I posted an original photo of the aircraft, the legos are just more fun.
1 Like
yes but these are clearly for illustrative purposes of whats actually done irl
I would first need to hear how this is going to be balanced first, before deciding whenever yes or no.
Because just as with the C-130 with MOAB suggestion few weeks back
BR of this thing is either going to be so high its useless or so low it has no counter.
As much as I love the AC-130 it simply has no viability in this game. Given the mechanics and how it operates it would be shot down every single time, most likely before even getting a single shot off. It’s a CAS platform that is really only deployed in environments where it’s a guarantee that it won’t be contested, which just doesn’t exist in WT.
5 Likes
Pretty much this.
Inevitably someone will suggest it being placed at BR where it can actually perform well, but it will be nightmare to play against.
1 Like
And nobody would enjoy that. Least not anyone who is sane, anyways.
1 Like
The AC-130W has DIRCM and ECM that counters the Pantsir and other SPAA. Further, it can just out range it. The standard set by War Thunder with the KA-50 is that its ok for CAS to outrange SPAA. So going by their standards this would be just fine. The Howitzer alone has GPS/INS and Laser guided munitions as well as Tungsten Rod rounds with 30km+ range.
Further more the AC-130W has directed energy weapons on some models which are capable of frying the targeting systems of other air vehicles coupled with the DIRCM it would be tough to lock onto if at all. Modern AESA RADAR systems for the F22, F35, AC-130W and others are considered capable of being directed energy weapons, and they can disable the electronics of incoming missiles as part of their ECM package. The internal radar coupled with IRST can also target and track enemy aircraft from 20km. Making it a flying SPAA the 20mm and 30mm can shoot down aircraft.
I have to disagree that no one would enjoy rocking an AC-130W.
1 Like
If you think Gaijin would allow the Pantsir to be defeated so easily then I have land in Antartica to sell you.
The rest just isn’t worth responding to in full. Far too much hassle to type. Between classifed information and how WT functions as a game, it’s just not happening. Just that simple, like it or not.
It would not stand a chance against the Pantsir it would be shot down at the air field with how huge it is.
1 Like
Mah it gonna be useless I prefer F-16 with AGM-88 or Tornado GR4 with Brimstone at least they are it not free kill for Pantsir
seriously AC-130 look cool but even irl US will use it only when air superiority achieved (which irl US will try to do it first on the list before they send anything) in the game it not like that
1 Like
Pantsir can’t hit it. Doesn’t have enough CCM in its guidance. Air spawn start at the edge of the map like a drone at FL300, then let the operator decide what alt they want to approach at. It has enough standoff range anyways, the Pantsir can’t shoot far enough.
Plus if it gets shot down, it gets shot down, but you could deploy up to 18 AGMs before that. 10 x 176A Griffins, and then choose but you could drop 8 x GBU-44/Bs which are entirely passive and give no warning. They have a range of 15 miles and can track moving targets. No smoke, no motor, no datalink means no warning.
Edit:
The Better loadout would be:
10X 176As
4 X AGM-88E
4x GBU-44B
Okay, so it would work like the one found on Su-39? so it would be have higher chances to defeat IR missiles, cool.
Not in game currently as far as i know.
Since DIRCM works against IR and we dont have ECM in game yet, i highly doubt that any top tier AA would be countered.
It is absolutely NOT okay for CAS to outrange SPAA.
I highly doubt that APFSDS that isnt fired like artillery shell would reach such range. Moreso I highly doubt howitzers on AC-130 are used like ground based artillery, firing at long ranges.
Again, not in the game as far as i know and i highly doubt they come any time soon.
I doubt the effective range of 20mm and 30mm is high enough to counter missiles, moreso arent they like only on one side of the plane?
Let’s just forget about the more powerful SAMs than Pantsir. He probably hasn’t heard of such SAMs: Pantsir-SM, BUK-M2, BUK-M3, they will be even more effective in intercepting missiles and hitting targets at long distances.
And he doesn’t know how badly the radars work in the game
1 Like
Just because it currently is that way does not make it okay. If anything NO nation should be able to do so.
Its C-130 at its core, heavy with the arments. I highly doubt it can react in time to threat coming from the side that doesnt have guns on it.
Also, and I forgot to mention - AC-130s are only permitted to fly combat sorties during the nighttime.
1 Like
No, they are not. We certainly had them covering us in Iraq.
Since you can’t pay attention. The user stated “CAS shouldn’t be able to out range SPAA” meanwhile the KA-50 and KA-52 for years now have done this exact thing. Pay attention now kiddo. Because that really means “It’s ok, only as long as soviet CAS can outrange SPAA”. Since they are currently the only ones allowed to do it.
This is off topic and shouldn’t be here. Read the rules.
This is off topic and shouldn’t be posted here, read the rules.
This is unproductive and off topic and shouldn’t be posted here, again read the rules.
Incorrect, the Pantsir cannot shoot down 18+ missiles or combination by itself. So it would still be ineffective.
1 Like
I highly doubt that cargo plane turned gunship has 360° AESA radar coverage, feature not seen on F-35s. So either provide source or that is just made up. plane doestn seem any different to normal AC-130, so where would the radar dish be? if it had 360° i would expect it to have some bulges like pic related
at least, or dish similiar to AWACS planes.
However what i am willing to believe it has 360° coverage of radar warning reciever, which would make more sense and its how aircraft usually work. However the word reciever plays big part here, as it recieves radar radiaion from other planes - meaning that plane approaching nose cold wont be picked up. It doest emit anything by itself.
Source
To me it seems it is navigational radar, not combat one. moreso if you look at the picture, the radar is in the nose of the plane. wouldnt provide 360° coverage.
last may they announced plans to test the thing, not that they implemented it.
here it mentions placing AESA radar in the nose of the aircraft, which would , again, rule out 360° coverage.
im sure if i wasnt lazy, i would be able to find an aircraft already present in warthunder with similiar speed, wing span, wing area, weight and thrust to weight like the AC-130 (my blind guess B-25J?) and simply measure how long does it take for it to bring guns from left side to right.
and i can totally see it not being fast enough to counter approaching fighter jet, nor missile.
1 Like
Testing is the standard we go by in this game, if it wasn’t for that then soviet TT would be nerfed. We don’t need to hold the US TT to a standard the soviet TT isn’t held to. Many of the vehicles currently in game were just “test” models. That is a good enough standard for the AC130 to get its AESA systems by this games current soviet TT standards.
Keep the guns pointed down range, and stay outside the effective range. This also makes the assumption the team has no SPAA the fighter has to pass over, and the team itself has no fighters in the air.
But it is capable of doing it, and that is what matters. Their is plenty of reaction time at 40km away. Despite how it works in game, the Pantsir needs 6 seconds to acquire and fire on a target properly IRL. Then we need to account for the DIRCM and other counter measures. At 1300mps (the actual flight speed of the pantsir missiles) plus the getting up to speed, And this is if it can defeat the ECM and DIRCM you would have 40 seconds to react. The AC-130 can pull 60 degree bank angles and at 380mph you are looking at roughly 6 degrees per second. Or less than 30 seconds. With the 1.5x multiplier in war thunder for G limits and structural stability we can make it closer to 20 seconds. That’s more than enough time.
Perhaps the missiles from Pantsir-SM can have a speed of 3000 m/s, you will have less time to escape from it