Recently I bought the GR.1 premium plane, bad decision I know, because I wanted to grind the British air tech tree, and after having played it for like 90 battles I’ve come to a conclusion, it does not deserve to be 9.7. The harrier has some problems, the SRAAMS are absolutely miserable, it’s subsonic and while it’s VTOL is great, it means you’re a sitting duck, considering when using it to do a full 180, you drop to <500km/h so you get missiled instantly. I have a few suggestions to fix it, give it countermeasures, buff the SRAAMS, make it more maneuverable or lower it’s BR. The one i think would be best would be to give it countermeasures, because it would give you a chance to actually take on multiple opponents at once and actually use the VTOL to good effect.
SRAAMs do need buffs
They should have:
They also have buggy as hell TVC which quite badly affects their usefulness in a dogfight
An Overhaul was rumoured this time last year, but has yet to appear.
Unfortunately not possible, unless they gave it an ahistorical upgrade and give it the same CM launchers the GR3 has
again, not a lot can be done about this. Its FM is technically over-performing slightly with how they had to bodge VTOL
This though, Yep, I cant think of any negative for it being at 9.3. Along with the Hunter F6. If SRAAM ever get fixed and buffed. I can see them moving back up again, but in their current state. SRAAMs wouldnt be that deadly.
The lack of CMs and constant uptiers to fight All-aspect CMs does rather suck.
Only advice I can give, is to focus on hit and run tactics, going for those distracted rather than dogfighting directly. Maintain as high a speed as possible at all times.
Engine temp management is also a core part. Try and stick at about 80% throttle as much as possible to keep engine temps low. Only going to 100% when you need the extra thrust. WEP is limited, so save it for when its needed the most
A well placed VIFF, angling nozzles to 30% can help in a turn, but will bleed speed faster. In a worse case scenario (and only do this in a 1v1 with no one else around). Slam the nozzles all the way forward and barrel roll. The target behind you should in theory shoot out in front and can get an SRAAM up the tailpipe.
The Gr1 clearly has a button in its cockpit with an inscription for flares and another for chaffs, I don’t know if it’s the model that is not the right one
Its because Gaijin are super lazy and just C&Ped the Harrier Gr3 cockpit. probably should be reported at some point. (and maybe even the GR3 cockpit is just a C&P of the AV-8 from the US TT, but no idea if they actually differed at all)
Sea Harrier FRS1 had the Gr3 cockpit (low position in the fusalage and all) for 9 months and still has the GR3 cockpit HUD
Thanks for the info
My main complaint with SRAAMS currently is a single flare is enough to divert it, maybe it’s historically accurate maybe not, but it makes most fights a breeze for the enemy. But wouldn’t All-aspect be a bit much at 9.7? I’m new to jets so excuse my lack of knowledge
As far as I know, yes SRAAMs had pretty terrible flare resistnace. So that is probably accurate. They were developed before CMs were that common I think. And at that BR pretty much everything has CMs so it only makes them harder to use. When SRAAM were first added to the game. Aircraft like the Harrier and Hunter sat a LOT higher than they do now because SRAAMs were that good and CMs less of a thing.
All-aspect might be too much at 9.7 and whether or not they could handle being 10.0 again is debatable. But even if they just give SRAAMs really good side-aspect shots again, they would be great. You use to be able to shoot at someone that was flying at right angles to you and take them out, now its a bit hit and miss if you get a lock.
But even just the TVC fixes and range buff could transform SRAAM.
But the biggest issue in air at the moment, especially around that BR is compression. Everything between 9.0 and 12.7 should be spread across a BR range of something like 9.0 - 15.0.
F-104s and Lightnings being supersonic vs Sub-sonics. All-aspect slingers with loads of CMs vs aircraft with no CMs at all… Its a very very messy BR these days
Yea that’s what i noticed, i’m constantly against jets that are supersonic, or something absolutely miserable to fight like a10’s (terrifying). But the SRAAMS are even buggier than i thought, cuz i fired 2 at like a mig-21, no flares, low speed, smthn like 400km/h, 400m away, and they both just spiraled and missed. But introducing a higher br cap would help the game i do agree, it would be fun at higher tiers for once.
Yep, thats my bug report in a nut shell:
https://community.gaijin.net/issues/p/warthunder/i/vRwgzgE3f9qG
Dont fire if the target is closer than 450/500m or further away than about 800/850m
SRAAMs can also be tad touchy when fired at lower speeds apparently, though ive never suffered issues with that, only the range issues
Ok thank you for the information, i’ll try to incorporate this when i play
SRAAMs would likely be removed from Harrier GR1 as to not allow it to become 10.3+ without flares.
Probably, but then the Gr1 would be like 8.7 with no missiles at all. So would the Hunter f6
It’d be 9.7, just with AIM-9Gs.
As far as I am aware and I could be wrong. Only Harrier Gr3s were ever equipped with Aim-9Gs and only when they were deployed to the Falklands in 1982.
Prior to that they were unarmed. The Gr1 got SRAAMs because they were tested on T8, I think. But that’s it. I don’t think they could get Aim-9Gs. And if they do, then why not just give them the same CM pods the Gr3 has
Also Gr1 should still then end up lower than the Gr3 as it has no CMs or RWR. So would still end up at 9.3
I tried playing with the Harrier GR.1 today, and it’s easy to say it’s the worst purchase I’ve made in the game. It can’t fulfill the striker role, it doesn’t have the speed to reach any base, it doesn’t have flares, and it doesn’t turn well. Even when climbing high and diving to fire the ASRAAMs, they don’t lock onto targets. When they do lock, the missiles don’t go towards the target.
please for the love of god do something to make playing this plane bearable
ive got it in a discounted bundle over the game and i never felt more scammed as i do now…
I did post a picture of GR.1 with 9G shown in front of it but I’d have to go dig around on old forums to find that picture
EDIT: Damn, just realized it’s a bit old post. My bad.
I really do not know what the issue with the Gr.1 is for everybody. I love it and used it to grind a big portion of the British tree. Nice little attacker/bomber…
Speaking from perspective of ARB player
I’d say probably lack of any countermeasures at critical Battle Rating (9.7)
Considering you can even encounter AIM-9Ls at that BR, nothing can save you even if its fired in head on aspect
I assume that is the main issue
American AV-8A at least gets the ALE-37 flare pod, GR.1 has nothing.