User blog comment:Elgb333/Pride of South East Asia: Singapore Army Commandos vs Philippine Scout Rangers/@comment-4661256-20160708002702

El Alamein's Edges:

Close Range: SAF Knife vs. Military Bolo; This Swiss Army knife may have a more combat-focused design on its blade, but the fact remains that it's a puny shrimp when compared to the bolo knife. Can openers, screwdrivers, and the like actually do seem pretty practical for a soldier to be carrying around in one compact instrument (for things like repairs and everyday jobs), but since this is nothing more than a straight-up firefight they will probably not be very useful at all. The bolo knife's larger blade gives it more killing surface area, more reach, and, ultimately, more power per chop. I'm sure there'd also be a psychological advantage to wielding such a massive knife when your opponent is carrying something as small as the SAF knife.

Edge: Philippine Scout Rangers

 Mid Range: SAR 21 vs. Steyr AUG:  Both are bullpup assault rifles with 30-round magazines that fire the standard 5.56 NATO round. That said, the SAR 21 has the longer effective firing range (460 m vs. 300 m) as well as the longer maximum firing range (800 m vs. 500 m), so the Singapore Army Commandos will be able to open fire on their opponents with their assault rifles at a further distance. It also has a lower rate of fire, so its recoil will be more controllable if used fully automatic (in addition, the weapon won't burn through ammo as quickly). (Not only that, but the SAR 21 is specifically designed to reduce recoil.) Finally, the SAR 21's transparent magazine offers a pretty neat way to quickly check ammo capacity in the current magazine, so the Singapore Army Commandos will be able to make a lot more informed decisions in combat when using their assault rifle (i.e. when to reload given the current situation and their current ammo count). I'm actually rather impressed by the SAR 21 because it offers quite a few nice innovations that will really play to the strengths of a special forces group. When you have such similar weapons, these fine details do make a difference, so the Singapore Army Commandos take a pretty significant edge in mid range as a result.

Edge: Singapore Army Commandos

 Long Range: PGM 338 vs. McMillan Tac-50:  Both of these sniper rifles are bolt-action, so they will have similar rates of fire. In terms of the cartridges the two sniper rifles are firing, the McMillan's .50 BMG gets an edge. This is because the .338 Laupa Magnum that the PGM 338 fires has lower kinetic energy than the .50 BMG (which translates to lower penetration power and anti-materiel capability when put up against solid cover). The McMillan also has a slightly longer effective firing range (1800 m vs. 1400 m), so the Philippine Scout Rangers possess the single longest-ranged tool on the battlefield, giving them the potential to land the first shot. The PGM 338 does have twice the magazine capacity of the Tac-50, but this is less significant than it would be with other weapons simply because these are long-range, low-profile weapons; as a result, emptying a magazine for the sake of trying to suppress a foe would be unwise when using such a weapon. Overall, the McMillan Tac-50's superior round and longer effective range will give its operators an edge.

Edge: Philippine Scout Rangers

 Special Weapons: Ultimax 100 vs. Daewoo K3:  Both of these light machine guns surprisingly fire the 5.56 NATO round (I typically think of the larger 7.62 when I think of LMG ammo, but the 5.56 is still qutie effective), so neither gets an advantage there. The Ultimax 100's "constant-recoil operating system," which slows down the rate of fire in an attempt to allow the bolt/carrier to have enough time to slow to a stop before moving forward again, greatly improves accuracy, which actually explains why it has a considerably slower rate of fire. As a result, though, the Daewoo K3 will be much better at suppressing enemy forces. The thing is, LMGs aren't usually precision weapons, so while it's nice that the Ultimax 100 will be more accurate, the Daewoo K3 will be better at fulfilling its intended role as a squad-support weapon. The K3 also has a magazine capacity twice that of the Ultimax 100, so the Philippine Scout Rangers will be able to maintain their suppressive fire for quite a while if they employ proper tactics while doing so. Given that these are special forces who will be employing appropriate tactics, I think that in the end the K3's superior suppressive abilities will serve its team better than the Ultimax's better accuracy.

Edge: Philippine Scout Rangers

WINNER: PHILIPPINE SCOUT RANGERS

I had to think about this one for a little bit before making my decision, because it's not an easy one to make. However, I must side with the Philippine Scout Rangers in the end. While the Singapore Army Commandos do bring in some very tactical weaponry with their assault rifle and light machine gun, the Philippine Scout Rangers enjoy some significant advantages when it comes to long range and light machine guns, both of which are suppressive weapons (the sniper would suppress by pinpointing an enemy and forcing him behind cover, if not outright killing him; the LMG would do this simply by unloading in their general area). This means that the Philippine Scout Rangers will be able to keep their foes pinned down a bit easier, so they can maneuver around to flank or otherwise exploit their advantage. To top it all off, the Philippine Scout Rangers are specifically trained in anti-guerrilla jungle operations, so the fact that this fight takes place in a jungle will play better to their strengths. (Yes, the Singapore Army Commandos are probably also trained with jungle operations, but they don't specialize in it like the Filipinos do.) Overall this will be a very close match, but I think the Philippine Scout Rangers will be able to defeat the Singapore Army Commandos.