While I generally agree with your points (and have also seen you make valid points in other threads, respect o7) I would still have to disagree with some of them.
The Su-25s (at 10.0, NOT the Su-25T/39) are pretty strong as CAS vehicles, since you get a fairly wide option of ordinance from 8 S-25Os with giant splash radiuses and CCIP which does work wonders against denying lighter and even heavier vehicles with a near miss, to guided rockets and bombs (not my preferred load), and if I had to name worst CAS at top tier it would have to be something like the AJS37 (underwhelming) or the F-4EJ Kai idk
*The 25T and/or 39 are extremely lethal if left alone due to the sheer amount of ordinance…but at the same time are easy to shoot down most of the time so if you meant these I do understand though, 27K is generally more versatile in every way.
Another fellow Rooivalk connoisseur I see (on god) - as a premium with 10km AGMs + thermals it’s definitely very underlooked and can even lob the missiles at helis and land a few hits. The Ka 50 though is still very much workable (I’m not sure if the Tiger HAP for France is even better than it but as I do not own it no comment) and I think the BR comparison is a bit off point for this discussion all around
A-6E is nice for CAS, although for best premium jet being so vague I’d have to say 23ML, 5C or 4S for obvious reasons (good in both modes for 23ML/4S and can all grind up to rank 8, 5C is on the list since rank bump + everyone owns it). For CAS eeeeh it’s ok? GBUs with thermals at 10.0 is pretty stupid but I don’t think lower altitude bombing or rocket lobbing is unreasonably bad either, especially seeing as the A-6 is fairly bricked in roll and lacks an internal gun, leading to less guided bombs if you bring 9Ls (I run 2 9L 5 GBUs) and while still really good the other options around the BR aren’t exactly mediocre either so I’d have to disagree it outclasses the 25/25K entirely since they play different roles.
*A-10 damage models are from the back at least atrocious - one hit to the tailplane (legitimately had a single hit to half my elevator and nothing else cause the plane to just nose down and crash itself) melts the plane. From the front I’ve heard it occasionally survives some things but I don’t recall its DM ever feeling ‘overpowered’ or ‘broken’ in any way shape or form against Stingers and the likes
Ka-50 is better for simulator due to its superior cockpit model.
Rooivalk’s camera position in third person makes flying it weird at first cause you are as fast as a Mi-28, but you don’t feel it.
Su-25 & A-10 tails are notoriously weak, but that’s I think all aircraft.
No objections with the rest of your points. A-6E still has unfettered stand-off range for the BR of exceeding 10km engagement distances at 5 - 6km altitude.
This is a fairly negligent argument in my opinion - the US ground side may have been a bit lackluster compared to the more recent Soviet additions but for Air where content still has a ways to go the US has enjoyed a monopoly on air for a while fairly regularly. Danger Zone saw the addition of a plane that is currently 12.0 come at 11.3 with the best competition it had at the time being at best MiG-23MLDs - and for the next 3 or even arguably 4 patches the Tomcat was the king of top tier air without a question. The Mirage 2000 was definitely a good competitor when it came out but even then the 14A generally held a dominant position all around, and it was only really the addition of the 29 that finally ousted the 14A entirely from undisputed king.
Even then though, the MiG-29’s reign hasn’t exactly been the sort of untouchable reign like the 14A’s just a year or so ago with the 14A still being a very solid vehicle, F-16s post-FM buff being very competitive and planes like the newer Mirage 2000s and F-16 Netz being strong contenders for the best planes in the game with fairly strong arguments in their favor as well.
While the game might look like only one country (in this case Russia) gets all the love (most likely people looking at the 2S38 (valid), T-80UK/80UM2 (also valid), BMP-2M and the Pantsir (valid but in my opinion not for the reason people say it is, check some comment above I left on it) but they also neglect to look at Russia not really always being king and it’s waived away as just not true
It is ironically in Gaijin’s interest to not make the game dominant in one tech tree’s favor - sure, “muh Russian OPness” might get you players in the short term but as a corporate entity it is akin to sabotaging yourself as if only one thing in a game is viable there’s just no reason to play the game any longer due to lack of variety - which is exactly why US and USSR and very rarely a minor nation trade king spots for modes like air where single vehicles matter the most. For ground I still argue that it’s a player mentality problem, not a fundamental vehicle problem. Most top tier vehicles will still at least work up to basic expectations at the very least, and it’s more a problem of people throwing matches than the tanks in those countries being so vastly outclassed that Russia always just wins no questions asked.
*Also just the fact that mixed battles at least from everyone else I’ve talked to are seen very negatively due to the total collapse of any form of predictability in matches (as you can see anything against anything) and that some minors really don’t have that many alternatives for anti airs doesn’t help either, I guess
Fair enough. I ain’t a sim guy so no idea on that end, and the Rooivalk is really good and I wish more people gave it the attention it deserves since it’s a unique indigenous (mostly) vehicle that’s also really handy. A-10 tails are uh… yeah they’re something alright that’s for sure
For the 25 I actually haven’t experienced the “uogh the 25 tanks so much damage” thing both while flying and facing off against it in ground - only two instances I can recall when I ate over 4 stingers and even then by the first missile I was already a dead man walking as the wires were busted and I would die anyways if left alone, and in anti airs my experience has been something like making Su-25s rain from the sky no questions asked
A-6 truly is super strong with alt but my issue with it as an owner of a lot of US 10.X CAS is that you have to still kind of lob the bomb at a downwards angle to make sure the seeker on the bomb tracks - which costs a lot of altitude - and climbing with all those bombs to get in a good position ain’t that fast either as well. Still a good CAS plane but for US I found myself enjoying either the F-105’s 3 3000lb monster bombs or retarded bombs and my A-10s because of their increased maneuverability over other planes at low speed and the strong built in gun + Mavs.
I mean it’s almost like the US spends x10 the military spending compared to countries like Russia and just kind of…had the resources to make multiple legends of aircraft in the 20th century?
Other countries kind of don’t have a choice, the Eurofighter/Gripen/Rafale are going to be in the game in the near future but there’s also not very much more ‘uniqueness’ after since everything after for those countries has been modified versions of those aircraft at best and minor changes at worst. The F-35 will in the future come to basically every country which would be funny I guess
Russia also does get prototype or early airframes as far as I’m aware - the MiG-29A was a 9.12 when first added to the game last time I checked which is the first production model, and the MiG-23M etc were also earlier variants of what would become the ML/MLA/MLDs later on. The 29A was added in to get upgrades from later variants gradually (which the 29SMT kind of breaks and is why it wasn’t needed right now), but on launch it was the earliest production variant.
Wasn’t just my T-34 experience but maybe before your time. Believe it or not, these things happen from time to time. Not every answer is “git good”. Lots of mistakes made in modeling as it was a new venture by GJ (ground vehicles) and that comes with growing pains.
My highest kill match was 26 using Soviet equipment, however that included aircraft.
My friend’s highest kill match was 24 exclusively using M4A2.
There are plenty of strong vehicles against newer players across the tech trees.