Genuinely curious, is there anything about adding a countermeasure pod to the F-1? Maybe AN/ALE-40 (I’m pretty sure that is ahistorical) just to give them a fighting chance with all the killer heatseekers in game now. It was only retired in 2006, so maybe there was something.
I’m fairly certain the F-1 couldn’t use the AAM-4, and also the AAM-4 started being used in like 1999, way past when the F-1 was introduced and unless it was modified I doubt it could have it.
Prototypes carry a lot, no matter if its an XF-2, F-15 or Rafale…
Early service F-2s lagged ARG-1 transmitter, necessary for AAM-4s. In early days of service, F-2s commonly carried AIM-9L, AAM-3 and AIM-7M as A2A armament.
The XF-2s are still used today for weapon evaluations btw, a picture of an XF-2 with AAM-4 is common as the missiles were tested on said airframes before service intoduction, same with ASM-3A and AAM-5/B.
I think this one should receive AAM-1 to make it more unique and to add more domestic Japanese missiles. Others like the F-1/T-2 and F-104 should too, but these wouldn’t be their strongest missiles so that’s not relevant here.
If you really want to seperate their capabilities I’d rather see the service variant with its full missile load, and the ADTW with less but maybe tested XAAM-2. But I would personally prefer both receiving XAAM-2 and staying at their current BRs.
As for an F-4EJ with AIM-9L and AIM-7F I’d suggest an RF-4, that would additionally lack the integrated gun and be a somewhat unique vehicle. I also believe it was used alongside EJ Kai variants while the regular EJ was already phased out, so it would make more sense with the lated loadouts. However this would at best be a foldered vehicle with the F-4EJ and I don’t really see a lot of need for it at all. There is currently no lineup that needs it and it wouldn’t add too much either, and only distract Gaijin from more necessary or unique additions.
I’d rather see Pre-MSIP with AAM-3 and AIM-7M, and MSIP with AAM-5B and AAM-4B
The intermediate AAM-5 and AAM-4 armed variant between them could be the F-15 with mounted nose IRST (I’ve heard the name M-MLU for it but I’m not sure if it’s an accurate source), as I believe it was from around the time where the B variants were either not in service or very new. However I am not sure about this at all and wouldn’t mind this as the most advanced F-15 we get with the regular MSIP carrying the regular AAM-4/5.
As for the JSI, it will come with more upgrades than just AAM-4B and AAM-5B and I think it’s a bad idea to hold back armament used on current variants for a future plane that will be much superior beyond missile selection.
I don’t think the T-2 needs to move up with AIM-9Ps at all. And with the “Early” T-2 being as wrong as it is I’d rather see it either as XT-2 armed only with the gun, or simply keep it equal to the tech tree T-2. I see no need to make it worse than that.
The F-1 should receive its full loadouts including the chaff pods, guided bombs and ASMs, then 10.7 seems fair enough. But without at least chaff even AIM-9Ls shouldn’t make it move up.
i think the 24 is the least for me. not because the looks of it, just by the engine design.
i remember from somewhere, the reason the US stop using the split twin engine of the F-14 to more closer the F-15 is because the huge flat surface. it is the reason why the F-14 having flat-spin.
looking at the F-15/18/22, i think the US just doesn’t want to deal with that anymore lol.
While this is not a post war topic and so technically off topic which I apologize for, I would like to see Ki-148 on the Ki-102 as well. I believe it was planned to be mounted on the aircraft.