The J-7D is actually underperforming technologically wise. (Underperforming and underpowered are different things in case someone wants to gang up on me)
Missing IFF and good RWR.
The OOP seems to be edited away to discuss about J11B, but you can find the archive of bug reports.
Great, so it can go to 11.3 after that
By that logic, the Concept 3 should be a much higher BR than 4.3 because it’s from the 1980s. There’s almost no users at 11.0+ that have rear aspects (what I mean is that majority of the jets 11.0+ have access to all aspects besides the Phantoms).
Idk, id argue the AV8 monkeys who rely on their missiles to make your match as annoying as possible are more annoying. The fact a 9.0 can see an AV8 and is just FORCED to turn into it to avoid its missiles is infinitely more annoying tbh
And its missing its PL-8Bs that it was using. And so is J-7E.
Great, it can go to 12.3 then
I can’t wait to see buffed J-7D/E in 12.3 with my MiG-21Bison XD
Bruh, J-7E + PL-8 would be 11.7/12.0 at maximum because of Kfir C.7.
The PL-8Bs would push the J-7E to 12.3/12.7. Regular PL-8s would put it at 11.7 or maybe 12.0.
The J-7D can’t go up unless it gets a better RWR too.
Ahh I confused to regular PL-8 and PL-8B for somehow.
Whatever, J-7D would be unplayable if they gets PL-8Bs.
Still waiting they add Pakistani F-7PG that can carry the AIM-9L/M.
maybe，Gaijin should add J7G as the 12.3 carrier（use PL8B）
Ngl I think all of the people who complain about this vehicle lack any real playtime in it. It isn’t that good. If anyone pays attention at ALL, they know you’re going to fire a missile at them. It is counterintuitive that you have a airframe with terrible energy retention and rear aspect missiles (exclusively.)
Regarding the Type 930-4 RWR used by the J-7D, we currently lack verifiable data and can only speculate that its performance is similar to the KJ-8602 system. China’s stringent secrecy policies on military equipment make it extremely difficult to model high-tier vehicles accurately in-game. Most “information” about advanced Chinese assets in War Thunder is essentially guesswork, pieced together from limited public photos or vague references—none of which provide substantial evidence for proper implementation.
Frankly, obtaining authoritative sources would likely be illegal—I might as well confess my “sins” in prison! It’s baffling that even this outdated aircraft (J-7D) remains shrouded in secrecy when it logically should be declassified by now.
I’ve submitted multiple issue reports, but without concrete data, progress is hopeless. To add irony, the in-game J-7 cockpit is still a copy-paste of the MiG-21’s, which is downright laughable.
Is there any system in China that allows for disclosure of those manuals and technical documents?
In the United States, there’s a system called the Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR). While requests are often denied, if you follow the proper procedures, it’s possible to gain access to declassified or redacted manuals even if you are live in outside of US.
No, there isn’t. The Chinese government carefully evaluates whether to disclose technical details of military equipment based on the current global situation - such information is only released when the technology is considered thoroughly and completely obsolete.
In our internet culture, we have a lighthearted saying about weapons systems displayed to the public, media or foreign observers:
“If it’s being shown, it must already be outdated!”
(The phrase humorously suggests that only non-sensitive, obsolete technology gets publicly displayed)
Actually, most of these lingering issues with the Chinese tech tree in-game originated from the era when the “tech tree researcher” system was still in place. The Chinese tech tree researcher at that time was highly irresponsible - they submitted incorrect and even disparaging information that misrepresented Chinese equipment. A particularly egregious example is the depression angle issue with the PGZ-09 SPAA. This is why we encounter significant difficulties when attempting to submit issues to correct these problems.
Damn.
It is shame that these documents are still classified or super hard to find, even though J-7C/D has literally Vietnam War era technology.
Regarding the topic of this thread, I was tagged here after another user referenced my previous post, so I’d like to share my perspective.
It’s completely understandable why some players find the J-7D’s current BR (10.7) questionable. But have you actually flown this aircraft? Here’s the reality:
Conclusion:
The J-7D is over-tiered at 11.0 in Air RB. The best solution isn’t just lowering its BR—it’s expanding the BR spread in Air matchmaking to better balance such disparities.
Well… here’s how it actually works: The J-7D’s onboard radar has American roots (reverse-engineered from captured F-105 components), while its avionics trace back to British Marconi Company technology (acquired through trade, collaboration, and reverse engineering). I even have an AVIC-published e-book documenting these details—but unfortunately, the issue moderators dismissed it as “irrelevant.”
PL-5B is literally one of the best rear-aspect IRAAMs. It is also better than R-13M, depending on your point of view. R-60M is not a bad missile overall, but in the end it is the worst all-aspect missile in the game, with a very short range and the speed of the missile is not that fast.
Why do you even care about bomb loadouts since ARB is basically TDM?
