Current Situation of the F-2A at 13.0

Machinery of War Discussion Aircraft
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I would like to address the current state of the Mitsubishi F-2A in War Thunder.

The F-2A is currently placed at BR 13.0, but the environment it operates in is clearly dominated by Fox 3 (ARH) missiles. In most matches, even at 13.0, it is common to face aircraft equipped with multiple active radar missiles that allow them to:

-Fire and immediately turn cold.
-Apply BVR pressure without maintaining lock.
-Saturate the airspace with active threats.

However, the F-2A only has access to Fox 1 missiles, which places it at a structural disadvantage in the current meta.

The Core Issue

The F-2A features a highly capable radar, which in theory should provide a strong advantage in BVR combat.

In practice:

-Fox 1 missiles require continuous illumination.
-The aircraft must remain nose-on and exposed.
-In an ARH-saturated environment, this forces the F-2A into a reactive playstyle.

As a result, its radar becomes more of a defensive awareness tool rather than an offensive force multiplier.

The 13.0 Meta Reality

Although it sits at 13.0, it frequently faces 13.3 aircraft and ARH-heavy environments where:

-Fox 3 missiles are widely used.
-BVR engagements begin earlier.
-The aircraft that can fire and disengage first gains a decisive advantage.

The F-2A is therefore forced into a second-line or delayed engagement role, which does not properly reflect its BR placement.

Possible Solutions

To improve its balance, two reasonable options could be considered:

  1. Add Fox 3 missiles (e.g., AIM-120).
    This would allow the F-2A to compete on equal terms within the current meta.
  2. Reduce its BR.
    If ARH addition is not intended, lowering its BR would place it in an environment more consistent with its current armament.

Conclusion

The issue is not that the aircraft itself is weak, but that it lacks ARH capability in a BR bracket where active radar missiles are already the standard.

Currently, it cannot fully capitalize on its radar performance nor compete on equal footing during the opening phase of BVR engagements.

I believe its current situation deserves reconsideration in future balance updates.

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The only Fox-3 the F-2 can carry is the AAM-4. If they add that to the ADTW it’d move it to 13.7, and it’d be a copy + paste of the F-2A in the tech tree.

They should not do this, unless/until they add ways in which the F-2A can have an advantage to the ADTW like the AAM-4B or AAM-5.

The issue with reducing the BR of the ADTW is that:
If it goes down, it’s OP
If it goes up, it sucks.

what we need is more decompression. But as it currently stands, the F-2A ADTW is one of if not the best 13.0 available.

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While the Mitsubishi F-2A could indeed be one of the best — or even the best — 13.0 aircraft in a clean 1v1 environment without ARH missiles, that does not reflect the actual gameplay conditions in War Thunder.

The game is not balanced around duels. It is balanced around 16v16 matches where:

-The airspace is saturated with Fox-3 missiles.
-Engagements begin at long range.
-Extended nose-on exposure is extremely dangerous.
-Third-party kills are very common.

In this environment, a Fox-1-only aircraft is structurally forced into a reactive playstyle. Even if it performs very well in dogfights or in isolated engagements, entering prolonged fights significantly increases the probability of being targeted by ARH missiles from other players.

So the issue is not that the F-2A lacks raw performance. In fact, it may be one of the strongest platforms at 13.0 in terms of energy and radar capability. The problem is that its current missile loadout does not match the ARH-dominated meta at this BR.

Its strength in 1v1 scenarios does not fully translate into effectiveness in large-scale team battles, which is the actual format of the game.

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… are you using AI?

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1 billion ai-generated f-2a complain posts to wt forums

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Yes, but only for translation since I don’t speak English

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Ah, I understand.

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Most of your games in the F-2A ADTW will likely be 12.7 - 13.7
While yes, This is a very Fox-3 heavy BR bracket, the F-2A ADTW’s RWR, maneuverability, and ample CMs allows it to survive Fox-3 spam and get in range to use it’s Fox-1s.

The J/APG-2 has quite impressive angles, which means you can often times go defensive while maintaing a lock. Since it’s an AESA radar, your opponents will have a hard time tricking the radar.

Besides, if you’re flying straight at a target and NOT trying to defend… that’s on you.

Skill issue.

Most planes at 13.0 are Fox-1 carriers, Things like the MiG-29G, Su-27S… The only exceptions are upgraded third gens like the F-4F ICE, or the F-14s, whose Fox-3s aren’t the greatest.

The F-2A has vastly better radar than the MiG-29 or Su-27, and can defend against missiles much easier than the F-4F ICE. Along with this, if it does get in range (which it often times will) the AAM-3s are INCREDIBLY potent.

That’s an issue of compression. This doesn’t mean we need to buff the ADTW or move it down in BR.

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I understand your point, but in most matches I face export-spec Su-30MK2s with a BR of 13.3, and it seems absurd to me, honestly. Those really need to be at 13.7.
And I agree that a decompression is needed.
Finally, it wouldn’t hurt to give the F2A ADW at least the AIM 7P.

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So put it at 13.7 with the tech tree F-2? You would complain about that as well facing top tier

It’s one of the best 13.0s overall so… no…?

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Unfortunately. That just isn’t possible, as the JASDF never ordered or used AIM-7Ps.

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just like how the Su-30MKM can’t use Kh-38s cuz Malaysia never ordered or used them or how only the USA and UK uses JAGMs… Oh wait… also point of fact the F-2 ADTW in game uses a radar that even the F-2A did not use until a later upgrade, so what’s it really matter at this point?

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Title is supposed to be in English.

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