Yeah no it’'s flight performance just, isn’t on par with other 14.0s, the only way it’s competing/beating any of them is in instantaneous turn rate, with worse sustained, aoa, top speed, acceleration, and basically every other metric. And no HMD does just make it, not that good at dogfighting, unless gaijin were to bump up it’s scan rate to IRL levels so you can just track everything in front of you (according to secondary source’s the F-2’s ACM mode automatically selects and tracks targets, functioning kind of as a TWS ACM mode). But this wouldn’t be possible unless they gave it it’s irl accurate scan speed.
“AAM-4B with better kinematic performance” soooo… we kinda, don’t actually have anything even suggesting the AAM-4B uses a different motor. It’s very likely the added range is entirely from lofting optimizations, as we know it had software designed to minimize energy loss in lofting against maneuvering targets. Also the J(M) also gets it, because gaijin was dumb and gave us literally the most modern F-15J possible.
The most anticipated aircraft of the entire Japanese tree, and they delay it to the point where:
All but the latest service version would be 13.7 material at best, and even the latest one might need to rely on prototyped equipment to work at 14.0
It isn’t the first AESA, but the third at best and likely together with others
Armament is straight up sub-par, with most adversaries carrying at least 6 ARH missiles
Even AAM-4B can’t save it, unless they implement completely new mechanics for it, AAM-5 just straight up won’t be added unless we see equivalent missiles anyways
Flight performance is outclassed in literally every way, with only low speed and instantaneous turn being notable
Can’t use it properly for lack of HMD
Added after literal TVC, so it isn’t even a gimmick that draws attention to the tree
How is it even possible to mess up this badly? Literally nothing was stopping them from an Early F-2A or prototype XF-2B 004 that could’ve been here a year ago except dumb Gaijin excuses of being “too modern” and “too powerful”.
They made sure that everyone expected this game-changingly powerful plane that they would add as soon as they could, when in reality they just missed every single opportunity and are probably begging DMM for some obscure tech used on it they can implement to justify this delay like they did when they justified Type 81 (C) delays for “needing a new mechanic”, then implemented Strela photocontrast as substitute for its imaging seeker…
I don’t think F-2 gonna be that bad. I’m pretty sure Gaijin will give HMD. It’s flight performance is also decent. We have rafale with max speed ~1450 km/h and F-2 is comparable (actually, I think it can do more when diving). It also should has close to rafale turn rate. Acceleration is worse, yes: I’d expect TWR ~1 with minimum load, instead of 1.3 on rafale.
Amount of missiles is debatable. We have strong evidence of 4+4 load. But F-2 has inner pylons with similar to medium pylons construction. So, maybe it’s 6+4 loadout? We also know, that AIM-7on outer pylons was proposed on prototypes. So, maybe it’s even 8+2 loadout? We don’t have any 100% evidence for that, but maybe this is one of the reasons why it was delayed?
Idk man you’re coping a bit much. I could see HMD cause gaijin has a track record of it, but its not beating a rafael in terms of speed at any altitude lmao. Yes it can match it in instantanious but its almost deffinitly falling behind in sustained. And yes we could maybe see 6+4, but thats still like, kinda subpar to everything else at 14.0 getting 8 or more ARHs
Only if you look at BVR with the specific instance of rocketing up to launch multiple ARH missiles and cranking/notching back and forth to launch and defend.
This is why I said in Air RB, the F-15J(M) will still be better as it is the air superiority fighter. However, in anything but BVR, the F-2 will have an edge.
To be fair, as long as it has vertical ACM, it will be able to dogfight well as that’s what I use on the F-16AJ with great success to fight even EFTs and Rafales.
To add, the F-2 will most likely struggle against decent EFT/Rafale pilots who use their thrust to go vertical. It’s quite similar to low-mid tier where other energy fighters can trap the Zero however if they try to turn fight, especially at stall speeds, the F-2 will come out on top.
Most likely not a better motor but with Gaijin ahistorically nerfing the AAM-4, I wouldn’t be surprised if they never unnerf it and instead add the AAM-4B with historical or the AAM-4’s performance. Either way it results in the AAM-4B being a better ARH missile than the AAM-4.
It’s also possible Gaijin will not add it to the F-15J(M) and instead will add it to a future F-15, perhaps the JSI (yes, I know it’s more paper than reality right now) or a new F-15J(M) at a higher BR. They have done stuff like this in the past so they don’t raise the BR of existing aircraft and “create gaps in BR”.
I also agree with this, especially the HMD. Given the recent OCU situation, and top tier in general, I highly doubt Gaijin won’t add it. I mean this is the same company that added the ahistorical F-16AJ. Nothing is off the table.
I also think the flight performance will be good and will surprise people, who again might dismiss it as a fat F-16 and are none the wiser.
Also in general, we’re in modern territory guys. Gaijin could make the F-2 the worst or the best jet in the game. It’s really up to them as it’s a game first and foremost. My personal expectation is a better F-16AJ with AAM-3 and AAM-4 (so it will be among the best dogfighters but still lacking in BVR). Anything more and I’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Did you fly rafale? It simply breaks at 1450-1500 km/h. It’s one of the slowest top tier planes because of that.
At the moment only F/A-18, Su-27SM, Su-30SM and J-11B have more than 8 missiles. 6+4 loadut is better than eurofighter and same as J-11B. It’s less ARH missiles than on rafale, but more in total. If we see 8+2, than it’s third loadout in the game.
People also expect J-10B at 14.0. And it has, like, 6+2?
I doubt we would see that, since the outer pylon MRMs weren’t continued after the initial flight test using mockup equipment. I don’t know of any functional LAMS-7 launcher being integrated there on any F-2, production or experimental. Would be nice, but I won’t hold out hope.
But the inner pylon seems to have all necessary connectors, as well as respective markings indicating it can carry weaponry like ASMs, MRMs and TERs. Though only fuel tanks and bombs on TER have been seen so far, it seems like the best bet.
6 + 4 would be a nice loadout tbh. And with Penguin in game I have good hope for ASM-2 as well.
This is why I said in Air RB, the F-15J(M) will still be better as it is the air superiority fighter. However, in anything but BVR, the F-2 will have an edge.
It having a strong acm mode may be good, but it’s not HMD good, and low acceleration and high speed bleed means it’s just, not gonna be good at furballs. It’s A2G is like, pretty good in terms of pure payload, but is that what you want the most anticipated fighter of the JP TT to be? a glorified base bomber? It’s not like it’ll be good in GRB, no glide bombs, and unless gaijin adds in it’s ASMs it’s not particularly gonna be doing well in terms of actively guided weapons. I know stuff says it can use mavericks, but i’ve found literally no evidence of it doing so.
It’s also possible Gaijin will not add it to the F-15J(M) and instead will add it to a future F-15, perhaps the JSI (yes, I know it’s more paper than reality right now) or a new F-15J(M) at a higher BR. They have done stuff like this in the past so they don’t raise the BR of existing aircraft and “create gaps in BR”.
So it’s like, not really possible. The JSI can not use domestic JP missiles, and their is essentially no newer F-15J aside from the JSI, we literally got the most modern version of it. The only way we could get a “better” one, is if we got with with an IEWS package, which technically started development after the current J-MSIP Type II. Although it also funnily enough finished seeing deliveries at the same time, and saw literally no difference aside from ECM stuff we don’t have in game.
Did you fly rafale? It simply breaks at 1450-1500 km/h. It’s one of the slowest top tier planes because of that.
That’s how I see it too. Inner pylon is definitely compatible, has the markings for ASM/MRM, and at least ASMs on them were part of initial FS-X plans, so I think it’s very likely the F-2 could, even if it isn’t guaranteed.
Yeah, though there is more on Japanese IR seekers vs ground targets than the Penguin missile at least.
It’s a multi-role aircraft so doing more than just air combat is something I’d expect. The caveat is the F-2 also is incredible in air combat as well. It’s a more generalist that has a surprising niche of dogfighting.
I foresee them adding it with ASM at this point, especially against ground targets. Who knows, ultimately, but this would logically also give Japan a good domestic top tier CAS option.
They said they have been working on it, but my point is more, they could copy paste it and maybe even folder the F-15J(M), just to justify a new aircraft at a different BR.
It has been mentioned by official sources that they’re discussing the potential of integratting them, but it’s not currently planned. It makes sense, replacing the weapons computer means they’d need to reprogram it for the weapons, which the US didn’t actually even approve of for the 15J initially. But, more importantly, they’d need to make the rails compatible for the AAM-4, and find a new place for the J/ARG-1.
