Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction/Weapons and Vehicles

Below is a list of weapons and vehicles in Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction.

Infantry weapons

• Assault Rifle (AK-47/Type 56 Assault Rifle) - This 7.62x39mm rifle is the standard weapon of the Chinese and NK infantry, along with some of the Mafia's thugs. It is a good all-round weapon with a medium-to-high rate of fire, a medium-size magazine and decent mid-range accuracy and stopping power. The ammo for the Assault Rifle is abundant, as it is carried by most enemy soldiers.
• Carbine (M4 Carbine) - The standard-issue light armament for AN and SK infantry. The 5.56x45mm M4A1 has a 30-round magazine and improved accuracy compared to the AK-47. Less powerful than most other weapons but still effective if fired accurately.
• Light Machine Gun (RPD) - A 7.62x39mm mid-range squad support weapon with a 100-round drum magazine and a very high rate of fire, the LMG is exceptionally effective against light vehicles and enemy personnel with body armour, but its accuracy decreases over medium-to-long distances. It is used by most of the Deck of 52, NK Elite forces, China and occasionally, the Russian Mafia.
• Prototype Rifle (HK MG36) - This 5.56x45mm German-made rifle is used by some ROKA troops, including the elite 707th Special Missions Battalion, as well as General Song, the leader of North Korea, and features exceptional medium-range accuracy, It comes standard with a telescopic scope and a 100-round magazine. Strangely, the magazine is not the double-drum configuration magazine that it should be, but is a standard box magazine that could not possibly hold 100 rounds. The G36 has particularly good stopping power over short-to-medium distances. However, the recoil from full-auto fire makes it impossible to shoot accurately with the scope, unless the weapon is fired in single shots. Although it resembles a G36, the G36 is well past prototype. As many people may know this isn't a prototype of the XM8.
• SMG (Type 85) - This 7.62x25mm Submachine Gun is the standard armament for most Mafia thugs, as well as North Korean and Chinese NCOs. This weapon has good short-to-medium-range accuracy and a 45 round magazine.
• Covert Submachine Gun (MP5SD) - A 9mm MP5 variant with short-to-medium effective range, medium accuracy, a fair-sized magazine and decent stopping power, this close-quarters assault weapon is fitted with a standard deceleration suppressor for covert operations and assassinations. This is used by some ROKA officers and many ROKA 707th commandos.
• Shotgun - This semiautomatic 12-gauge shotgun is wildly inaccurate over anything but short-to-medium ranges and has a very limited 7-round tube magazine, but makes up for its shortcomings with exceptional short-range stopping power. It is also highly effective against lightly armoured vehicles. Due to a glitch in the PlayStation 2 version, firing the shotgun is completely silent. The ricochet on the ground and the reloading, however, are audible. Mainly used by Mafia officers.
• SVD Dragunov Sniper Rifle - A 7.62x54mm sniper rifle with good range and rate of fire. However, its small calibre ammunition is less effective against lightly armoured vehicles than the KSVK. Used by North Korean, Chinese and Mafia forces.
• Anti-Material Sniper Rifle (KSVK) - A high-velocity anti-armour sniper's weapon that fires 12.7mm ammunition that allows it to punch through body armour and light vehicle armour with relative ease. It comes standard with a telescopic sight. It is very inaccurate when fired on the move. Used by NK and Allied snipers.
• "Street Sweeper" - A secret unlockable weapon. Its shape is similar to that of the submachine gun, but it holds 3000 rounds in the magazine and has the damage, accuracy, and rate-of-fire of the helicopter-mounted miniguns. The Street Sweeper is a fictional and a very powerful weapon. It resembles an Uzi submachine gun with a silencer attached.

Heavy Weapons and Explosives

• RPG-7 - An all-purpose shoulder-launched support weapon, the RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenade) has limited accuracy over longer ranges but is very useful against ground vehicles, slower air units and buildings. Used by NK, China and occasionally by SK and the Mafia.
• FIM-92 Stinger - An American anti-air weapon, this weapon fires heat-seeking missiles which cause heavy damage to aircraft but have limited power against ground vehicles and fortifications. Used by NK, SK, China and the AN.
• Anti-Tank Missile - A guided rocket fired by this weapon causes heavy damage to armour units and can easily destroy tanks. This weapon is also effective against low-flying helicopters. Used by SK and AN forces.
• M67 grenade - Hand grenade which causes severe injury or death to enemies and can even damage vehicles and buildings. Used by all factions.
• Flash Grenade - This flashbang-type grenade stuns enemies within its explosive. This can also stun the player. It is effective even if the victim isn't facing towards it.
• Composition-C4 - A remote-detonated plastic explosive charge with a wide blast radius and powerful effects. It is capable of causing significant damage to vehicles and buildings when placed strategically.
• Pocket Artillery - A secret unlockable weapon. Though shaped to the likeness of a Desert Eagle handgun, it lobs contact-sensitive grenades at a high rate of fire, much like the mounted grenade launchers. A similar looking weapon that is carried by the personnel of several factions, but these are presumably just normal handguns.
• Portable Airstrike - A secret unlockable weapon. Tracks ground and air units. Shaped to the likeness of the Anti-Tank Missile Launcher, but holds 999 rockets. It also does massive, widespread damage, comparable in destructiveness to the Bunker Buster airstrike or the FROG-7 Rocket, except that it cannot destroy hardened structures.

Vehicles

An asterisk next to the name denotes that the player cannot control the vehicle. Two asterisks indicates it can only be found once or is very rare. Three asterisks indicate that the vehicle delivers supplies to the player, but cannot be flown.

Allied Nations

Aircraft:

• YAH-56 Gunship (resembles an AH-64 Apache "Longbow", but uses the experimental YAH-56 Cheyenne designation) - A common sight in the airspace around Allied military bases and field hospitals, the YAH-56 is a narrow-hulled attack craft and a main armament of air-to-ground/air-to-air missile launchers. It is fast and agile and its medium armour makes it virtually immune to small-arms fire, but RPG fire is capable of downing it in 1-2 shots. It is also a viable target for AA vehicles. It should be noted that it is very difficult to acquire this vehicle for use; the only way to get one is to either lure the helicopter low to the ground by shooting rockets above it (sometimes the rockets will end up hitting it) and initiating a hijack move, or shooting the pilot and letting the helicopter fall to the ground (sometimes the fall will do enough damage to destroy it). Either method will most likely result in the vehicle's destruction, making the effort in vain. The gunship is equipped with a 30mm auto-cannon, 38 unguided rockets, 8 anti-tank missiles, and 4 anti-air missiles.
• CH-47 "Chinook" Cargo Helicopter*** (Only seen delivering supplies during AN ace contracts) - The US Army's standard heavy-lift helicopter is used to transport large vehicles — such as the M2 Bradley APC - to designated landing zones. Its powerful engines and tough hull design enable it to survive medium-to-heavy ground fire. Its considerable size makes it an easy target for RPGs and anti-air missile launchers. The pilot doesn't seem to have control of any weapons but manned machine guns can be seen in the windows.
• UH-60 "Blackhawk" Troop Transport Helicopter - This transport helicopter has a passenger capacity of six, plus driver, and can use its underside magnetic clamp to transport light vehicles. It is smaller and less durable than the CH-47, but is still large and fast enough to survive light-to-medium ground fire, and is armed with two side-mounted, M134 miniguns.

Allied Nations ground vehicles:

• Cargo Truck - nondescript and fairly common, this useful transport vehicle is capable of a fair turn of speed and can be used to carry a large number of supply crates around the North Korean countryside. However, it is unarmed and its unarmored chassis cannot survive anything more powerful than small-arms fire.
• M1025 Scout - a classic wide-bodied recon/transport car, the standard M-1025 features an armoured chassis, a turbocharged V6 engine and a pintle-mounted 12.7x99mm Browning M2HB machine gun. It has a seating capacity of five, driver and gunner included.
• M1097 "Avenger" Humvee - this two-man mobile artillery unit is based around a simple Humvee forward chassis, but the rear section has been replaced by a revolving one-man FIM-92 Stinger missile anti-aircraft system. It is often used to provide anti-air support for Allied vehicle columns, and also makes appearances around many of the Allied bases in North Korea.
• M1126 "Stryker" APC - branded as the "bigger, badder brother of the M1025 Scout", the M1126 features a well-armoured hull, eight large wheels with all-terrain tires and a Remote Controlled 12.7x99mm Browning M2HB machine gun set into the cupola. It can carry five soldiers (one serve as the gunner), driver not included, and is capable of a fair turn of speed. Similar to the BTR-60 but is more resistant to bullets while the BTR-60 is more missile resistant.
• M1A2 Abrams Tank** (Only used in Ace of Spades mission and the first and last Mafia missions in the Northern Province. It can also be acquired during Mafia mission.) - Widely considered to be one of the most powerful front-line MBT in the world, the Abrams features totally bulletproof and flameproof armour and a powered turret armed with a pintle-mounted M240C machine gun and 120mm smoothbore cannon, and features a AGT-1500 gas turbine engine. It can survive significant anti-tank fire, and is entirely impervious to small-arms fire. The Abrams is the most devastating and powerful tank in the game, the main cannon allowing it to destroy any unit or unhardened building in one hit. This advantage comes at a price however: this weapon has almost negligible splash damage. Anything hit by the shell will be destroyed, but the explosion has a radius of less than a yard and does very light damage.
• M2 IFV - The infantry fighting vehicle of the AN forces, The Bradley is a large tracked vehicle with a bulletproof hull, It has seating capacity for 4 soldiers and the driver and is armed with a M242 Bushmaster 25mm chain gun and TOW-2B Anti-Tank Guided Missiles. It is fairly fast over flat surfaces ans is immune to small-arms fire, and can survive significant amounts of artillery fire.

Chinese

Aircraft:

• WZ-9 Light Attack** - A Chinese built Eurocopter Dauphin helicopter with twin missile launchers. It is of little practical use and is usually avoided by players.
• MI-17 "Hip-H" Transport Helicopter - Similar to the Allied Chinook CH-47, this large armoured aircraft can carry large vehicles with its magnetic clamp to any designated landing zone. It is tough and features a powerful engine system, but can easily be brought down by Anti-Aircraft fire.
• Sikorski S70 Transport - Similar in many ways to the Allied UH-60; the only major differences between the two helicopters are that the Chinese S-70 looks more like a US MH-60K helicopter with its protruding radar dome and refuelling probe.

Chinese ground vehicles:

• BJ2020 Scout - This half-ton scout vehicle has an open-topped three-man design, with a medium machine gun mounted on a revolving stand at the back. It is fast and manoeuvrable, but its open sides and top leave its passengers vulnerable to incoming enemy fire.
• Cargo Truck - as above.
• Fuel Truck - Similar to the Cargo Truck, but its storage space is filled entirely with a tank of highly flammable aviation fuel. It is as vulnerable to enemy fire as the Cargo variant, but the devastating explosion caused by its destruction means that it can be used as a powerful mobile bomb, if one has access to enough C4 explosive to use as a detonator.
• Type 80 Tank - The most common MBT among the Chinese armoured forces, this medium-armoured tank features a winter camouflage pattern, It is impervious to small arms fire and can survive light missile fire, and is armed with a pintle-mounted heavy machine gun and a 125mm cannon. It is fairly fast for a tank of its size, and has particularly high-grip tracks.
• Type 89 APC - a well-armoured APC, it is virtually bulletproof and can stand a few heavy hits. It is armed with TOW missiles and can carry a total of 5 passengers.
• Type 96 Tank - A heavily upgraded variant of the Type 80 MBTs, the Type 96 tank is larger, faster and more heavily armoured than its predecessors, and can survive for longer under medium-to-heavy artillery and missile bombardment. Its weapons includes a pintle-mounted heavy machine gun and 125mm cannon.
• Type 95 Anti-Air - A Chinese built copy of the Russian Tunguska-M1. It features 8 anti-air missile tubes (4 on either side) and twin 30mm cannons. It is better used against infantry, lightly armoured vehicles and air targets. It is possible to hit heavily armoured targets with the missiles, but it can prove difficult. Otherwise, its speed, armour and general survivability are the same as its MBT counterparts.
• M1955 Artillery (Chinese) - This towed artillery unit consists of a low trailer chassis with a 152mm medium-to-long-range artillery cannon mounted on it. Somewhat inaccurate over any distances, its high-explosive shells are nonetheless devastating when on target and can be used to lay down deadly suppressing fire. The M1955 is used in the various Chinese Artillery Strikes.
• Type 66 Artillery - This is largely similar to the M1955, and is also used in the Artillery Strikes.

Mafia

Aircraft:

• KA-50 "Black Shark" Attack Helicopter** (only seen in two missions) - an advanced "dome-hull" helicopter prototype, evidently stolen from a Russian military testing ground and smuggled across the Russian/North Korean border by Mafia heavies. The KA-50 is equipped with an encased pressure-lift rotor system, a well-armoured hull design (capable of surviving significant small arms fire, as well as light missile fire), a cannon and a quadruple-tube anti-tank/anti-air missile launcher. This is another helicopter that is difficult to gain control of,and when you come across it, it usually has or is about to take off. when you are taking the reporter aronud there is one sitting on the hospital.
• MD-530 Scout Helicopter - this extremely fast, manoeuvrable scout helicopter is armed with twin 12.7mm machine guns and air-to-ground rockets. Its two-man cockpit is protected by a bulbous bulletproof glass canopy, but the small size and light armour of the chopper itself make it highly vulnerable to missile fire or even medium-to-heavy small-arms fire.
• Mi-26 Cargo Helicopter*** (only seen delivering supplies during the game)- the standard heavy lifting helicopter of the Russian Mafia, this is the helicopter the player will see the most of, as it delivers all vehicles purchased in the Merchant of Menace outside of a contract. There is a red star on the helicopter, suggesting that it may have been stolen from the Russian military and modded. The player cannot control this helicopter.

Mafia ground vehicles:

• Mafia Hummer H2 SUV - A Hummer H2 fitted with armour plating, forward bull-bars and a pintle-mounted 12.7x99mm machine gun, the SUV is fast and drives well on most terrain types, and can survive significant small-arms fire. It can seat 4 passengers along with the driver.
• Machine Gun Technical - a wide-bodied, three-man pickup truck variant, this fast, manoeuvrable combat vehicle can survive significant small-arms fire and light missile fire, and is armed with a 12.7mm machine gun in the rear cargo tray.
• TOW Technical - this combat vehicle is armed with a TOW missile launcher, but is otherwise identical to the MG version.
• Grenade Launcher Technical - this vehicle is identical in chassis design, speed and survivability to the two variants above, but it replaces the machine gun/TOW missile with a rapid-fire grenade launcher.

North Korea

Aircraft:

• Mi-17 "Hip-H" Transport Helicopter - the NK Mi-17 is identical to the Chinese version except for its different camouflage colour scheme.
• MI-2 "Hoplite" Light Attack Helicopter** - a fast, manoeuvrable, lightly armoured assault craft, the MI-2 features a standard Mil MI series rotor system and a multi-use missile launcher. It can withstand light-to-medium small-arms fire but is heavily susceptible to missile fire.
• Mi-35 "Hind" Gunship - an export and more advanced version of the Mi-24 Hind, the Mi-35 has a stronger armoured hull and is immune to bullets, but can be brought down by sustained AA fire or SAMs. It is fast, agile and is armed with a combination of 23mm anti-personnel cannons and air-to-ground missiles. It can also carry up to 6 people in its rear cabin.
• MD-500 Scout - similar in hull design, speed and survivability to the Mafia MD-530, the MD-500 replaces the 530's heavy machine guns and rockets with a minigun and twin Anti-Tank missile launchers.

North Korea ground vehicles:

• BMP-1 APC - a well-armoured and reasonably fast armoured vehicle, the BMP is immune to small-arms fire and resistant to light missile fire. It can carry up to four passengers, and is armed with a turret-mounted 73mm cannon. The BMP is the oldest tank in the game and its gun inflicts less damage on modern tanks, although it is highly effective against virtually all other vehicle types. It does not have a machine gun and is vulnerable to anti-tank troops.
• BRDM Scout - fast and agile, the BRDM has a 2-man crew (driver and gunner) and is armed with a 14.5mm pintle-mounted machine gun. However, its lightly armoured chassis is highly vulnerable to missile attack, and can only survive a limited amount of small-arms fire.
• BTR APC - a quick 8 wheeled APC which can carry 6 passengers and 1 gunner. Its armour is relatively light and it is armed with 12.7mm machine gun of limited effectiveness, although the BTR is quite agile for an APC.  
• Ural-4320 Cargo Truck - a standard flatbed cargo vehicle, the two-man Ural-4320 Cargo Truck is fairly fast and durable, and can be used to transport supply crates in the same manner as its Chinese and Allied counterparts. It can survive light-to-medium small-arms fire but is highly vulnerable to missiles, grenades and other such explosive devices. Some of them carry highly explosive fuel tanks in the back, but these are not strapped on and will fall out easily.
• Control Vehicle - this unarmed but well-armoured vehicle is capable of a fair turn of speed and can survive significant small-arms fire and light missile fire. Its revolving electronics array features a wide variety of communications and surveillance equipment, including a Doppler radome, infrared ranging devices and an electronic radar jamming system. It is the most technologically advanced ground vehicle in the NK armoury.
• FROG-7 TELAR - a Cold-War era missile truck, the FROG-7 TELAR consists of a ZIL-135 8x8 truck chassis with a missile launch rail mounted behind the cab. It is fairly fast and the truck itself can survive significant small-arms fire, but the FROG missile mounted on its rail is in a constant state of launch readiness and therefore is susceptible to detonation when under fire. The FROG-7 TELAR is used for the Strategic Missile Strike. Unfortunately, the player cannot fire the missile while driving the truck.
• Sungri Scout - the most common North Korean vehicle, this three-man light scout car has the same basic open-topped layout as the Chinese BJ2020, but has a far flimsier chassis and is highly vulnerable to both missile fire and light-to-medium small-arms fire. Fast and agile, the Sungri is armed with a medium machine gun. Unfortunately, the machine gun has a limited range of traverse, unlike the BJ2020.
• M1955 Artillery - this mobile artillery unit is based on a tracked, armoured chassis with a 135mm long-range adjustable artillery gun. The chassis can survive significant small-arms fire and light missile fire, but is very slow to move (in the game it is, for all intents and purposes, largely immobile). The high-explosive shells fired by the M1955 can cause significant structural damage to most buildings, and the M1955 is therefore largely used to bombard enemy positions.
• M1978 Artillery - apart from some minor aesthetic differences and a slightly higher-calibre gun, the M1978 is identical to the M1955. The M1978 is mounted on a T-54/55 chassis & can rotate all the way around, unlike the M1955/66. The gun is mannable but has no practical use.
• SA-8 Anti-Air - the most common Anti-Aircraft unit in the game, the SA-8 is a wide-bodied two-man support vehicle with a well-armoured chassis and a revolving AA weapons system, which consists of a wide-angle air radar unit and twin surface-to-air missile launchers. The SA-8 is fairly fast and can be seen at nearly every NK installation in the game. It can survive significant small-arms fire and light missile fire, and can even withstand .50 calibre machine gun rounds.
• Type 07 Supergun** - the Type 07 consists of a giant tracked chassis, with a gigantic artillery cannon set into a firing platform on top. The rail car contains chemical toilets and bunks for the gun's supervision crew, as well as the loading and firing mechanisms. The Supergun is impervious to small-arms fire and all but the heaviest weapons - in fact, only a Bunker Buster Air Strike, a BGM-109 Tomahawk Cruise Missile or another Supergun can destroy it. The cannon itself fires 7,000-pound quasi-nuclear composite ammunition, which cause explosive and radioactive effects similar to the detonation of a 0.2 kiloton nuclear device.
• Type 07 Prototype Supergun** - the Prototype version is slightly smaller than the final Type 07 & lacks a radar jammer, but is otherwise identical in every way. It has no treads and is mounted to the ground, unlike its larger variation, and the ammunition doesn't seem to be radioactive. There are two of these guns placed in the game.
• Ural-4320 Transport Truck - this troop transport vehicle uses the same cab and chassis design as the Cargo version, but replaces the flatbed cargo section with a four-man seating area protected by a canvas canopy. The Ural-4320 Transport is slightly more resistant to small-arms fire than the Cargo Truck, but is still vulnerable to missiles. Speed and overall manoeuvrability are the same as the Cargo Truck. Although it has more resistant to weapons due to the canvas tarp, it is much easier to hit, and can be destroyed by just shooting that part of the truck.
• T-54 Tank - a modified Soviet-era battle tank, the T-54 features an entirely bulletproof hull and can survive light-to-medium missile fire. It is fairly fast and its turret armament includes a pintle-mounted 12.7mm machine gun and a 100mm tank cannon. This tank is almost out of existence in the Northern province.
• T-62 Tank - the T-62 is similar in most ways to the T-54, but its armour is slightly thicker and its main cannon is a 115mm instead of a 100mm.
• ZSU-57 Flak Anti-Air - the ZSU-57 consists of a bulletproof tracked chassis (with limited resistance to missile fire) with an open-topped gun turret, equipped with double 57mm AA cannons. The ZSU-57 is faster than many of the other NK armoured vehicles, but with its open turret, it makes it easy for the player to shoot the operator from the turret and take control without the need to hijack. The guns are ineffective against other tanks but are devastating to soldiers and slower aircraft.

South Korea

Aircraft:

• K-60 Troop Transport - largely identical to the Allied version, the SK UH-60 only differs in its blue winter/urban camouflage pattern and the addition of external fuel pods, refuelling probe and radar randome, akin to an American MH-60K helicopter.
• Super Stallion*** (seen delivering supplies on SK contracts and on one mission at Ichon Airfield on an AN contract) - a large heavy transport helicopter, the K-53 uses its turbocharged engines and powerful magnetic clamp to carry even the largest armoured vehicles over large distances. While not usable, the K-53 sports four M134 miniguns. Highly resistant to small-arms fire and light missile fire, the K-53 is used to deliver heavy vehicles to the mercenary when he or she is on a South Korean mission. Supply drops and Light Vehicles like the K966 or K1025 are delivered by the K-60 Troop Transport.
• LHX Light Attack Helicopter "Comanche" - the Comanche is a powerful light strike helicopter, with a durable narrow-hulled design, an encased rear rotor and an integrated 20mm AP cannon/multi-use missile launcher weapons system. Fast and manoeuvrable, the Comanche is resistant to small-arms fire and light missile fire.

South Korea ground vehicles:

• Cargo Truck - as above.
• K966 Scout - this is largely identical to the Allied M1025 Scout, but sports a blue winter/urban camouflage pattern and a TOW missile launcher in place of the M1025's 12.7mm machine gun.
• K1025 Scout - this is entirely identical to the M1025 Scout, save for its camo pattern, as it retains the 12.7mm machine gun.
• K200 APC - this large armoured vehicle features a bulletproof armoured hull (with fairly high resistance to missile fire) containing a four-person seating area and a small inbuilt chemical toilet, like some of the Allied and Chinese armoured vehicles. The K200 is capable of a fair turn of speed over flat road surfaces, and is armed with a formidable cupola-mounted 25mm Anti-Personnel cannon.
• K200 Surveillance - this is largely identical to the K200 APC, but replaces the 25mm cannon with a full-spectrum electronics array, incorporating radar, infrared and electronic radar jamming systems.

Other

• Jaju - A North Korean copy of a 1980s Honda Civic: white/Light Tan-painted, fairly fast but highly susceptible to small-arms and missile attack. Is based on a 1980s Honda Civic sedan.
• Metro Bus - a common public transport vehicle in Pyongyang and other major cities. It is fairly fast and durable but hard to steer, and is very vulnerable to small-arms and missile fire.
• SMC 2100- A North Korean civilian transport truck, commonly seen near urban centres.
• Paektusan* - a luxurious South Korean Compact: fast, durable and with a capacity of four, driver included. The Paektusan is vulnerable to missile fire but can withstand significant light-to-medium small-arms fire. This vehicle was removed from the game, presumably to balance out the vehicles.
• Lada 124 - the hallmark of Soviet civilian life, the Lada was exported to communist North Korea in vast numbers during the Cold War. It used to be a common sight in and around Pyongyang and other cities. Speedy and reliable, it has a capacity of four (driver included) but is very vulnerable to any attack. However, it is not as common as the Jaju, and is now only found in the Northern Province.
• SMC 2300 - a standard white-painted cargo truck with a two-man cab, the SMC 2300 is a common sight on the roads of North Korea. It is fairly fast and can survive significant small-arms fire, but is very vulnerable to missile fire.
• SMC 2200 - The same as the SMC 2100, except it is a flatbed version.
• Baggage Carrier - a common sight at the various airbases and civilian airports dotted around North Korea, the Baggage Carrier is a small, one-man transport vehicle. It is quick and nondescript, but is extremely vulnerable to any attack.
• GSRN Truck - an all-terrain press truck, owned by the Global Satellite Reporting Network. Fast but vulnerable to all forms of attack, this four-man vehicle is a common sight at many Allied bases and field hospitals. The GSRN Truck features an all-frequency radio broadcast system, and if the player moves close to one of these vehicles, then he or she will be able to hear an update on the latest developments to do with the Deck of 52.
• Sports Car - a classic crimson racing vehicle, this expensive two-seater machine is agile and capable of very high speeds, but its fragile chassis is highly susceptible to attack. Similar to an Acura NSX, but with shorter taillights and no roof.
• Taebaek - a cheap South Korean SUV, a Ssangyong Rexton, the four-seater Taebaek is aesthetically pleasing and quite fast, but its chassis is very flimsy and can easily be damaged. A single RPG rocket or an extended burst of small-arms fire is generally enough to destroy a Taebaek.
• Ambulance - this vehicle is identical in design, speed and durability to the GSRN Truck, but it is used by Allied medics instead of GSRN reporters.
• Grenade Machine Gun - a tripod-mounted rapid-fire 40mm grenade launcher, capable of laying down a devastating 180° field of fire. Its grenade ammunition is designed for Anti-Personnel use, but has devastating effects on light vehicles as well.
• Heavy Machine Gun - this tripod-mounted weapon takes the form of a 15mm machine gun, and can often be seen set up behind sandbags and defensive positions around the bases of various factions.
• Recoilless Rifle - this follows the same sort of tripod setup and defensive positioning as the Grenade/Heavy Machine Gun versions, but the weapon in question is a medium-range armour-piercing recoilless rifle unit, capable of destroying most armoured vehicles in two or three shots.
• Hummer H3: A powerful 4-wheel drive SUV, procured from the Hummer factory by the Mafia. Its fairly resistant to small-arms fire and can go virtually anywhere off-road.
• Mafia Sedan: A luxury sedan used to transport high-ranking Mafia personnel. It is fast, but light armoured and will only survive light arms fire. It resembles an old 40s-50s Volga, Moskvitch or Mercedes. The player will normally be disguised as a civilian while driving this vehicle, except for the mission in which it is provided by default.

Airstrikes (including vehicles and aircraft)

• Air Superiority: F/A-22 Raptor - used to clear the local airspace of hostile aircraft, this satellite-guided air strike takes the form of a brief Raptor fly-by, during which all unfriendly aircraft in the area are targeted and destroyed by independently targeting AMRAAM-120 Air-to-Air missiles. The air-targeting systems of the AMRAAMs mean that this air strike is entirely ineffective against ground vehicles. It may attack friendlies.

Minimum cost: $160,000

• Artillery Strike: Type 66 Artillery - guided by standard high-plume red-dye smoke grenades, this suppressive strike consists of a brief artillery attack by a portion of the Chinese 7/23rd Field Artillery (the PLA artillery battalion assigned to Col. Peng's occupation force). Inaccurate and dangerous to both friend and foe, the Artillery Strike nonetheless is highly effective when used to slow enemy advances, and can cause significant damage to buildings and vehicles alike. It is one of the cheapest airstrikes.

Minimum Cost: $40,000

• Artillery Barrage: Type 66 Artillery - this negotiated artillery assault is largely identical to the Artillery Strike above, but lasts for a longer period of time, is slightly more accurate and uses more powerful ammunition.

Minimum Cost: $80,000

• Artillery Bombardment: Type 66 Artillery - the most powerful of the Artillery strikes, this particular attack involves the majority of the 7/23rd Field Artillery and consists of an extended heavy-ammunition bombardment, capable of causing widespread devastation and destroying enemy vehicles and buildings rapidly when on target.

Minimum Cost: $160,000

• Bunker Buster Bomb: F-15E Strike Eagle - this missile strike uses a laser-guidance system similar to that of the Surgical Strike below. When the target information has been relayed, an F-15E performs a fly-by, releasing a 4,000-pound maximum-penetration "Bunker Buster" bomb. This impacts with its target building/area with a small explosion and then burrows down through layers of earth or concrete before detonating its primary charge. This massive air-burst explosion can instantly demolish even the largest buildings, and the shock waves and pressure burst can have devastating effects on vehicles and infantry in the surrounding area. In the aftermath of the explosion, a large cloud of smoke and dust - peaking at around 600 ft - rises over the blast zone.

Minimum Cost: $280,000

• Carpet Bomb: B-52 Stratofortress - this satellite-guided airstrike is best used when facing large enemy forces or fortified bases. A massive B-52 bomber performs a bombing run, releasing up to 30,000 pounds of high explosives over an area about 500 metres squared. Anything caught inside the blast zone - be it building, vehicle or infantry - is utterly destroyed by the rolling wave of fire. Due to the large explosion radius, it is not recommended for the user to stand within 50 metres of the blast zone. It is the most expensive airstrike in the game.

Minimum Cost:$400,000

• Cluster bomb: A-10 Thunderbolt II - this air strike uses the same satellite guidance system as the Carpet Bomb. Once the target information has been relayed, a USAF A-10 flies over the target zone and releases a Rockeye Mk. II/B cluster bomb. Shortly after release, the bomb separates into multiple high-explosive bomblets. These unguided explosives are equipped with contact detonators and are highly effective against infantry and light vehicles, making the Cluster Bomb an excellent suppressive weapon. However, the bomblets have little effect on fortified buildings and heavily-armored vehicles.

Minimum Cost: $52,000

• Fuel Air Bomb: Su-25 Frogfoot - this is yet another satellite-guided air strike, and is delivered by a Chinese Air Force Sukhoi Su-25. The Su-25 flies over the target area and drops a thermobaric oxy-reactive charge containing a highly flammable explosive epoxy. Upon detonation, the Fuel Air Bomb releases a large cloud of superheated gas, which ignites in a massive thermal explosion. The explosion is accompanied by a low-level firestorm, which creates a small vacuum around the point of detonation. This combination of heat and pressure can have devastating effects on enemy forces, instantly killing all nearby personnel and destroying vehicles and buildings in a wide radius around the point of detonation. Although very powerful, the cruise missile and bunker buster are inflict more damage, but have a much smaller blast.

Minimum Cost: $360,000

• Gunship Support I: AC-130 Spectre - guided by a continuous laser targeting system, this air strike is top of the range when it comes to suppressive attacks. An AC-130 gunship overflies the target zone in a continuous circle, firing its 20mm cannons at whatever the laser pin-pointer is aiming at. It is immensely effective against infantry, and when used extensively, can also destroy buildings and armoured vehicles.
• Gunship Support II: AC-130 Spectre - this air strike is largely identical to the "I" version above, but lasts for a longer period and uses more destructive 25mm rotary cannon ammunition.
• Gunship Support III: AC-130 Spectre - the most powerful version of the Gunship Support air strike, this maximum-duration attack utilises upgraded 30mm cannon fire to saturate the target area in suppressive fire.
• Stealth Fighter Attack: F-117 Nighthawk - the 2,000-pound bombs used in this laser-guided strike are similar to those used in the Surgical Strike below, but are launched by the electronically invisible F-117 Nighthawk. This means that enemy radar and Anti-Aircraft systems will provide no prior warning or defence against the attack.
• Stealth Bomber Attack: B-2 Stealth Bomber - a more powerful satellite-guided variant of the Fighter version above, this is basically a minor version of the Carpet Bomb. This weapon is not normally available in the merchant of menace. It is given only on select missions.
• Strategic Missile Strike: FROG-7 - this Cold War-era missile strike is guided via satellite and launched via the Russian FROG-7 missile truck. Accurate and powerful, the surface-to-surface missile used here has a devastating effect on buildings, vehicles and infantry alike. This, along with the cruise missile, can and often do crash into nearby mountains and don't reach the target.
• Surgical Strike: F-15E Strike Eagle - this laser-guided missile strike takes the form of two AGM-25/A air-to-ground missiles fired from an overflying F-15E aircraft. The 2,000-pound missiles are exceptionally effective against reinforced buildings and armoured vehicles.
• Tank Buster: A-10 Thunderbolt II - this satellite-guided air strike uses selectively targeting Hellfire S/AG-71 anti-tank missiles to destroy all vehicles in the target area, while leaving buildings and infantry units alone. The A-10's fly-by attack destroys any hostile vehicles in an area about 500 metres by 100 metres.
• Cruise Missile: BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile - this highly accurate satellite-guided strike involves an independent computer-controlled sea-launched missile with similar destructive power and blast signature to the Bunker Buster.

Aircraft seen flying in the game:

• F-22 Raptor
• F-117A Nighthawk
• B-2A Spirit
• Su-25 Frogfoot
• AC-130 Spectre
• A-10A Thunderbolt II
• F-15E Strike Eagle