Also, for gameplay reasons, I don't know if it could be possible... Otherwise, other unconventional forces in PR should have the same scrap kit. And in the end, there are snipers in Africa, even if rare, and this is a fictionnal faction, they could have buy "carbine" sniper rifles (wooden version of MEC sniper, even if it doesn't exist).
Anyway, it's not a big deal, just a very few guys will get this sniper rifle per maps (1 or 2?), so in the end, does it really change something? (for exemple, everybody already got binoculars when in reality most don't)
true, I just think it could be interesting to have such difference in organisation and weapon loadout. blufor factions will all field their respective high-tech and high-powered rifles, vehicles etc. but in general they seem to be fielding the same sort of roles (rifleman specialist is exceptional as it appears to be a mostly british-american invention, but it's easy enough for other factions to find a workaround here) and similar classes of vehicles, organisation seems to be comparable.
it's the opfor, and in this I mean the conventional factions like MEC and UA, that have the potential to be very different. they are different already of course, fielding mostly older weapons and vehicles, but they still seem to come with the same organisation, their kits may look and behave different but they're basically the same compared to conventional factions.
I just want to point out that there appears to be some kind of mould as to what a faction needs to have in terms of assets and kit-loadouts, regardless of whether the faction itself makes great use, or has great emphasis on these assets (I'm actually mainly referring to kit-loadouts). Like with the russian faction, it's great they have their own sniperrifle but as several russians pointed out on this forum, the russian army hardly makes use of dedicated snipers. I guess the same thing applies with the UA (or appears to apply to me, I'm far from an expert on the African semi-conventional armies).
but as you said, its not a big deal, we're striving for reality but it remains a game and thus has to be playable. also, the above may seem to be a rant/excessively negative critic about the way pr's factions are (being) developed. this is not really the case as I love them all as they are or will be, I merely wanted to highlight a point that might deserve/lead to further discussion.