I want to buy a premium US jet to help me grind the tech tree. I know how to use the top tier aircraft (through test drives and tutorials etc), but I’ve never actually played one in a battle so there would definitely be a learning curve. I mostly play GRB, so I would want the jet to be able to play at least some amount of cas while still being a fighter. But which plane should I get? I’ve heard that the f-5 is kind of washed because of its BR, but the f-18 has the disadvantage of A, teams, and B, the new(ish) anti airs, and C, being slightly more expensive. Anyone have any ideas on what to do?
IMO, neither. Currently the F-4S is the most efficient and noob-friendly grinder in the US tree, however it gets no guided weapons.
The F-18C Early does sit at a worse BR for air, but is still fairly competent, and it also gets quite the spread of guided A2G weaponry.
For you the F-5C would be pretty poor as while the airframe is excellent, it has terrible A2G and has bad A2A missiles for its BR.
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It depends, do you have any knowledge about radar missiles? Do you have any knowledge of top-tier positioning? If you don’t, I recommend the F5 so you don’t eat Fox 3 missiles directly. If you have some knowledge, get the F18, but as the guy above said, the F4 is the best for new players and the most friendly for wallet warriors.
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F-5C is pretty poor in both ARB and GRB.
F/A-18 is considerably better but the learning curve of the BR is quite rough in ARB especially as you’ll be facing 13.x frequently and that means IRCCM and ARH. And in GRB AA will simply smite you.
If you’re looking for an ARB aircraft the F-4S is extremely capable and easy to learn though it lacks guided A2G armament.
If you’re looking for a GRB aircraft then you might want to go with the A-10 or AV-8B as they’re excellent CAS aircraft though quite limited in ARB
Or actually the best all-around choice might be the F-20 as it’s pretty good in both modes and a lower BR than the Hornet
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The phantom and hornet are both capable of running a2a+a2g loads. The hornet is a very well rounded airplane, but the phantom is simpler to use. Take it with a grain of salt but if HARM’s get added the hornet should be a potential platform for them, which would make them more effective against AA in ground battles
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On sale either the F-5C or F4-S, I’d say the F18 too but it won’t be on sale until early 2026, so it’s the only one that you could get at full price and not regret it in 3 months (you will regret it in like 6 months instead)
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