Hello War Thunder DEVs,
I hope you can help clarify some of the design intent behind the inclusion of the F/A-18E Super Hornet, as I’m a little confused about the lack of new ordnance options for this aircraft.
As you are well aware, many of the recently added aircraft have unique air-to-ground ordnance options such as the Kh-38, Kh-59, GROM-1/2 (which was removed but could be added back in), Brimstone, or SPICE-250 that are giving these aircraft a new place in air-to-ground. Unfortunately, the F/A-18E seems to perform very similarly to the F/A-18C, which is a much older and much more primitive aircraft. In particular:
It does not appear to offer any new and unique air-to-ground ordnance options.
The air-to-ground mechanics are almost identical to previous Hornets.
There are no ordnance options that make it stand out as a true multi-role improvement.
The reality of the situation is that the true strength of the aircraft comes from the additional air-to-ground ordnance options rather than flight performance. Some of the options that could help give it a new place in War Thunder and have similar counterparts to existing aircraft include:
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AGM-187A JAGM-F - similar concept to the real-life Brimstone.
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GBU-53/B - similar concept and scale to the SPICE-250.
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AGM-84 SLAM/SLAM-ER - would give the aircraft a new place in standoff strike missions similar to the Kh-38 and Kh-59.
I’m not asking for speculative options and there are more than the ones I’ve listed some are missing due to balancing issues or various other reasons, such as the AGM-158 JASSM/JASSM-ER, among others Etc Etc. I am specifically seeking clarification on:
Why new options have not been included with this aircraft.
Whether the current options are considered complete.
When any new options might be added.
And what the community thinks.
As the aircraft is not particularly competitive in air-to-air combat, additional options could help give it a new place and make it far more distinctive from the F/A-18C.
Any insight that you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.