What Research Unlocks
Units, missile recipes, and all eight doctrines.
UNITS: TECH + BUILDING
New unit types are the primary purpose of research, and it works alongside a building requirement rather than replacing it — every producible unit needs both the right completed tech(s) and the right building type/level present at the city. Finishing the research only satisfies half that checklist; nothing queues automatically, and a unit can still be unbuildable if the building isn't there.
MISSILES: A RECIPE, NOT A LOADOUT
Missiles are research nodes too, but finishing one doesn't put missiles on your units. It unlocks the build recipe: you then produce batches of that missile at Weapons Development and move them to where your units can load them. See Stockpiles & Production. Shells, torpedoes, bombs and built-in naval SAMs are the exception — researching them fits them for free, with no stock.
THE EIGHT DOCTRINES
| DOCTRINE | UNLOCKED BY |
|---|---|
| ESCORT | Air-to-Air Missiles, T1.0 |
| CAP (COMBAT AIR PATROL) | Air-to-Air Missiles, T1.3 |
| WILD WEASEL | Air-to-Ground Missiles, T1.6 |
| TANK HUNTER | Anti-Tank Missiles, T1.6 |
| SHOCK AND AWE | Air-to-Ground Missiles, T2.0 |
| DEEP STRIKE | Cruise Missiles, T2.0 |
| MARITIME STRIKE | Naval Missiles, T2.0 |
| LAYERED DEFENSE | Surface-to-Air Missiles T2.0 and Air-to-Air Missiles T1.0 — the only doctrine needing two techs |
A doctrine becomes available the instant its required research completes — no separate unlock step, no building requirement — and a "Doctrine Unlocked" alert announces it. Its missiles still have to come out of stock when you apply it.