Squad · Offworld Industries · Field identification

Friend vs. Foe

Every faction's uniform — now with real in-game photos — every faction's vehicles, and the tells that actually work at distance. Start with the cheat-sheet builder below: pick your faction, the enemy, and the map.

Live version10.6.3 · Client Build 229 Oct 2026 — crash fixes, server-favourites fix, and the 10.6 HAB ammo-crate change reverted. Last major release: 10.6 (1 Oct 2026, Steam).
Factions17 playable6 BLUFOR · 3 PAC · 2 REDFOR · 6 Independent. Since v10.3, almost any faction can fight any other — check the layer, every round.
Camo by mapReal — for 7 of 17Only CAF, USMC, PLA, PLAAGF, PLANMC, VDV & RGF swap Forest ↔ Desert uniforms. The other 10 look the same on every map.
Not live yetv10.7 IFF reworkPlaytest only, 6–9 Nov 2026: distance teammate icons + an ADS “FRIENDLY” icon. Do not rely on it in the live game.

The 10-second
check

  1. No markers exist. Nothing floats over a distant soldier — friendly or enemy.
  2. Names are close-range only. At distance, a soldier is just a shape and a colour.
  3. The map is your IFF. Look at the bearing, check the map: friendlies there? If not, it must be enemies. (Squad wiki, “Using the map”)
  4. When in doubt, don't shoot. A teamkill costs more than a delayed kill.

Build your cheat sheet

Pick your faction, the enemy faction, and the map — your personal friend-vs-foe sheet appears below instantly: the exact uniforms both sides will wear on that map, how to tell them apart, and which vehicles are safe to call hostile.

Does camo change by map?

Yes — but selectively. Flip the biome and watch which factions actually change.

Gorodok · Yehorivka · Narva · Belaya · Fool's Road · Mestia · Skorpo · Harju
The common misconceptions, settled: US Army wears the same OCP on Fallujah as in the woods — there is no woodland US uniform. British MTP has no desert/woodland split — it's one multi-terrain pattern by design. And no winter/snow uniform was confirmed for any faction — only woodland weapon skins also show on snow maps. Vehicles follow the same biome logic: most armour has separate Desert (tan) and Woodland (green) paint variants picked by the map. PLANMC is the odd one out — ocean-blue uniform even in the desert, where it stands out badly.

All 17 factions

Real in-game uniform photos first — every role in that faction's kit — then camo colours and vehicles. Tap any faction for the full-size uniform photos and its complete vehicle roster.

Uniform photos are the in-game uniform plates from the SquadTacs Uniform Recognition Guide — the same visual source the research behind this guide used. PLAAGF wears the PLA uniform family, so its photos are the PLA plates. For vehicles, the Vehicle spotter below has verified in-game photos of the fourteen highest-confusion vehicles; the rest of each roster stays as names + silhouette tells rather than risk a wrong picture.

The confusion pairs

Where players actually teamkill. “No tell” is an honest answer — for identical models, only map position and callouts work.

PairWhy it's confusingThe reliable tell
BTR-80 vs BTR-82ASame 8×8 hull, both Russian familyTurret size. The 82A's 30 mm turret is a lot bigger than the 80's small 14.5 mm turret. Call it “30 Mike”.
BTR-82A vs Stryker vs LAV-25All fast 8-wheelers at rangeStryker has a CROWS remote turret, 12.7 mm max — no manned turret. BTR-82A = big manned 30 mm. LAV-25 = manned 25 mm.
M1A1 vs M1A2 AbramsSame hull and turretM1A2 carries a CROWS RWS + loader's MG; the M1A1 lacks the loader M240. (Community source — Namu wiki.)
LAV-25 / ASLAV / Coyote / LAV III / 6.0One LAV lineage across USMC, ADF & CAFNo reliable visual tell found. Coyote is literally the LAV-25 configuration. Use map + faction context.
T-72B3 / T-90A vs T-72S / T-72ASame tank family on opposing sidesNo reliable field tell found. Map and faction context only.
T-62 (GFI / IMF / MEI)Identical model, three factionsNo visual tell. Map context only.
BMP-1 / BMP-2 (5 factions)Shared across RGF, GFI, AFU, IMF, MEIAFU BMPs wear the unique AFU camo pattern. Otherwise no tell.
MT-LB familyIdentical low boxy hull everywhereGFI's MT-LBM 6MA S8 carries UB-32 rocket pods — a GFI-only feature. AFU ones wear AFU camo. Otherwise no tell.
BRDM-2 (6 factions)Same scout car everywhereAFU's BRDM-2M1 lacks the belly wheels and has different hatches. Otherwise no tell.
M60T (TLF vs WPMC) · M113A3 · M939 truck · RHIBIdentical models on both sidesNo visual tell. RHIBs differ only by the mounted gun, visible up close. Map context only.
Mi-8 / Mi-17 familyRGF, VDV, GFI, AFU — and CAF flies one as the CH-178No reliable tell at distance found. Map context only.
CADPAT vs EMR (soldiers)Both green digital patterns — high teamkill riskNo safe colour tell at range. Check the weapon silhouette (C7/C8 vs AK family) and the map.
FV107 Scimitar vs FV510 WarriorBoth BAF, tracked, 30 mmSize. The Scimitar is a much smaller recon vehicle next to the full-size Warrior IFV.
Tells that are NOT confirmed — don't use them: headlight shape or colour, unit markings/decals, faction engine sounds, and “desert paint = enemy.” Paint follows the map biome, not the faction — and since v10.3 factions fight on far more biomes than before.

Vehicle spotter

Real in-game photos of the vehicles behind the worst confusion pairs — learn these silhouettes first. Photos: Japanese Squad wiki (squad.swiki.jp) and the Official Squad Wiki (squad.fandom.com).

BTR-82A in Squad, in-game — 8-wheeled APC with a large 30 mm turret, desert paint
RGF · IFV/APC

BTR-82A

The tell is the big manned 30 mm turret. Its brother the BTR-80 rides the same hull with a much smaller 14.5 mm turret — turret size is the whole call: “30 Mike” or it isn't.

M1126 Stryker in Squad, in-game — 8-wheeled APC with a small remote weapon station and no manned turret
USA · APC

M1126 Stryker

Same 8-wheel idea as the BTR, but no manned turret at all — just the small CROWS remote station (12.7 mm max). A big turret on an 8-wheeler is never a Stryker.

M1A2 Abrams in Squad, in-game — boxy Western main battle tank in desert paint with the CROWS remote station on the turret
USA · MBT

M1A2 Abrams

Boxy Western turret, long 120 mm. Vs the M1A1 (USMC/ADF): the A2 carries the CROWS remote station + loader's MG on the turret roof.

T-72B3 in Squad, in-game — low Soviet main battle tank with reactive armour and a 125 mm gun, desert paint
RGF · VDV · MBT

T-72B3

Low, rounded Soviet profile, 125 mm, reactive armour. Honest warning: no reliable visual tell separates it from the T-90A — or from the T-72S/T-72A on the other side. Map context only.

UH-60M Black Hawk in Squad, in-game — twin-engine utility helicopter on a helipad
USA · ADF · TLF · Helicopter

UH-60M Black Hawk

The NATO utility silhouette: twin-engine, 4-blade, upturned tail. The trap on the other side of the sky is the Mi-8/Mi-17 family — bigger, 5-blade, and flown by RGF, VDV, AFU and CAF (as the CH-178).

LAV-25 in Squad — official render of the game's model: 8-wheeled vehicle with a manned 25 mm turret
USMC · IFV (family: ADF · CAF · CRF)

LAV-25

Official render of Squad's own model. Manned 25 mm turret on an 8-wheel hull — that's what separates it from the Stryker's remote station. But ASLAV-25, Coyote, LAV III and LAV 6.0 share this lineage: no reliable tell between them.

T-90A in Squad, in-game — Soviet main battle tank seen head-on in the desert
RGF · MBT

T-90A

RGF-exclusive, and pictured here head-on in desert paint. Put it next to the T-72B3 shot above and you'll see the problem: sources give no reliable field tell between them — and the T-72S (GFI) / T-72A (IMF) wear the same family face.

T-62 in Squad, in-engine — older Soviet main battle tank with a domed turret on a hillside
GFI · IMF · MEI · MBT

T-62

Official in-engine shot. Domed turret, no reactive armour — an older, plainer Soviet silhouette than the T-72 family. Three different factions field the identical model: there is no visual tell, only map context.

BMP-1 in Squad — official shot of the game's model: low, long tracked IFV in desert paint with a tiny conical turret, 73 mm gun and the Malyutka rail on top
INS · IMF · GFI · IFV

BMP-1

Low, long hull, tiny conical turret with the 73 mm Grom and the Malyutka rail on top. Vs the BMP-2: the BMP-1's turret is smaller and rounder, and it has no 30 mm autocannon.

BMP-2 in Squad — Official Squad Wiki vehicle card: tracked IFV on a BMP-1 hull with a bigger, boxier turret, long 30 mm barrel and Konkurs tube
RGF · GFI · IMF · IFV

BMP-2

The 30 mm 2A42 + Konkurs tube on a BMP-1 hull. Same hull as the BMP-1 — the turret is the tell: bigger, boxier, with the long 30 mm barrel.

BTR-80 in Squad — low-resolution 2017 militia render of the game's model: 8-wheeled APC in green camo with a tiny conical 14.5 mm turret
RGF · IMF · MEI · GFI · APC

BTR-80

Same 8-wheel hull as the BTR-82A, but the turret is a tiny 14.5 mm cone — “30 Mike” or it isn't. Photo is a low-res 2017 militia render: the only verified Squad-source BTR-80 image found.

BRDM-2 in Squad, in-game — small 4-wheeled scout car in desert camo on a road, with a tiny central turret
RGF · VDV · IMF · MEI · GFI · Scout car

BRDM-2

Small 4-wheeled scout car with belly wheels and a tiny central turret. Half the length of a BTR and much faster — don't confuse it with one at range.

M113 in Squad, in-game — boxy tracked armoured carrier with flat sides and five road wheels, in desert paint
USA · CAF · TLF · WPMC · APC

M113

A boxy tracked box — flat sides, 5 road wheels, no turret to speak of. Shared by four factions: no visual tell, map context only.

Mi-8 in Squad, in-game — large 5-blade transport helicopter in green and tan camo on a helipad
RGF · VDV · GFI · CAF (CH-178) · Helicopter

Mi-8

The big 5-blade Hip. Vs the UH-60M: larger, bulkier fuselage, 5 blades, and the tail rotor sits on the left. CAF flies the same airframe as the CH-178.

Why these fourteen? They cover every confusion pair that has a verified in-game photo from a Squad source (the BTR-80 now stands next to its 82A brother — same hull, the turret comparison is the lesson; its own photo is a low-res 2017 militia render, the only verified Squad-source BTR-80 image found). The rest of each roster stays as names + silhouette tells in the faction cards above: a photo from the wrong game would teach the wrong silhouette. Note the desert paint in most shots: paint follows the map biome, not the faction — the same vehicles wear green on woodland maps.

IFF habits that work

For the live game, v10.6.3.

01

Check the two factions first

On the deployment screen, note who's fighting. Since v10.3 any faction can face any other — “Russians are always the enemy” is false now.

02

Map before trigger

M for the map, Caps Lock for the command map. You're the yellow arrow; squadmates green, other friendlies blue, SLs numbered, medics show a red cross. Long-range map checks are approximate — resolution coarsens with distance.

03

Call the bearing

Compass bearing + grid/keypad (“B9, keypad 5-5”) on squad VoIP, and ask “is that friendly?” Ask your SL to drop a marker. Cheaper than a teamkill.

04

Colour is a hint, not proof

Desert tan vs woodland green vs digital pixel vs civilian clothes helps — but USA is always in OCP, BAF always in MTP, and CADPAT vs EMR genuinely look alike.

05

Weapons as a backup tell

Three rifle families look and sound different: AK-family (RGF, VDV, AFU, GFI, IMF, MEI) vs NATO rifles (M4/M16, C7/C8, SA80, F90) vs the PLA's own QBZ-191 family (PLA, PLAAGF, PLANMC). Support the map check with it — never replace it.

06

Vehicles: turret first

Identify armour by turret, gun and hull shape — and by whether your team even fields that vehicle on this layer. Engine sound is not a confirmed faction tell.

⚠ Coming in v10.7 — playtest only, not live

  • Teammate icons above heads at medium range (fading with distance); close range shows nametags.
  • Aiming down sights shows a FRIENDLY icon in the sight picture — “no icon in the crosshairs, it's highly likely an enemy.”
  • Known playtest issues: icons can fail behind walls, linger behind cover, and appear on incapacitated players. All values are work-in-progress and subject to change.

What changed, 2025–2026

Only updates that touched factions, camo or vehicles.

2 Sep 2025 · v9.0

UE5 + two faction changes

Engine migration to UE 5.5 and the Al Basrah remake. New irregular faction Canadian Resistance Forces (CRF) — civilian + captured kit, Goose Bay & Manicouagan only. MEA became the Ground Forces of Iran (GFI). Irregular Militia gained the T-72A.

12 Nov 2025 · v10.0 “Trident Strike”

Ukraine arrives

New conventional BLUFOR faction AFU: T-64BM2 Bulat, BMP-1TS, BTR-4, Kozak-2M1, BRDM-2M1, KrAZ-6322, Mi-8MTV-5 — all in a unique AFU camo — plus the Stugna-P ATGM and a Su-25 Precision Bomb Strike. AGS-17 spread to IMF, MEI, GFI, RGF & VDV.

19 Jan – 4 Mar 2026 · v10.2–10.3

PLA expansion + faction free-for-all

v10.3 gave PLA the QBZ-191 family, Lynx 8×8, ZSD-89, WZ-551/ZSL-92 family, Z-9A heli and the Type 071 dock ship — and removed faction matchup restrictions: any faction can now fight any other (except mirror matches), with a few biome exclusions left. That's why IFF got harder.

30 Apr – 15 Jun 2026 · v10.4–10.5

Gunplay, no new hardware

UE 5.7, DLSS 4.5, a major gunplay overhaul and PLA/PLANMC kit updates (10.4); Fireteam PvE content (10.5). No new faction, vehicle or camo in either.

1 Oct – 29 Oct 2026 · v10.6 → 10.6.3

Current live build

Party System, compass & Observe Marker improvements, map-voting changes, suppression rework. No new faction, vehicle or camouflage. Hotfixes through 10.6.3 (Client Build 2, 29 Oct) fixed crashes and reverted the HAB ammo crate.

6–9 Nov 2026 · v10.7 playtest

Not live: Oskil River + IFF rework

Open playtest only — new Eastern Europe map, updated MEI player models, and the reworked teammate-icon IFF system described above. Features subject to change.

Vehicle roster

TypeVehiclesPaint / silhouette cues