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.
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