecks), targeting systems and C&C structure of the enemy.

New technologies to play with are nice, but I want something that will give us immediate impact for the next turn and open the road to the ECM warfare. Proper Jamming can make their K-something drones useless in one moment.

Any thoughts about my strategy in the post above 10ebbor10's post?

[10ebbor10]

Just the J-311. If you want to stick weaponry on everything, you need to design it as a separate entity.

[Baffler]

So the J-311 is probably going to end up delivering the heavy payload, relying on the J-31's to escort it despite being significantly faster and more reliable than they are. Crap.

Study communication, radars and other detection equipment, drone control(we should have enough wrecks), targeting systems and C&C structure of the enemy.

New technologies to play with are nice, but I want something that will give us immediate impact for the next turn and open the road to the ECM warfare. Proper Jamming can make their K-something drones useless in one moment.

Actually, I think I like this idea better. The materials are important but the idea of being able to crash, or outright subvert, their mostly-unmanned vehicle fleet is pretty appealing to me, and even their manned vehicles rely pretty heavily on complex computer systems.

+1.

Spoiler: Top Secret! (click to show/hide)

I like this plan, but have a few changes to suggest. I took [1] Type 025 from the garrison to reinforce the Expeditionary Force. They need the help, they're the only ones we know will have a full combat load, but they're still only at half-complement. Reinforcing them should be a priority in the next turn. I also moved around some of the generals. Deng's ability to stretch resources and find opportunities will do well for asymmetrical operations, though Mao's discretion comes in a close second. Mao's political connections might cause trouble, but the ability to deal with a threat to our production facilities discreetly will avoid panic at the homefront and minimize disruption in the event of an incident.

Forces

Expeditionary force (Zhou)
[9/20] J-31
[5/20] J-311
[6/20] HQ-9
   -[5] HX-1
[5/20] Type 025 fighting vehicle
[10/20] Infantry Exoskeleton
Type 095-L "001" Nuclear Submarine
Role: Arrive to USA and assist their military in whatever they will do. Will it be a static defence, counter-attack into South America, gaining control over Mexico\Canada\Caribbean, dealing with local riots or whatever else. Humbly ask for some support in return.

East Eurasia garrison (Mao)
[12/20] J-31
[6/20] HQ-9
   -[6] HX-1
[5/20] Type 025 fighting vehicle
[10/20] Infantry Exoskeleton
Role: Defending our production facilities

Air Defence (Umar)
[16/20] HQ-9
[1/20] Infantry Exoskeleton
Role: Providing basic worldwide AA-defence. Mostly for psychological effect.
Location: Spread all over the world

Reaction Air Force (Lin) -
[8/20] J-31
[5/20] J-311
[1/20] Infantry Exoskeleton
Role: Airforce meant to intercept enemy drones and conduct air attacks on landed enemy. Should try to avoid detection by flying low and using other similar tricks. Should not try to shoot down descending droppods.
Location: Focus on covering skies of Africa assisting local weak air forces

Special Forces (Deng) -
[10/20] Infantry Exoskeleton]
Role: Conducting various reconnaissance and Black Ops operation against aliens and collaborators, as well as organizing and equipping local partisans.
Location: South America

Your Production

China Production Line 1 : Infantry Exoskeleton
China Production Line 2 : Infantry Exoskeleton
China Production Line 3 : Refit Submarine
East Asian Production Line 1 : Infantry Exoskeleton
East Asian Production Line 2 : Infantry Exoskeleton
South East Asia Production Line 1 : J-311
South East Asia Production Line 2 : J-311

[TopHat]

On 2): we'll never know until we try.
On 1): lasers aren't the only application for better batteries. The exo-suits at least are stated to have battery life problems, not to mention the help it will give should we design literally anything small which uses electricity.
On Materials Study: Looks good and will likely lead to quicker development at first than pursuing our own research, though I personally think that it may not be as fruitful in the long run. There's also the possibility that their alloys rely heavily on materials rare/expensive to manufacture on Earth, in which case we'll have wasted a valuable research slot.
On Electronics research: this is an interesting one. Part of me really likes it, though the other part is worried that it will give us little long-term benefit and doubts that it will be anywhere near as effective as is suggested. In any case, it'll probably just lead to another electronic arms race taking up our research slots, which I think will hurt us more than the aliens. We just have to decide whether the advantage of starting it off is worth it.
On strategy:

Spoiler: Slightly less top secret, but aliens still keep out! (click to show/hide)

Maybe have the worldwide air defence force concentrate on Africa as well?

Otherwise +1 to Baffler's distribution