This part is true, though it is worth noting that there is nothing to explicitly deny JDAM on it either.
I’d say as long as nothing is properly confirmed or denied it can be seen as unlikely, but not impossible.
This is just blatantly false.
The idea that “GCS-1 isn’t able to track ground targets” comes from pure semantics.
In terms of the actual seeker there is no limit in place that would filter out or struggle to track ground targets, which are in the same IR signature range as the ships and boats the GCS-1 is explicitly designed to track. If anything, tracking a target on the ground will be easier for the seeker when compared to the highly reflective surface of the sea.
The GCS-1s IRCCM is even helpful in that role as far as the game is comfirmed, as it would filter out burning destroyed tank.
The challenging aspect of the GCS-1 is the way it is used. It is dropped without locking a target, and only about 4s after dropping does the seeker start to look for a target by itself without external input.
This can be around with through practice and help from CCIP, bout wouldn’t be as easy to use as the AGM-65G for example.
Only clueless players will call having the same radar as the F-16 on a phantom “irrelevant”. It’s also hilarious how much you downplay the advantage of the RWR. One of the biggest reasons f4j/f4s players die so easily at top tier is that they cannot detect missile launch, let alone the exact radar signature of whatever is targeting them.
The F4EJ Kai has a huge tactical advantage over american phantoms. Also, having ALL-ASPECT PD radar and being able to launch sparrows in rear-aspect while being much more resistant to notching (smaller window) easily makes up having 2 less aim7. That’s not even mentioning the all-aspect IR missiles and having 90 countermeasure including 30 larges (so effective like 150 standards). All that for + 0.3 battle rating. Reminder that the F-14A at 12.3 has a HDN only PD radar and no all-aspect IR missiles.
Anyway, the vast majority of US phantom players use the 4 sparrow + 4 aim9 loadout since you need to trade 2 aim9 for each additional sparow so the argument of the F4EJ KAI theoretically having a maximum of 4 sparrows is weak and irrelevant .
lolwat? The EJ Kai is better than the F-14A in weapons and radar, it along side the Iranian F-14A are the best 12.3s in the game.
F-16A? AIM-7F to their face.
It has chaff available to it.
You even bring up the F-14A acknowledging that your post’s initial statements are false.
4x 7F + 4x 9Ls is the F-14B loadout with a flight model as-good as a standard Mig-23M.
Using an F-16 radar, 90 countermeasures, and a digital RWR.
Outside dogfights, it’s the best 12.3. Just don’t dogfight and keep your speed up instead. You have over 12 minutes of afterburn time if you choose to bring an external fuel tank.
By that definition, every aircraft ingame is a UFO for being able to pull harder than they could IRL. The reason the F-16 in particular can pull so hard compared to its manual is because the G-limiter is removed :P
The f16 can perform manuvers that it 1. simply cant irl and 2. exceeds the 1.5x margin set by Gaijin. It’s a ufo completely. Gaijin even admits its a ufo but refuse to fix it due to incompetence.
It has already been proven many times that it is impossible to use JDAM.
The F-4EJ Kai does not have a GPS receiver for the JDAM.
In the picture the JDAM is mounted on the Triple Ejector Rack (TER), which is not yet capable of using the JDAM. This was mentioned by Marvin Engineering.
Finally, someone who was at the air show where the photo was taken asked the crew why they mounted the JDAM on the F-4EJ when it is not usable, and the answer was “because it’s a festival”.
They can’t.
They are not 1:1 identical, as shown in the discussion with LoardMustang in the previous forum, capturing sea targets is not the same as capturing ground targets, especially for GCS-1 where you can’t manually pre-lock on the seeker, they activate the seeker after dropping the bomb with CCIP.
I’m using UFO as a relative, rhetoric term. I know the F-16 was designed as a dogfighter just like all these Russian jets we’ve seen YouTube footages of them performing insane air show maneuvers.
But the F-4 is a bus, and I don’t have the 9L unlocked yet. The maneuverability of the F-16 will easily allow it to notch and pop chaff.
Wow I just checked the plane and you aren’t wrong about it. How does the python 3 perform? Like, compared to magic and aim-9m? For myself personally, I would prefer your plane; it has napalm bombs, and that i have learned to avoid the SARHs until close enough range for IR missiles to lock on, and Aim-9L is non-IRCCM and thus easily flared.
The armament is inferior to the F-14, at least the Iran version. The AIM-7F demands at least within 15km range, in which 20km is the range where tags show up. So it is BVR on paper only. Beyond IR and gun range, sure.
Not only that, the radar is highly overrated. The F-14 radar has 203km range, while F-4EJ Kai has a range of 60km. I was being tracked by F-14s, in which they would fire the Fakour 90 at me, before I can even get a targeting lock. Well of course it can’t compete against a fantasy missile 200kg heavier than the AIM-54A, now with a M112 HAWK (13kN motor similar to AIM-54 motors) that is somehow faster, more maneuverable than the AIM-54A and un-notchable.
The F-14 can simply turn around after unloading the missile because it’s fire and forget (supposedly within 16km).
I admit the RWR is pretty good and haved saved my lives many times. But that’s about it.
Aim-9L shouldn’t be a selling point, because it is not IRCCM; Its functionality is essentially the “Aim-9B” of top tier; only works against clueless, rear facing players, perhaps with an afterburner. The Magic 2 has IRCCM, and is essentially an AIM-9M (yes, the same missiles on the A-10C that people kept complaining about it).
It’s on-par with the Iranian F-14, with EJ Kai having a better radar still.
Iranian loses the 9Ls, gains Fakour 90.
Claiming AIM-7F is BVR in name only is the same as claiming all missiles are.
And EJ Kai’s radar range is ~80km, same as Mig-29.
It’s why Iranian F-14A and EJ Kai should always be the same BR.
Me in my EJ Kai can turn around when launched on, then turn back in after 15 - 45 seconds with all my missiles in-tact.
In game this is basically AIM-9L with higher G pull, max speed and flare hungry as R-60M. The only real upsides this Phantom have is 2 flare pods with 200x flares, A2G weaponary and that’s about it.
This seems reasonable, so it really is proven to not carry JDAM.
This does not seem reasonable at all. Capturing sea targets is different, namely in the way the reflective surface of the sea interferes with the IR seeker. This is not an issue with ground targets.
The seeker cannot be manually locked and would be difficult to use, but it is perfectly capable of targeting ground targets. As already stated the seekers IRCCM would have the positive side effect of filtering out destroyed tanks.
The biggest difficulty in game is only the issue that it has no means of IFF, so it would be difficult to use when trying to avoid hitting teammates.
Still, not impossible.
F-14 having “worse” radar is irrelevant because it fires ARMs, which does the heavy lifting work. Even then, it (the fakour radar) is extremely resistant to notching. There is nothing stopping the fakour space bombers from doing the same and running back to base after firing their missiles. The F-16 radar is also easily notched (or maybe, the combined fault of AIM-7F) and not that amazing.
In fact, the game balancers think the same. If you look at the latest BR adjustments, you will see that F-14 is now being tied to planes like F-16AJ (12.7 BR)
The F-4EJ Kai is underpowered if anything. The AIM-7F only works against your level 10 premium players that does not notch, take cover behind terrain, or use chaff. In additionally, it only works under 10KM in most practical situations (by 10km, I mean both planes are screaming towards each other in a head on) any more and the player will just move behind cover because your average player flies very low. (Wow we’re getting the ground mode experience in planes too!)
You call it OP but there are way better planes that are lower in BR. The Mirage planes have IRCCM MAGIC 2 missiles that slams the AIM-7F into the ground in terms of performance. In paper the magic 2 have way shorter range but given the fact that the F-4 is a bus, any maneuvering will mean massive bleeding of energy, and if you shown your engines to the IRCCM planes - congrats! You just doubled their range!
Long range and speed, even maneuverability it can’t compete against the Tomcat.
So you have a short range plane trying to LARP as a F-16, but without the ingredients to make it actually succeed in close range lol.
What would actually justify 12.3 BR would be the F-4EJ Kai getting a “Kurnass 2000” treatment; dump the AIM-7F and just load it with AAM-3
If you’re having trouble using AIM-7F/R-27ER, go back to the basics and use ACM mode only and only fire on guaranteed hits.
No one is forcing you to be the first to fire; The winner of a battle is not the one who fires first, but the one who fires last.
There are zero aircraft in War Thunder superior to EJ Kai at a lower BR.
EJ Kai is however superior to F-14A, and the F-14A is going to 12.7.
Also, you’re a Phantom, your goal is to furball manage at speed with 1 degree per second less turn rate than F-14A.
EJ Kai remains the only aircraft I have two consecutive aces in for a reason.
AAM-3s would also make EJ Kai 13.x in BR, just play the F-15J if you want AAM-3s.
