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Glorious Arstotzka

17 (16%)

Glorious Moskurg

13 (12.3%)

Ingloriously Didn't Play

76 (71.7%)

Total Members Voted: 106

[Taricus]

What useless armour? The tiger armour is definitely helping our infantry, it just can't be used too effectively in the jungle.

[Chiefwaffles]

I was talking about the ERA.

[evictedSaint]

...that is an option...I am very tempted to try ERA a second time...

[Strongpoint]

ERA is still a very hard project and has a high chance to net the same result.  I prefer something more likely to produce a result

UFAF-MB-39
UFAF-MB-39 is an is an upgrade of a well proven three engined bomber AS-1931-HAFB. Its outdated engines are replaced with supercharged V12s identical to ones used on Haast heavy fighter. It's shape is slightly modified both to to adapt it for engines of different size and improve aerodynamics.

Medium bombers are important part of the airforce and I highly doubt that we will find a full design action for one any time soon. I offer few features on purpose, because I don't want to risk getting a mediocre result.

[evictedSaint]

"The Forenian Model 3 Radio is less expensive than the Bureaucrat's Lover Radio Set used by Cannala, but both are barely portable, requiring soldiers to stop and set up their radio before making any communication  ... After years of use, radio operators of either nation have come to bemoan their equipment- which they typically refer to as something along the lines of "heavy pieces of shit"."

We have a CAS plane now.  Let's build a radio to let our men use it.  Tigers Roar is the best option to apply our air effect to ground targets, and spending this revision on it will keep us from falling behind Cannala even further than we already are.

[RAM]

the enemy is currenltly fielding overgunned units. They don't have anywhere near enough armour to take what they are sending. Fighting them with tanks is a poor choice, because tanks are expensive. An infantry crew fielding an autocannon that can penetrate a raider would be devastating against them, buy weight of numbers... If a three-man crew can carry a gun, turret, and ammunition sled to a tree-line opposite a river-bank and just wait for the raiders to show up. Then batters them for a few seconds as their armour buckles then shreds, then they won't be very scary anymore. Combining this with our own A.P.C.s for ammunition resupply and rapid deployment, in addition to radio equipment to warn of enemy movements and to prepare ambuses, would be extra-nice!

[Strongpoint]

"The Forenian Model 3 Radio is less expensive than the Bureaucrat's Lover Radio Set used by Cannala, but both are barely portable, requiring soldiers to stop and set up their radio before making any communication  ... After years of use, radio operators of either nation have come to bemoan their equipment- which they typically refer to as something along the lines of "heavy pieces of shit"."

We have a CAS plane now.  Let's build a radio to let our men use it.  Tigers Roar is the best option to apply our air effect to ground targets, and spending this revision on it will keep us from falling behind Cannala even further than we already are.

I think advantage of a smaller radio is a very minor one comparing to other alternatives. Difference between no radio and radio is huge. Difference between bad radio and OK radio is large. Difference between OK and good is barely there.

Also, 3 engine bomber and CAS have very different roles on the battlefield.

[evictedSaint]

The difference between a radio you can immediately call in air support and a radio you have to set up, send a secure encryption, and have HQ decipher the message before you can get air support is a big one.  It was explicitly stated to be an issue.

And the 3-engine bomber is pretty much obsoleted by the Haast.

[Strongpoint]

The difference between a radio you can immediately call in air support and a radio you have to set up, send a secure encryption, and have HQ decipher the message before you can get air support is a big one.  It was explicitly stated to be an issue.

And the 3-engine bomber is pretty much obsoleted by the Haast.

Haast and 3 engine bomber are aircrafts that have different roles. How  can one obsolete another?

[piratejoe]

The difference between a radio you can immediately call in air support and a radio you have to set up, send a secure encryption, and have HQ decipher the message before you can get air support is a big one.  It was explicitly stated to be an issue.

And the 3-engine bomber is pretty much obsoleted by the Haast.

Haast and 3 engine bomber are aircrafts that have different roles. How  can one obsolete another?

You do know the Haast is litterally a attack aircraft. AKA a light bomber.

[Strongpoint]

Three engined bomber is a medium bomber. Light bombers and medium bombers do different things.

[piratejoe]

Looking at it, it can carry two tons....let us make the ice giant heavy bomber in the next 3? 4? turns then to replace it.

[Strongpoint]

Looking at it, it can carry two tons....let us make the ice giant heavy bomber in the next 3? 4? turns then to replace it.

Giant bombers don't replace medium bombers, either. Again, it is a very different class. B-29 (9 tons of bombs) never forced B-26(1.5 ton of bombs) from production or service.

2 tons of bombs is a good payolad for a WW2-era medium bomber.  We need aircrafts like that. Design action may be too much, but modernization of existing bomber helps us to maintain a healthy composition of our air force.

[NUKE9.13]

Upgrading the HAFB might be nice, but I'm not sure it's a priority. It does its job at the moment, why fix what ain't broke? Well, to make it better, obviously, but that is a luxury proposition, whilst we are on the back foot in other areas.

Radio might be useful, although our current radio still works.

We gotta think: what will help in the Jungle? Our new APC (aww yiss, a 6) will help, but what else can we do? Well, a helicopter would be useful, but a practical one seems out of reach right now. Infantry, though. Infantry are king in the jungle. Radio will bolster our infantry's effectiveness. But, I'm just saying, so would some QoL stuff. Good pair of boots could increase our soldiers manoeuvrability by 30% (number arbitrary, entirely made up). A good pair of binoculars would obviously be a great boon. First-aid kits increase survivability, morale. And a whole bunch of other little things.
Sure, each thing by itself is not going to have much of an effect, but that's why we combine them. I reckon that a suite of QoL stuff could improve our infantry's effectiveness by 20% (see previous brackets). Would a somewhat better radio have a similar effect? I estimate it might create a 15% boost, max, considering our current radio is not that bad. Also, some of the QoL stuff would be applicable to other forces as well.
...or maybe I'm being silly, I dunno.

Spoiler: Infantry QoL (click to show/hide)

INFANTRY QUALITY OF LIFE:
There are a number of small things our infantry have been requesting for a while now. By themselves, they are not worth our time. Combining them changes matters.
-Boots. A good pair of boots. Infantry love boots. Goal: excellent hiking boots with minor protection from shrapnel (As in, made of tough fibers. Not metal.)
-Binoculars. We've enough experience with lenses that we can surely design a decent pair.
-Medkits. A little first aid can save hundreds of lives. More to the point, knowing that help is available improves morale.
-Sunglasses. You try shooting someone with the sun in your eyes.
-Bayonets. Sometimes you just need a knife. On the end of your gun. A big knife.
-Engineering equipment (more sandbags, dedicated tools like wire cutters, barbed wire/razor wire, small axes, pickaxes, etc). Aimed at improving the quality of our minefields, traps, and defensive positions.
-Vests, bags, bandoliers, pockets and pouches, even elbow ones Carry capacity for soldiers---more ammo means more bang-bang-bang-bang-bang means more kills, means more survivability, means a place to put everything we're about to drop on them
-Knee and elbow pads.
-Gloves, fire resistant and capable of fast-roping or rock-climbing or similar hard-wearing activities.
-Flashlights. Hands free, attachable to guns or helmets. Different coloured lens filters to use for signaling.
-Improved compasses and navigation equipment.
-Cricket (or other innocuous animal) noisemaker. Sounds like a cricket. "Operation was simple: If someone approached, you clicked your cricket, making the most innocuous of night-time sounds. If the passer-by clicked back, you knew you had encountered a friendly comrade." (This is based on a real thing, by the way)

(I removed some items from this list that were, in my opinion, unnecessary or overambitious, such as specifying entrenching tools whilst also having engineering equipment, or trying to improve our uniforms and parachutes when that would probably be a separate revision.)

Tigers Roar: (4) evictedSaint, Piratejoe, Stabby, Powder Miner
High-Octane Airplane Fuel: (0)
HEIAP Rounds: (1) Lightforger
Infantry QoL: (1) NUKE9.13

[Devastator]

You could also downgrade your destroyer into a support ship with radar and other features.  Say an ACM, an amphibious command ship intended to co-ordinate invasions.  It'll be fairly easy, as you can remove elements of the destroyer that won't be useful in that role (it's broken torpedo tubes, say.)  It'll also remain useful forever, even when you've replaced the mainline destroyer.  You may even have some CIC space for coordinating air support from a mobile platform, as well as additional detection for fighter direction purposes away from the carrier.