Genuine question about the PoBIT and its weird “Quirks.”
In what source material does it state that the F-16CM PoBIT switched to large caliber countermeasures?
All of the source material I’ve looked into states that its just another generic avionics package update with some new weapons and ECM tucked onto it. This just seems like an artificial nerf to an already not so good airframe in game at decently high BR, its countermeasure count is less than all of its direct competitors while pushing out half the ammo of its direct competitors.
Even in the CAS role the PoBIT with its MAWs, doesn’t really allow for the greatest ordnance. Cannot utilize Mavericks or A Maverick on the rail so you’re stuck with Laser Bombs in a meta where fire and forget cruise missiles just perform better and the Strike Eagle already overshadows the PoBIT in CAS performance.
In terms of Air to Air this airframe is directly competing against the other US 14.3s that have the same weapons and better radar coverage, the Golden Eagle having literally 8 times more than the base PoBIT while literally having double of the same type of ammo.
My main question is why does this exist in War Thunder? What is the point? The standard Block 50 sits at a more competitive BR with almost the same (Useful) Air to Ground Ordnance and the upgrade from the 120A/B to the 120D is not worth the 2 jumps in its BR, especially with less countermeasures than the SU-30SM that has 98 Large Caliber Countermeasures. I don’t understand why this Airframe was even added, it seems more like a worthless range toy or a SIM Groundpounding LARPER. Besides that there is literally no reason for this airframe to be in the game.
Maybe some sources of the airframes getting their countermeasures changed or maybe more variety in weapons, maybe a change that may or may not be fictional to make the airframe SOMEWHAT desirable to someone that is looking to invest their time (and Money for those of us with jobs), this airframe is literally competing directly against Eurofighters and SU30 4th Gen+ Models for gameplay and viability.
I feel bad for the art team that puts in some effort to making the airframe changes or implementing cool skins for the airframe, only for the more experienced players to steer literally everyone else away because this airframe has little to no investment worthiness besides being the “Newest and Coolest” F-16 airframe with a Thunderbirds skin that will only see Aerobatic Servers if those aren’t dominated by the SU-30SM being more enjoyable to fly and watch.
Oh BTW the MAWs Rails has a weird tendency to bug out the test flight page where we can’t edit the 60 regular countermeasures or its completely locks the 60 countermeasures to Flares only.
So that certain people can say “Look US got new jet with AESA radar!”
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Gaijin could have added it for multiple reasons
- it is meant to fill rank 9. Honestly I don’t really think they would add stealth fighter in rank 9, so to make rank 10 they would first need to fill rank 9
- Maybe it would be more useful in future gamemodes then it is currently in all three game modes
- I cannot think of any more reasons
- It would be the F-16 to get next gen IR missile. I don’t think Gaijin will give F-16C AIM-9X (hopefully they don’t)
Honestly, few people like me really wanted it to be added. I thought it would be able to complete with Rafale. Why did i think so? Because F-16 already has a good FM and good acceleration which would allow it to get into better position then something like F-15C. I also expected 120D to have better or equal seeker to MICA. Good FM with good missile would have been a good combo and hence F-16CM would have been much better
However, what I was expecting did not happen, 120D has same seeker as 120A/B/C and MCM starterd to get wayy too common to Ignore. Having 6 missile against 12 is became a very big problem for PoBIT in the Iron dome meta
Gaijin had a a good chance to make PoBIT a somewhat decent jet, but like always they messed-up
so gaijin can pretend that AIM-120Ds are so powerful that it warrants a 12.3 airframe being at 14.3 just because of them (which its not at all, as theyre just copy pasted 120As like every other AMRAAM)
its just another sad coverup of their blatant hatred towards NATO and non russian / chinese vehicles. They advertise it as a “savior of the US air lineup”, same way SLAM-ERs (which are arguably just as bad as mavericks) were supposed to save CAS, or the NASAMS was supposed to be the new shiny amazing top tier SPAA, or how 120C-5s were supposed to make the F15E competitive (and get added to the EF2K anyways)
i could keep going but i think by the time i finish the list we might actually get a decent US aircraft again
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F15EX was right there, would be perfectly balanced if not pretty weak in the current meta
thats a good joke, in what gamemode is one of the weakest CAS loadout with 4 AAMs on an outdated chasis with a sad excuse of a radar and 60 CMs going to be competitive
You do know if they did that so would the russians, french, and europeans all get similar missiles (IRIS-T, MICA, etc) which knowing gaijin, are all going to absolutely curbstomp anything it locks while the AIM-9X is going to somehow be a sidegrade to the 9M
were not calling F-16A the golden standard for 12.3 airframes now, are we?
And i never said F-16CM Pobit should had come before F-15EX, F-16CM should have come as the last plane for rank 9. Also F-15EX won’t be the weakest in current meta. Infact F-15C GE has better stats in month of march (or April, i forgot) then Rafale, why? Thanks to iron dome meta, F-15EX would spherical RWR and Maws along with 16 missile which would be pretty good for current meta
I honestly don’t know. Probably in game mode with SEAD like nuclear thunder. But then Superhonet and growler would still outclass it
Ok? I only mentioned out of both F-16 present in US tree, F-16CM would get 9X and not F-16C. I don’t think i have stated that only and only F-16CM would get next gen IR missile and not other jet or nation would get them
no, but its definitely not a competitive airframe when most aircraft at its BR have positive T-W and canards, the EF2K and SM2 make the F16 like trying to dogfight a zero in a mustang
sure, but calling it a 12.3 airframe when F-16A curbstomps everything in its BR range post-merge is kinda misleading imo.
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i agree its definitely a very good airframe for 12.3, but my main point was that even if its a decent FM its still going to be a sad joke against canards and thrust vectoring
Just to let everyone know that the stats barely moves and the PoBIT has had 2 of the Big Arch meals before take off.
Please stop assigning brs to ‘airframes’ as if this is an idea that makes sense
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The EW package is not implemented in the PoBIT irl as of Q2 2026 and is budgeted for later
1x2 inch countermeasures are large caliber countermeasures.
1x1 inch are standard.
There’s a 2x3 inch countermeasure standard that some F-15s have fielded which are absolutely massive.
But yeah, F-16 being part of rank 9, soon we’ll get F-35s in rank 9 as well.
if im not mistaken, most NATO CM dispensers can either have 2x Standard or 1x large. It would actually be quite nice if Gaijin added that as a mechanic, the ability to choose which you want. At the moment, its Gaijins discretion
