How do you tell which version of a platform to use?

[Mgellis]

Command does a remarkable job of letting people know exactly which versions of various planes, ships, etc. were available to different countries, but there are some "blank spots."

For example, if you open up the Database Viewer and look under Tunisia, there are presently no aircraft listed. A quick check on Wikipedia shows that Tunisia actually has a small but passable air force with F-5s and a few other combat aircraft. Most of them are in the database already, in one form or another, but...

There are something like nine different versions of the F-5E listed. If I want to write a scenario with Tunisia in it, which one do I use? Jordan's? Thailand's? Another one?

Or, rather, how do I figure out which version of a platform I should use whenever this situation comes up? It comes up a lot right now when you try to write scenarios involving smaller countries. Is it just a matter of checking which sensors and loadouts each version has and trying to find the best match (and then making a note of it in the information for the scenario)? Or is there anything else I can do? Any resources, reference works, web sites, research methods, etc. that anyone can suggest?

Thanks.

[bsq]

Personally I use one from a similar nation.

So when I find that Syria has no ZSU-23-4, I use the Iraqi one, because it is very likely to be similar, likewise with radars I have used Libyan stuff and when all else fails I have used the manufacturing nations version.

For platforms, likely you would need to check the load out and not allow the country of use any weapons it does not/would not have - some of it comes down to guess work.

[Mgellis]

ORIGINAL: bsq

Personally I use one from a similar nation.

So when I find that Syria has no ZSU-23-4, I use the Iraqi one, because it is very likely to be similar, likewise with radars I have used Libyan stuff and when all else fails I have used the manufacturing nations version.

For platforms, likely you would need to check the load out and not allow the country of use any weapons it does not/would not have - some of it comes down to guess work.

Yeah, I figured it would probably be something like that. Oh well, not too serious a problem...I just have to keep track of which substitutions I make; fortunately, it's easy enough to repair an error if I get something wrong and then re-post a scenario once it is revised. I was just wondering if people had any other ideas.