Currently the JA37C’s battle rating is 11.0. I have played circa 60 battles and they have all be torturous to say the least. Uptiers to 12.0 are very common and having only 2 RB24Js is awful. Since uptiers to 12.0 are so common expect to get dog walked by F14s sending an Aim 54 at you from 15 km away. The RB 24Js are incredibly flare hungry basically forcing you to use your gun with stealth rounds, that is if you even get close enough to use the guns as you will most likely get shredded by an all aspect missile. If this was not bad enough this is F4S territory so do not count on your team to help you while you are getting harassed by MiG 23MLs. I really try to love this thing as it is so cool but the ability to carry 6 RB 24Js as a tier 3 modification is ridiculous and the RB 71s and G suit being tier 4 brings even more pain. This thing just needs a slight br down shift to 10.7 or alternatively remains 11.0 but a rework with the modification tree.
I mean, its basically one of the best 11.0 aircraft in the game.
The maneuverability, shielded exhaust, decent radar missile paired with very potent radarset for the BR (ignoring the RWR).
The Aim-9J/P got a buff a while back making the IR missile rather good combined with the general nerf tp flares making them somewhat resistant to flares on some targets.
Stock most aircraft will be a pain, especially at the higher BRs, not that it suffers particularly hard given it gets 2 of its good IR missiles stock. You do lose potential, which limits it, but its otherwise good.
You point to the Mig-23ML, but the JA-37C gets equivalent armament, but afaik a better radar, and better dogfight performance (especially true if the nerfs go through for the Mig-23ML)
Also if you are having problems with stealth rounds, use the radar to get the lead indicator.
Edit:
If you do see 12.0/12.3 on your team, you will habe to start lawnmowing as that is the meta at that BR. Its defeats all current radar missiles. Also you can actually just dodge the Aim-54
Keep an eye on the RWR for when you are getting locked up.
Agreed,
and all 11.0s suffer in full uptiers, not just the JA37C.
Decompression would fix up the BRs, not lowering already good vehicles to even lower BRs such that 9.7 - 10.7 BR are to be compressed.
Id be perfectly fine just reworking the modification progression so that the RB24J modification is tier 2, and the g suit as a tier 3
Yeah there is certainly something to be said about stock grinds on near top tier aircraft where armament is king in many ways.
It’s not exclusive to top tier, but they are most hit by the lack of a missile, instead of low tier where you might only have 70% of the energy retention you otherwise would have, but a 20mm cannon will allways do the work.
The guns no longer have only stealth rounds to my knowledge unless they reverted it. I personally think missiles, at least your first one, should always be fully unlocked, but also, a viable option is to just buy the modification/modifications with GE if you don’t want to grind it, I play the AJ-37 on the regular, while being at 10.3 the 2 AIM-9P’s kinda sucks, so I know it will for a fact at 12.0 BR. I’m just gonna get it out of the way and say it, stock grinds are a pain in the ass, I’d rather see it condensed into a “Year: Modification” system, where it changes multiple things for one modification.
You say that thing suffers in ARB. Now look at the F-4E.
This patch the matchmaker is compressing 11.0s into 12.0, last patch it was putting 10.7s up into 11.7.
Let’s just hope it gets better next patch ( it won’t but hey lemme say it just to say it)
Compared to other 10.3 fighters, they aren’t too bad.
The F-5C gets Aim-9Es, which are much worse.
The MiG-21SMT / MF gets R-60s, which are very good at close range due to the 30G pull, but are less flare resistant than the Aim-9Ps and have worse range.
The F-8E gets Aim-9Ds, which are fairly decent, since they have decent range, but only 18Gs of pull.
Sure, at 11.0, the Aim-9Ps will be much worse than any other missile in a full uptier, but it would be still usable.
But yeah, there’s no escaping the stock grind, unless you pay GE to get the necessary modifications.
I think AIM-9P’s are actually standard on Japanese jet in this rage as well, I usually fight MiG-23’s, without any major issue, it’s a odd fighter to play though, because you don’t actually use it at its intended purpose. (AJ, meaning Attack/Fighter, it’s secondary role, I assume you already know this though)