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range SAMs.
-Andrea Doria: A very nice VTOL/helo carrier, which matches nicely with their
AV-8B squadrons.

Sweden
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Sweden has a number of unique and powerful units, mostly thanks to Saab's military contracting. While they only have a few good units, you have little reason to use anything else.
-JA-37 Yakuto Viggen: Not every country is fortunate enough to have an interceptor. This one is only average, but much better than nothing.
-JAS-39 Grippen: A very maneuverable multi-role fighter. Powerful for its cost.
-Strv.122: An imported variant of the Leopard 2A5. Needless to say, it's their best tank.
-Rbs.15KA: A truck-mounted anti-ship missile launcher perfect for defending the coasts.
-Visby: What the hell? Yeah, I know it's a "stealth boat" made in collaboration with the US military. Still, what the hell?

Israel
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This little country kicks some big ass. Israel has excellent tanks, SAMs, missiles, and fighters for every occasion. The sea is their one weak point, but it doesn't decrease their overall strength much.
-F-15I Ram: Israel has a couple of excellent F-15 and F-16 variants, but this one really rocks. It's the only F-15 I know of with anti-ship missiles.
-Merkava IV: This series of MBT is called the best protected tank in the world.
Not only do they have superb armor and main guns, but they come standard with 60mm mortars.
-Arrow 2: The one missile defense system that's actually superior to the
Patriot.
-Jericho 2: This range 40 ballistic missile platform insures that your enemies' walls will indeed come tumbling down.

India
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In many ways, India is the poor man's Russia. Their ground forces aren't as good quality, but their airforce is solid Russian tech, and they even have a traditional carrier for power projection.
-Su-30MK1: A very nice multirole fighter. Very maneuverable with good weapons selection.
-MiG-29K: A navalized upgrade of the infamous fighter. Comes with anti-ship missiles.
-EX: A decent modern MBT, and probably the best India has (even over imported
T-90's).
-Gorshkov Refit: A conventional carrier bought from (guess who!) Russia. Not bad at all.

China
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Don't be fooled by the fact that the majority of Chinese equipment is crap.
They are a dangerous force thanks to all the stuff they bought, copied, or stole from Russia. While their sea power is nearly nonexistant, they have ballistic missiles and even nuclear subs.
-Su-30MKK: Almost exactly like the Indian version, except with 500lb bombs instead of 1000lb bombs. And it's black. (Eeeevil!)
-Jianzi 11: Speaking of evil planes, this Chinese-built SU-33 copy is one to watch out for.
-Tonpuu 21: Mobile ballistic missile launcher. Not as powerful or long-range as the Tonpuu 3, but more accurate.
-Destroyer #170: A sleek, powerful, modern destroyer, and the most expensive surface ship in the PLA Navy. ("170" is the actual hull number. The in-game name is some incomprehensible kanji...)

South Korea
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South Korea has an even mix of outdated equipment and powerful new gear on liscence from America. Similar to Japan, its power projection ability is meager.
-F-15K: Import version of the Strike Eagle. The paint job is great, but it could use more weapons.
-K1A1: Import version of the M1A1. Enough said.
-KDX-2: A modern destroyer with nice armament, including SM-2MR missiles.
-Type 214: A diesel submarine that can launch Harpoon missiles like its big
American cousins.

Australia
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Australia has few if any unique units, and little power projection ability.
They do have a reasonably good navy, however, and can last in a defensive battle.
-F-111 Aardvark: One of the best fighter-bombers ever built. Fast, long range, and good payload.
-Leopard AS1: A cheap, relatively effective tank (and pretty much all they have).
-Adalaid: Australia's version of the venerable O.H Perry frigate. A very effective ship.
-MRA: A shiny new transport ship that can carry all kinds of vehciles, including helicopters.

South Africa
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With a surprising amount of unique gear, South Africa is interesting to play.
They have strong artillery and decent armor, but only a marginal navy.
-JAS-39 Grippen: A Swedish import, this fighter is agile and has a nice weapons load.
-AH-2 Royhawk: An odd attack helicopter with a large load of missiles and rockets, but no gun.
-Oliphant 1B: Their main battle tank, it is well-armored for its size and cost.
-G-6 Rhino: Mobile artillery. It can't fire and move, but it has tons of fuel and a fast move rating.

Iraq
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Nearing the bottom of the barrel, we find Iraq. With mostly older Russian imports for weapons, they're at a disadvantage to most of the other production types. However, mind their missiles, or they'll amass some weapons to destroy you.
Key units
-Mirage F-1CT: I mention this unit only to make a snide politcal jab at a certain Eurpoean country.
-M-87 Okan: A nice mobile missile launcher, it can outrange the MLRS.
-Al Hussein: One of Iraq's few unique units, the Al Hussein is an upgraded Scud missile launcher. It has the best range of any non-ballistic missile.
-Information Minister: A support unit best used in multiplayer. He can make it appear that enemy units are being destroyed, possibly forcing their withdrawal.

North Korea
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North Korea has some of the worst units in the game. However, their heavy artillery and ballistic missiles cannot be ignored. Unlike real life, PRK is not just saber-rattling for cash in this game.
-MiG-17: I list this aircraft only for sheer comedic value. Ph33r teh
MiG-17!!!!!!1111oneone
-M-1989 Kokuson: A self-porpelled artillery gun with superb range.
-Scud C: The most accurate and second-longest range of the three Scud variants in this game.
-Tepodong: A big, nasty ballistic missile launcher for when the yankee dogs ignore your demands.

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Unit types
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Here I'll detail the different kinds of units and what they are ideally used for. This list is in the same order as the in-game one. The Archetype is the machine most typical of that type, and the one that represents them on the map.

High sky
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-Interceptors: Aircraft designed to intercept and shoot down incoming threats.
Their weapons tend to be longer range than fighters, but are not as maneuverable. They generally have no ground attack ability. Interceptors have a 3 hex ambush range. Use them to establish no-fly zones and guard valuable units, but keep them away from SAMs and furballs.
Archetype: F-14

-Fighters: Aircraft designed to shoot down enemy aircraft. They are agile and carry accurate air to air weaponry, but most do not carry air to ground weapons. Use them to shoot down whatever aircraft the opposing forces field.
Archetype: F-16

-Fighter/Attackers: Multirole aircraft with the ability to engage both air and ground forces effectively. They have a great variety of weapons loadouts and can be used in any situation. However, they are not as effective as pure fighters or attackers in either role.
Archetype: F/A-18

-Attackers: Aircraft designed for destroying ground or surface forces. They are great for breaking enemy formations with minimal loses. However, their air to air weaponry is limited and fighters will cream them.
Archetype: A-10

-VTOL: Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, they are typically oriented towards an attack role. They are inferior in most respects to other fixed wing combat aircraft, but their ability to land and refuel at places other jets can't makes them more convenient.
Archetype: AV-8

-Bombers: Large aircraft carrying heavy air to ground weapons. They are excellent for destroying anything on the ground, including holdings. However, they are nearly defenseless against fighters and the like, so send them with escorts.
Archetype: B-2

-ECM aircraft: Aircraft with electronic warfare and jamming equipment to help defend against missiles. Using the Jamming action, they can hide surrounding allied craft from detection. They are never armed.
Archetype: EA-6B

-Early warning aircraft: Large planes with very powerful radar, able to locate enemy aircraft from great range. They have a long loiter time (lots of fuel), and are a vital part of a air defense network. They are expensive and unarmed, so keep them escorted.
Archtype: E-767(?)

-Recon aircraft: These are basically scout planes with powerful ground radar.
Their purpose is to locate enemy forces on the surface. They carry light armament if anything at all, so try not to let the enemy get too close.
Archetype: I have no idea, but it has a delta wing

-Anti-sub aircraft: These are specialized scout planes with sonar and (usually) depth charges or torpedoes. These are the most effective way to defeat enemy submaries, but if the OPFOR doesn't include subs, they're worthless.
Archetype: P-3C

-Transport aircraft: Huge planes designed to transport troops and vehicles.
Strategic airlift is one of the most important factors in modern warfare, so don't underestimate them. Just remember that they need protection, as well as an airfield to land and unload troops on.
Archetype: C-17 (I guess)

-Tanker aircraft: Large planes that carry fuel. Any friendly fixed-wing aircraft in an adjacent hex will be refueled at the end of the turn. They are a necessity in air operations far from friendly airports. They are also expensive and unarmed, so keep them protected.
Archetype: KC-135 (probably)

-Anti-balistic missile aircraft: The airborne laser is a one-of-a-kind unit which can shoot down incomming ballistic missiles (range 12, accuracy 98!).
Unfortunately, it is defenseless against fighters and SAMs, so it must be kept protected.
Archetype: YAL-1 (duh)

Low sky
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-Attack helicopters: Helicopters designed for close air support. These tend to be fairly fast and very heavily armed, and are among the most effective anti-armor units. But, they cannot take damage well, and are vulnerable to fighters, SAMs, AA guns, and even a lucky shot from machine guns on the ground.
Archetype: AH-64

-Troop transport helicopter: As the name implies, these are designed to ferry infantry units into and out of battle quickly. Rememeber that you need flat terrain to make a drop or pickup. They have light weapons if any, and are even more fragile than attack helos.
Archetype: UH-60

-Heavy transport helicopter: Bigger than the troop transports, these helos can carry a couple of infantry units and small vehicles. They are hardly ever armed, but they have more fuel than the smaller helos.
Archetype: CH-47

-Recon helicopter: Helicopters optimized for scouting missions. Recon helos have powerful ground radar, which makes them one of the most useful tools in lifting the fog of war. Only a few of them have any substantial weapons, and they are usually quite vulnerable to attack.
Archetype: OH-1

-Anti-sub helicopter: Like the ASW planes, thes helos are equipped with sonar and (usually) depth charges or torpedoes. Again, these are the most effective way to defeat enemy submaries, but if the OPFOR doesn't include subs, they're worthless.
Archetype: Sea King

-Patrol helicopter: Somewhat similar to ASW and recon, these craft are designed to protect surface groups and costal waters from both ships and submarines.
They have good air to surface radar and sonar, and some have torpedoes or similar weapons, but they are much too fragile to engage enemies without support.