This feels like this would be up your alley here instead of pushing it at the game's devs but...

Cluster Munitions. (I was going to talk about mine fields too, but cluster munitions alone turned into... well, below.)


- Cluster Munitions.
The function for these kind of put themselves together over the course of the day, but the core purpose of Cluster Munitions is anti-army division.

On the tech tree, cluster munitions are another branch off basic missile guidance, with he first tier (basic cluster bombs) being along side CLOS weapons. The logic is that the first cluster bomb in the tree needs basic guidance in the form of the dispenser bursting mechanism. And each subsequent step in the branch would also be behind the guidance techs for each tier.

The tech tree arrangement would be:

[Basic Missile Guidance Systems] [Improved Missile Guidance Systems] [Enhanced Missile Guidance Systems] [Advanced Missile Guidance Systems]
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>>>> Basic Cluster Bombs >>>> Wind-Corrected Dispensers >>>> Sensor-Fused Submunitions >>>> Guided Standoff Submunition Dispensers >>>> Hybridized Independent targeting submunitions.


What each tech is representing...


Basic Cluster Bombs: Self Explanatory. A simple bomb that bursts open into a cloud of fragmentation explosives that cover a much wider area, inflicting damage to widely spaced soft targets, such as infantry.

Wind-Corrected Dispensers: The cluster bomb corrects itself against wind-factors in freefall to ensure it releases over the target area as intended.

Sensor-Fused Submunitions: Miniaturization of electronics and integration of small control systems allows the submunitions to begin actively targeting troops and vehicles for a more effective and efficient level of destruction utilizing shaped-charge explosives instead of simple fragmentation explosives.

Guided Standoff Submunition Dispensers: The bombs have evolved from mere canisters into full-fledged glide bombs and cruise missiles capable of delivering their payloads at much greater distance, reducing the risk of aircraft deploying them.

Hybridized Independent-Targeting Submunitions: The Circle is now Complete. Cluster Munitions dispensers have become computerized missile busses that in turn launch a large series of smaller guided rockets that each seek out their own targets on the battlefield, ravaging it with precision over a wide area. This multi-stage approach borders on UCAV technology, except disposable.



How does this work in game?

The abstract function is that cluster munitions have a modestly large bonus to damage against Army Divisions, and ONLY Army Divisions. Against singular units, like Radar/Jammer/TEVs, etc... They do reduced damage but are much more prone to impacts counting as hits (Wide area, but low yield). Against fixed installations, damage remains neutral (no bonus or penalty) in the first two techs, as direct yield of submunitions are less effective against large or hardened structures, but cover wider areas.

As the player pushes through the techs, the bonus damage of cluster munitions against Army Divisions scales up, matching or exceeding the 'chain gun' attacks from attack helicopters by a significant margin. Once Sensor-fused weapons are taken, damage to independent vehicles spikes dramatically (no more damage penalty), and damage against fixed installations becomes more cost-effective.

Once standoff submunition dispensers are taken, attack ranges spike, much as they do for using ALCMs.

Finally, once the final tech is taken, 'cluster missiles' now behave sort-of like a MIRV, splitting open on approach to a target to lob a series of 'AGMs' into the target, each doing boosted damage and confounding counter-missile defenses.



Synergistic 'improvement' technologies.
- Improvements from cruise missile technologies starting at 'evasive guided cruise missiles' to increase the range and surviability of standoff dispensers. Evolves bonuses from remaining cruise missile tech categories. Only affects cluster munitions starting at Standoff Dispensers.

- Improvements from stealth weapons, starting with standoff dispensers. Gives the standoff dispensers and later the submunition rockets stealth bonus characteristics.


Counter-play:
The counter play to early cluster munitions is a combination of only being really useful against Army-Divisions, and anti-air defense. Since cluster bombs must be dropped from planes, any counter-play to aircraft shuts them down.

When standoff dispensers are taken, the counter-play can be shared with anti-missile defenses along side anti-air defenses that can still engage the launching aircraft.



Vehicles with 'cluster munition' capability (for game purposes)
- Multi-role attacker
- Strategic Bomber
- UCAV (from your mod)
- Supersonic Bomber
- Cruiser (Once Standoff Dispensers and Cruise Missile techs are taken and the cruiser has reached the tech needed to have the cruiser functioning at that level is up.)


I think this would go good in your mod.