[KaleunMarco]

Originally Posted by booster45

Ahh thank you for your information. I tried using that idea by sitting outside brisbane until when it supposedly is meant to be offered there (according to information I found on the sh4 fandom page). However that failed too.
Unfortunately, once I return from a patrol I delete the various saves I made that patrol, and the autosave from port entry us from after I accepted the upgrade, leaving me with no alternative but to give up on a career I've put 75 hours into* if anyone else has any other suggestions please do let me know because I want to avoid having to do this at all costs.

yeah, i know what you mean.
after experiencing a few of these unexpected features, i found it advantageous to keep a save as i am RTB (returning to base) and a save while i am refitting between missions....until i am finished with the following mission.
now, this technique will not help you today, but adopting a similar routine may help the next time you encounter an expected feature when the fix is to drop back one mission.
you just joined the largest club here at SH4/Subsim. we have jackets if you want one.