I’m not defending the J-7D, i am asking you to please explain why it is good. I can go look at almost any other Mig and find better stuff about them so please explain instead of just saying i shoot down all arguments about it.
The J-7D’s advantages lie mainly in its airframe and missiles.
It has same airframe with MiG-21MF, but its engine is far better, and in terms of performance, it is almost better to the MiG-21SMT, which has a more powerful engine. In terms of acceleration up to just before VNE, there is little difference between the J-7D and the MiG-21SMT due to the former’s lighter airframe.
When it comes to missiles, the PL-5B is often used in most cases. Although the missile’s timeout period itself is not that long, it can reach its target faster than other “long-range” missiles such as the AIM-9G and R-13M1 within its lifetime. Also, since the PL-5B’s rocket motor has a relatively short burn time, the specs for the AAM’s diamond marker in the game mean that the target is almost always sent back to the hangar without noticing the missile.
Honestly, If the J-7D could only carry AAMs equivalent to the regular R-60s, it might have been justified to stay at 10.7BR, but the biggest problem is the missiles, so that is impossible.
It is ridiculous that the F-4F Early and F-104G(ROCAF) has the same BR as the J-7D.