So after playing my F14B after the last update which introduced the JAS39, F15 and Su27, I’ve come to the conclusion that the F14B either needs to go down a BR, get HMD added to the radar, or get better missiles.
The AIM7M pulls like a cargo ship with 25g at 12.3br compared to other radar missiles in the same br, it’s too inconsistent and tracks like shit at low altitude (even though its supposed to track better than the 7F at low alt). Sure is it has incredible range and i can switch from TRK PD to TRK while maintaining a hard lock on the target but this rarely lands.
The 9L is too easily flared off and again, with 30g pull its very average in performance to other IR missiles in the same br that have 35g - 40g of pull.
Dont even get me started on the aim54c, its a novelty that occasionally provides a free kill. In my experience at an altitude of 5km+, mach1+ launch between 30km - 50km the success rate has been 10-20% and only against unaware fresh premium jets that ignore their rwr.
All in all the f14b and f14a play like an f4s.
Solution?
Lower the BR of the f14b, it seems to go quite well in a downtier, but gets demolished in top tier, or raise the br of the f16, f15, mig29, jas39, su27.
Overhaul the aim7m tracking performance so that there is a distinguishable difference between that and the aim7f, it would be nice to see them hit a target instead of nose diving.
Even though the f14b never had HMD, maybe give it HMD anyway since the only toptier jet similar to it (F4S) has HMD.
Give the f14b the aim9m missile so it can win a joust without getting flared off. Sacrificing mixed or flare priority flares for reinforced flares has not helped against other jets that can also change from TRK PD to TRK making flaring off a 9m or R73 pointless when you get TRK’d and unable to chaff off.
All in all, I love the F14b but man its been soul crushing to find I have to play it like the F4 (low, wide, avoid furball, pick off players who are unaware). It’ll be a long time before i unlock the F16 and F15 and the missiles that i come up against like the R27er and R73 feel ridiculous so some quality of life would be nice 👌
In real life perhaps, but in game all SARH missiles are modelled with an inverse monopulse seeker. If this wasn’t the case, SARHs wouldn’t be nearly as good/effective as they are in game. This means the 7F and 7M are practically identical.
The AIM-9M, the only other IR missile the Tomcat could get, has the exact same overload as the 9L. The G overload is fine, but the IRCCM is lacking given all the flare spam. I definitely support a 12.3 BR and 9M addition.
The Phoenix has been extensively bug reported and no significant changes have been made. You’re better off with a full Sparrow/Sidewinder loadout.
It doesn’t need HMD, HMS, HMCS, JHMCS… what ever you want to call it. The plane itself isn’t the problem, it’s the BR compression and powercreep.
I typically dont bother with aim54c’s unless its a big map and down tier, my usual loudout is x4 9L’s and x4 7M’s.
The 7F and 7M are just so under powered compared to whats out there at top tier that having HMD (free look radar sight slaving) would make them easier to use instead of pitching up off ground cover to get a boresight lock. I can deal with the fact that they’re only 25g, what i cant deal with is using ACM PD with a max lock range of 9km to lock the 7M which can lock out to 40km. Typically, in the 1.5seconds it takes the seeker to arm, the enemy is at 5km so i switch to the 9L (only to get flared off) knowing the 7M is gonna nose dive into the ground on low alt targets or track poorly launching under 5km just above low alt.
9M’s with their IRCCM would be great, but i feel like the 7M is just trash compared to the 35g and 40g SARH missiles that somehow still hit me while I’m notched and scraping my belly on the ground.
I know im flying the f14b correctly, i dont dog fight anything above 3rd gen, i stay low and wide, boom and zoom and playing support, but the amount of times my missiles have failed me or ive had to break cover for a lock and got punished for it is ridiculous.
Im also playing on PS5 and dont have the luxury of turning cyclic targeting off as i dont have the spare buttons to manually select radar targets in TWS or or SRC.
I have to agree with x_Shini_. The current br of f-14b is good for it and it should not be lowered. The f-14b did indeed not have HMD, the aim-7’s are alright but should be good after the significant buff of break lock time. The aim-54a are effective when used correctly and on average in every match, i get a couple kills just for firing those missiles with 0 effort.
While it sucks to go against top tier with aim-9L’s, the f-14b’s place is not in the heart of furballs anyway.
And i pretty much prefer the 14b over f15 or f16 anyway. I’m grinding the winter extreme with the f-14b. So, you know this comment comes from someone who wants the best for the f-14.
there is no differentation in GRB and ARB BR as long as this isnt the case it doesnt matter what you think of cas making no difference, and the f14b gets the all aspect aim 9l the a doesnt . Your arguments realy dont work, they have a lot of differences
This is why the f-14b has a bigger battle rating. The survivability that 640 countermeasures bring is a very strong buff. You can fly around the battlefield with your periodical flare release on and it will avoid countless deaths, it will allow you to fight longer and it will allow you to concentrate more on attacking than looking around for AAMs. F-14a has only 60 countermeasures.
It appears that @ZE4L0T is speaking without experience and is still stuck in the stock grind, so he does not even have the above mentioned modifications unlocked.
Aim-54c get me first strike with double or triple strike soon after and they actually will hit things low and flying straight sounds to me like you should use them better they been the best they EVER have been after rthis update. Take 6 Aim-54 put 2 per target no further than 40 km tws guide first set till 26 km then switch to other targets I start notching about 18 km an guide last missile till 16 km then notch RTB and load Sparrow and sidewinder if team permits 2nd flight
