Armour protection rating was based off me shooting friendlies wearing each armour type at close range in the chest with a Valmet.

Sights are really just for the player and are personal preference. They don't seem to impact AI.
PG07 is a requirement to unlock the RPG-23M and is automatically equipped on it.

Similarly, suppressors don't appear to have a damage dropoff and don't impact AI detection of your position from what I can see - but the AI isn't exactly razor sharp to start with...

Currently these are identical across factions.

All the pistols are equally garbage. There is no reason to even bother researching them - get your dudes equipped with rifles ASAP! Whilst there doesn't seem to be a way of equipping pistols as a secondary in the squad editor, I have seen troops deploy with them so it's not an absolute waste if you keep instead of selling the ones you loot but I definitely wouldn't waste a factory to manufacture these.

RPGs are a must to defeat enemy armour - at least until you get tanks. As you progress you can amass enough resources to give everyone an RPG if you want. Unfortunately the AI's use of it can be a bit trigger happy - rather than saving them for armoured targets, they will start lobbing them at infantry like it's going out of fashion.

The main upgrade of the RPG-23M is a better sight. RPGs are able to one-shot most tanks and IFVs except for the very late game ones with ERA.

Bolt action rifles are good for the AI, less so for humans. Unlike the Western/Eastern faction, the Southern faction never advance beyond WWI in terms of bolt action rifles (let alone DMRs) so don't expect a magazine loaded bolt action rifle...

The Southern faction has more SMGs and shotguns than the others... but given the limited utility of these weapons that isn't really beneficial. The Type 64 with integrated suppressor is interesting and about the only good weapon for the early game as a semi/full auto changeable weapon.

All the assault rifles feel very similar - they handle the same and look the same. The Southern faction doesn't have access to DMRs or LMGs which puts them at a significant disadvantage if you're fighting infantry v infantry (unlikely as that is during the late game).

And the remainder of the remainder of the very samey weapons. In case you haven't realised already, the only difference between the base and the mod variants are the mods can have sights.

Where the Southern faction has a slight advantage is in early game vehicles. They have a lot of options (almost overwhelming). For trucks and jeeps I'd suggest just skipping straight to the GAZ 66 ZU-23 if playing from 2023. As long as you keep them somewhat protected they will shred other vehicles and infantry - just watch out for enemy vehicles. I'd characterise the Southern trucks and jeeps as giving off real insurgent vibes.

If you have the Eastern Airborne Forces DLC get the Typhoon and stick with that.

All the APCs are from the Eastern Airborne Forces DLC - and even then the game seems to class 2 of them as artillery. Unless you're starting from 2023, it might be worth skipping them for IFVs. Expect stiff resistance from the Western M163 which is unlocked in 2023 and features a 20mm chaingun.

Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), or 'battle taxis' are designed to transport troops to the edge of the battlefield and provide limited fire support. Their lack of armour means that anything larger than small arms (12.7mm) can cause significant damage - an autocannon will shred through most APCs in a few seconds.

Note that most of these APCs can't fit a full squad within the vehicle - any troops on the outside will quickly get shot.

An Infantry Fighting Vehicle (IFV) is a vehicle capable of deploying troops in combat, whilst remaining in the fight and providing direct fire support. In game, these vehicles tend to have more armour than APCs, and generally have heavier weapons with some mounting powerful autocannons and even an anti-tank missile for added punch. Whilst this means they can be used against tanks, I wouldn't recommend an extended engagement as most of the early ones can still be one-shot by anything over 105mm.

Southern IFVs are marginally better in terms of armour and armament than Western ones, having slightly more health and heavier weapons until 2028 when the West gets the Marder IFV. However even that and the M2A2 are still outclassed by the STRF 90 (which the Northern Islands don't get).

The SHILKA is slightly orphaned as the only dedicated self-propelled AA platform in the game so I've chucked it here instead of with the jeeps/trucks. It's also unique to the South.

Southern tanks are by and large outclassed by Eastern/Western ones unfortunately in terms of health and weapons, particularly the late game Heavy Tanks. Be careful to ensure what you're getting is actually a tank and not a self propelled artillery piece with lots of armour (looking at you IS-152).

However, with the exception of DLC vehicles, they do get access to tanks some 2 years earlier than the West does - although whether the A34 is really a tank is up for debate.

This is whre you start getting to the heavier tanks that can actually take a hit.

All factions get access to artillery in the same year (excluding my characterisation of the IS-152). The 2C3 is equivalent to the Western M109 in terms of health (but without a self-protection turret), whilst the BM21 is arguably better than the M270 with more rockets.

Artillery – king of the battlefield – is a game changer once unlocked. Whilst rocket artillery is significantly more deadly, there is a significant ammunition tradeoff.

Although you can fire it manually, there is no targeting computer so good luck hitting anything blind. In a video online I saw that you're meant to be able to direct artillery to fire at a point in first person mode using binoculars but I couldn't seem to get that to work. Otherwise, the artillery will independently fire on its own.

Currently the only naval vehicle is the LCM-8 which you will need to have in order to transport your troops over water on the global map. Each carries a full squad (including vehicles) and you can only embark and disembark at a port.

There are currently other naval units in the tree but they are locked pending future release. I'll update this section when they become available.

The Southern (and Eastern) aircraft ORBAT is significantly lacking in comparison to the Western lineup. I can't tell much of a difference between the aircraft on offer. I think the SU33 fires 8 rockets instead of 4? Better than nothing, but don't expect much.

Aircraft (and anti-aircraft) mechanics are still under development at the time of writing; however, aircraft can be used to provide a significant boost to combat power and don't count against the 10 max deployed units in battle (with the exception of paratroops).

Air wings are formed from an airport. There is currently no way of determining the order they appear in the ORBAT – if you want to customise the order of your air support in battle you'll have to send aircraft away and then back as you build the wing.

Aircraft can be called in using the appropriate hotkeys during battle. You can simultaneously call in helicopters and fixed wing aircraft. Currently there doesn't seem to be a way to determine a direction of attack but I haven't seen any aircraft fly towards your troops during a bombing run (which is good).

I haven't seen any aircraft/helos shot down by enemy AA but they will try to shoot at it. Also note that all strikes are quite inaccurate – you probably won't have much success using an air strike to take out a lone tank, for example, but they are very effective against troops in the open.

There are currently other transport aircraft units in the tree but they are locked pending future release. I'll update this section when they become available.

Hopefully this guide has provided sufficient information to explain the myriad of units and equipment available - without you having to trial and error your way through production.

I'll update this as more units are released. If you spot any errors, let me know and I'll update accordingly.

If interested. you can find a link to my other faction guides below:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3529905336
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3535540745
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3538429014