Why not bribe Opfor to let you through? Instead of fighting/sneaking your way North, why not bribe/rp your way there. That of course depends on the Opfor members, but it's a possibility. Hell, getting a civ to fly you North is possible. There are other ways of getting north.
I agree with an economic change for Indeps. They are lacking in affordable firepower and do need a change. Even so, there are ways of getting north that do not require shooting down Hinds.
Hindfor is really cheap too.