I’m mostly interested in that combined feature. Just lobbing some bombs from range and then repositioning to lase as they get closer to do any final adjustments/tracking on moving targets.
I think that and having an actual gen 2/3 TGP (whichever it is, the sniper pod from lockheed martin) will be really great too as that’s what currently hurts the AJ.
The laser seeker range is rather crucial when it comes to adjusting from long designation range. Current Paveways lack a good enough seeker to do that (only reliable enough from 10km away or so). Also sniper should be gen 3, which is very nice.
10km doesn’t seem so bad unless I’m missing something. Dropping an essentially GPS guided bomb from 10km+ out and then in the last moments, turning the laser on and dragging it back onto whatever you were targeting and it should hit? No drifting thanks to GPS guidance and it would be well within 10 km at the end.
Speaking of LJDAMs I wonder (assuming we first get a early F-2 with J/APG-1) if gaijin will give the bru-57 pylon, sniper pod, and LJDAM to the early version since well only the late F-2s received sniper pod and BRU-57 for increased jdam loadout.
Thats being said i cant wait to see these loadouts
The 10km figure here is the designation range, so your own range to the target. 10km is enough against most SAMs for sure, but I guess as Japan will face too, the Pantsir will be very annoying if you sit at the 10km mark. If you lase from 13k-15m for instance, which is pretty much outside of Pantsir effective range (with a little bit of moving maybe), the paveway acquisition range drops to <1km ranges which often means the bomb can’t make any corrections anymore. I would need to check again after the update, in which paveway seekers will be slightly buffed, but from testing on the dev 13km+ designation ranges are still mostly out of the question, depending on how accurate your drop was.
I have a feeling they’re going to just put in an F-2 with J/APG-1 (with J/ARG-1) with most of the features of the later variants. Then add in an F-2 late with J/APG-2 with all the experimental high end stuff.
Kind of like them putting in the F-15J(M) first and then the F-15 JSI later without an early F-15J.
I’m kind of cautiously optimistic for December considering that ESA radars have been touched on officially and it’s the next logical step for Japan. I want to have more hope but that’s asking for disappointment without more to go on lol.
Oh, I meant loft/lobbing the bomb from like 15km and then speeding up around the AO on the deck until enough time passes, then pop up to lase a target within basically 5 km before dropping back down.
I think this tactic is already used with laser guided bombs but it’s effectiveness is hampered a little because the bomb drifts without GPS guidance.
Oh yeah that would work fine. Another things you can do with GPS is actually drop them from low altitude and closer, which gives less time for SPAA to react. In my experience against Pantsir at least is that if you drop bombs from long range, it will just get shot down very often.
so like the cobra keybind i’ve heard of in dcs
Honestly for the best at this point…late F-2a would still get the newer radar…and upgraded wepons and system’s …we desperately need more CAS
CAS one thing, but I need a really good dogfighter for CAP too.
The AJ was really good at beating everyone else but now that IRCCMs IR missile and ARHs are in the mix, it’s a lot harder CAP. If the AJ had AAM-3s it would be a big help. F-2 hopefully is going to be modeled correctly to be right up there with Gripens and other high performance dogfighters.
F-15JM? Although once you run out of air targets in it, it becomes sorta useless.
Thai Gripen for you and not the F2 :P
It’s what I use right now but it’s tricky as you have to be on point with fuel management to have a decent dogfighting chance.
Fair enough, I mainly just end up using it as a missile bus (4 AAM-4s, 2 AIM120s, 2 AAM-3s) I don’t have bombs yet because I’m trying to save the bonus research for when we get something else at top tier.
At best will be on par to current F-16s in maneuverability tho we of course know the changes nade to it basically make it into a different FM game wise…and should actually turn bit sharper.
And that visual model become ‘wrong’ visual model for now.
Not Gaijin’s fault, as there were serious debate about shape of some parts of Yamato’s superstructure over last year, when already Gaijin made visual model of Yamato, and critical evidence revealed that her superstructure at 1945 differs from both blueprint and her sister ship Musashi.
I’d say it’d be quite a bit more agile, turning sharper and getting more control authority for pitch and roll from the difference in the wings and control surfaces. Lower Stall speed too.
Not sure if they model the FBW Maneuver Load Control and Maneuver Enhancement with the flight model, but if they do it’ll be even more agile.
Decoupled Yaw would also be fun, but I have a feeling it might be too specific for them to model.
Best case they model all of it, but probably just the obvious physical differences and not any of the FBW stuff, especially considering the F-16s in game don’t seem to have Maneuver Load Control, only the games less advanced automatic flap system.
Worst case they say “Haha heavy F-16” and it’s a slower F-16. This one is unlikely though at least in my opinion
Yeah reason i said that is mainly because i doubt gaijin will put much effort in the F-2. I mean look at AAM-4 its just a “worse AMRAAM” In their eyes but im hopeful.
Watch one of the Thai F-16 be the next event reward lol
I think the AAM-4 is purposefully nerfed right now until AIM-120Cs show up. Then they’ll unnerf it. They kinda have to because AAM-4B would be too strong.
