I finally found the time to talk about the F-104 family and the issues many of us have with these aircraft. Unfortunately, I haven’t touched most of them because of their current state. I may end up repeating a few points, so apologies in advance if I sound like a broken record.
I’ll start with the flight performance, which is currently laughable. Engaging in a dogfight is practically suicide because the F-104 simply can’t turn anymore. The flight model changes have made the aircraft significantly more difficult to fly in air battles, which is why so many players now use the F-104 as a bomber rather than a fighter.
My second issue is the battle ratings because they don’t make much sense for several of the later F-104 variants. I should note that I haven’t played the early models at 9.3, and they don’t really apply to this. From what I’ve heard, they’re already very strong and can be extremely difficult to deal with in a full downtier.
I’ll use the F-104 TAF as my main example because I’ve played it extensively. I’m still not sure why it was moved up in the first place. When it was introduced in 2022, it was a decent aircraft. It wasn’t exceptional, but it was capable of sneaking up on opponents, scoring kills with AIM-9Ps, and using its excellent roll rate to force overshoots.
Today you’re constantly thrown into 12.0 and 12.3 matches against aircraft such as F-18s and Mirage 2000s carrying significantly more capable missiles, while you’re stuck with outdated AIM-9Ps. I can only imagine how difficult the experience is for the F-104S.ASA, and quite frankly, watching paint dry sounds more entertaining than grinding it.
There are also some questionable battle rating placements within the F-104 family that Gaijin has ignored. For example, the Taiwanese F-104 sits at a higher BR than the Japanese version despite carrying fewer Sidewinders.
My proposed solution is relatively simple. Most of the later F-104 variants should be moved down by 0.3 BR, and possibly the opposite for early ones. The Japanese and Taiwanese variants should both sit at 10.3. Gaijin should also revisit the radar performance across the F-104 family, which would be particularly beneficial in Simulator Battles where these aircraft tend to perform best. Finally, I believe the flight model changes should be reverted to the old one so the F-104s can once again function as a fighter rather than being zombie.
I might make a separate post about this because I genuinely hate what they’ve done to it.
Missing drop tanks?!?!?!? The F-104’s drop tanks are iconic!
The F-4EJ sits at a lower BR…
