SAM unit promotions

[EasyCompany]

I'm curious as to what othre people promote their SAM units with? I usually promote their interception ability, but recently have just been increasing their strength and then giving them medic promotions to act as sort of a 'supply train' type unit. You know, in the rear with gear.

 

[Lennier]

I always figure that if I'm building a SAM unit, it's because I need a unit to intercept aircraft. So I go up the intercept line as well.

 

[s.bernbaum]

I only put one or two in each military stack. They are there for defending the stack against aerial attack, so I also go up the intercept line. If they get promos beyond that, I give them the combat promos. I may put one or two in border cities for the same reason but I usually have planes about the same time and put fighter airplanes in the cities instead.

 

[pob]

I only put one or two in each military stack.

Ground units can only intercept if they haven't moved.

Combat promotions do increase the odds of delivering damage in each of the 5 rounds of "intercept combat", but if you have to rely on SAM units for air protection, it's more important to increase the chance of making the initial interception, particularly as ground units can only try to intercept once per turn.
Also, for SAM infantry, Interception I will increase the damage done per round of combat won to the maximum 50HP, so only 2 of the 5 rounds need to be won to shoot the plane down instead of 3.

 

[s.bernbaum]

The stack is usually under the "fighter umbrella" from the border cities. The SAM are only there as an extra insurance policy, in case the stack is sitting somewhere for a while (healing, waiting for more garrison troops, etc.). That's why there are only one or two. SAMs are just not a unit I find very useful.

 

[nfw]

SAM are also there to counter gunships, in which case I think combat or maybe march is the way to go.

 

[strijder20]

SAM are also there to counter gunships, in which case I think combat or maybe march is the way to go.

Yes, and (Mobile) SAMs are the single most horrible counter unit in the game. They only barely beat Mechanized Infantries when fighting gunships, which really shouldn't be happening.

 

[rah]

I think that was just left over from Vanilla when gunships came much earlier and something was needed so they wouldn't be unstoppable.

 

[Lennier]

SAM are also there to counter gunships, in which case I think combat or maybe march is the way to go.

I haven't had a BTS game last until advanced flight.