Military Strategies of Eras

[Xentherida]

Post some interesting quirks about your military's strategies; the best way to decide this is to look at what nations are nearby, how your nation interacts with them - if hostile, would you imagine being on the defensive or offensive? What's the terrain like? What kind of vehicles could you field there? It's about forming a strategy on how your nation intends to fight its next war.

This isn't intended for you to just post your entire nation's strategies, but instead some minor details on a particular thing your nation expects to happen, and how it's prepared for this. Or possibly what it doesn't expect or it isn't prepared for either.

For example, I'll give some details on Xentherida:

Being located on Collandris, a continent separate from all other nations except one by ocean, Xentherida has placed a high emphasis on securing and retaining naval supremacy. While traditionally a role suited for the navy, in modern times this has been supplanted by aircraft. The ability to, at minimum, deny enemy vessels the ability to approach Xentheridan shores, is seen as a vital objective for Xentherida. Therefore the nation has amassed vast quantities of anti-ship missiles, mostly long range air launched missiles, to enable enemy fleets to be attacked from afar (to compensate for a lack of ground-based fifth generation fighters - only the Xentheridan navy is in (rather limited) possession of stealth fighters, as the regular air force has elected to pursue development of sixth generation fighters instead) whether to attack ships from far away or close (in this case missiles would be fired while the aircraft was deep into Xentheridan airspace) to allow Xentherida to keep its aircraft out of range of enemy air defences, preserving a vital resource.


The Xentheridan naval strategy puts, quite ironically, heavy emphasis on the use of air power - one key example of this is the use of strategic bombers to support distant operations of the Xentheridan fleet. The Eklund B-51 Bombkatt swing-wing strategic bomber can be loaded with up to 24 long-range anti ship missiles, which can be used in operations ranging from a first strike against naval vessels in port, or to provide long-range support against enemy fleets, especially useful when targeting individual screening ships for an enemy's main fleet to weaken its defences before the Xentheridan fleet proper is in range. However, these bombers are only land based, and thus are only able to operate within roughly 6000 km of friendly bases - combining the combat range of the B-51 and the missile.

Xentherida possesses just 42 B-51 bombers, but nearly 500 multi-role fighters from both the air force and navy.

Spoiler: B-51 strategic bomber of the Xentheridan Air Force

 

[Predice]

Introduction
The Armed Forces of Predice (AFP) have had to make difficult decisions when it comes to funding, as Predice spent "just" 56,158,820,885 IBU on defence in 2020, that is 3.2% of Predice's GDP. Constrained by these budget limitations, as well as the need to maintain a large conventional force, despite manpower constraints due to Predice's population making up about 50% of the New Alemaner population (New Aleman being Predice's most immediate and most existential threat), Predice was made to spend frugally on areas it knew would help defend the country against New Aleman. Let's focus for now on the choices the Predicean Air Force had to face, and how it decided to face them.

CC-16 Dardo

Beginnings
The Predicean Air Force (PAF) in 2003 found itself in a terrible position. Its immediate post-2003 Revolution reorganisation cut the force down to five fighter squadrons, flying either second or at best third generation CC-17 and CC-16 models. The Provisional Government immediately took two actions:
First, the Ministry of National Defence resurrected the CC-1X project, later known as Project Falcon when it received Santonian backing.
Second, the Government negotiated for the lease of eighteen TAI Örn multirole fighters from Xentherida. Outright purchase of the aircraft was impossible due to the financial situation Predice faced. Predice at the time spent a whopping 4% of its GDP on defence, though that amounted to just 9,166,440,792 IBU, of which a majority was immediately funneled to reorganise and re-equip the Predicean Army, which had faced a decade and a half of rot, and which was considered the most important arm of the AFP.
The reactivation of the CC-1X project and the lease of 18 Xentheridan fighters was the only immediate injection of investment the Air Force could expect.
Despite the bad situation, the PAF continued to perform its duties well, with its creative ground crews keeping the ancient airframes flying. It was clear, however, that this could not last.

Predicean CC-17 Fighter on the ground in 2003

2007- Modernisation at last
In 2007, two big things happened:
First the Falcon passed Predicean trials, and second the PAF finally received significant funding and was put in front of its first decision.
Renew the lease on the TAI Örns and procure less Falcons to allow for the more significant development of the transport and refueling fleet, or send the Örns back to Xentherida, and procure more CC-18 Falcons at the expense of the Transport and refueling fleets. The PAF opted for the latter option, as the New Alemaner Air Force stared down Predice with its vast fleet of fighters. And so, on April 4th, 2007, the PAF submitted an order of 72 Falcons, with an option for 72 more to Alenia Aeronautica. It was a blockbuster move, and, although dwarfed by the order made by the Royal Santonian Air Force the following day, it set the strategic path for the PAF's future.

Prototype of CC-18

2012-2018- Expansion and further challenges
In 2012, following the completion of the initial order of 144 Falcons (The PAF had opted to enact its option of an additional 72 Falcons, a decision in itself, as it meant even less funding for the transport force,) the PAF faced another decision: either redouble its focus on air combat close to Predice, or bolster the neglected transport and tanker fleets.
Predice chose the former due to the large New Alemaner Air Force; Predice knew it could never match New Aleman for numbers, but it could fight it with superior technology and situational awareness. On July 10th, 2012, the PAF announced two orders:
First an order for eight H-11/1 AEW&C aircraft from Alenia Aeronautica and Leonardo S.p.A, a capability that had thus far not existed in the PAF.
Second, an order for another 72 CC-18s to bolster the air combat power of the PAF further. This was necessary, as the PAF faced a force of 700+ fighters.
In 2015 an order of 48 fighters was made, expanded to 96 in 2016, the second largest order of Falcons for the PAF. A final order of 48 was announced in late 2018, capping Predice's fighter force at 360, facing at this point nearly 1,000 opposing airframes.
Airframes, however, weren't the only thing the PAF focused on. It also, in cooperation with the Predicean Navy, procured a total of 812 Cruise missiles in years 2012-2018, and throughout the same period, several thousand guidance kits were also acquired.

CC-18 "Falcon" with guided bombs

2020 and beyond- Future
With the prototypes for Project Dragon, a future fifth generation fighter developed by Predice, Saintonge and Yalkan in testing, the Predicean Air Force's focus on technology to overcome its numerically superior foe, continued. Plans for 72 such airframes exist. In early 2020, the PAF, in cooperation with the Predicean Navy, placed an order for 18 Averla A2 strike drones, the Predicean designation for the SPX SD-2. Predice would be the first of the three partners to place an order, with Saintonge and Xentherida following shortly after. A line of SPX strike drones are under development, with Predice planning to acquire a significant number of drones as a cheaper alternative for manned aircraft.

Project Dragon prototype

2021-22- Plans thrown into jeopardy
With New Aleman's invasion of Predice in 2021, the strengths and weaknesses of the Predicean Air Force were quickly exposed. The Predicean Air Force took losses in infrastructure and airframes, but due to its relatively large size, was largely able to absorb the blows, and contest the air with superior BVR technology. Its significant inventory of standoff weapons allowed it to launch significant retaliatory strikes. The PAF, however, was largely unable to assist the defenders of Bellaterra with supplies, with few transport aircraft available, leaving the Navy to do most of the supplying of the seemingly doomed city.
The Averla A2 proved its effectiveness in Predice, despite the low numbers at the outset, it destroyed large numbers of New Alemaner equipment, and justified further orders from all three partners.
In all, the PAF has more than done its share in the war, with it effectively defeating the New Alemaner Air Force, and allowing for significant Predicean Offensives.

Averla A2 strike drone on the ground