A simple thought derived review of how I feel having started getting myself into playing more SPAA, before this I usually never touched SPAA except for Radar guided ones- Ill talk about those too but here we go.
Early SPAA, 1.0 to around 5.7, at these BRs SPAA is really about proper placement, being in a good position is crucial as firing a long trail of tracers at a plane is essentially just incurring its wrath, being in a good position to catch a CAS player as they are about to strafe is crucial, as much gripe as there is one good line up can net you a quick kill. As well as this bombers are common here and many fly low enough to be easy targets to hit.
Mid end SPAA from 6.0 to around 8.0 is where we get some tracking based AA, some Radar but very little and in general early jets, once more being in a good place at the right time is key so far as I have understood, sadly here you also need to really skillcheck the enemy, if you miss a Jet will quickly fly away or something like the A2D-1 gain immense speed and drop a present on your head before you know it, however at this point we also see things like the ZSU 57, ZSU 37, and the VEAK who with a single salvo can send aircraft into puzzle pieces.
8.3 and up we get Radar based AA, gun or missile to fight CAS, as you ascend here quickly the tables turn not in your favour, whilst 8.3 is decent around 10.3 CAS often have guided munitions with enough range to stay away from you, most pilots are also capable of well slightly better gameplay, we also see an increase in TV munitions which hurt however you also have strong weapons yourself.
The big takeaway? I dont play CAS, I aint a fan, but you can beat em, maybe not at Top tier but by god do I not understand the Gepard sitting in spawn emptying an entire belt at a target 5km away.
Anyways, thoughts?
I don’t play beyond 9.3 so I can’t comment on the higher tiers.
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Firing at targets you can only hit - best when they are lining themselves up. Way to many just sit in the spawn and fire mindlessly at everything that they see. This is even for radar guided weapons. Good pilots can usually see that and avoid. I move as fast as possible away from these players. I only engage CAS I know I have a good chance of hitting. Unfortunately Gaijin’s current mechanics don’t always work in your favor and I’ve been killed by CAS that were destroyed, but able to still fire/bomb/rocket.
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I’m actually more effective with non-radar SPAA, and can normally land hits. Against helos that have standoff weapons, I’ll generally just try to avoid their ATGM spam by getting behind cover or using smoke etc. I find the lead indicator just throws me off and it’s easier to just spray ahead of them.
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Location is everything, I’m always moving into a position where I assume they won’t expect me. Once I’ve started firing, I’ll move on to another location if required. With the new ammo boxes, parking and defending is much easier.
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Ammo belts, unless I’m using the WZ305 I generally use the default if it’s a fast firing weapons system like the ZSU-23-4. Little easier than switching belts between ground and air threats. The only time I’ll run specific HE and AP belts is in slower firing weapon platforms that have a short reload. Some of these HE and AP belts though have different muzzle velocity which may affect the lead required.
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I agree it is all about position, I personlly like somewhere with a nice down hill slope so I can accelarate faster away from the CAS you irritate when they drop bombs at you. Also find a spot where your artillary can be usefull for the team. Too many SPAA players stick at the spawns or hang at the back of the map.