fun fact: F-4E could use AIM7F and AIM9L and M. It’s in fact the loadout it uses in DCS, whose phantom to this day is the most close to reality ever. It also outdogfights the MiG21 Bison, but here in game? Fodder.
F-4s in game are turbogimped to help the mig23 ml players get quick to toptier. It should be a formidable aircraft, but it’s just freerange mooers for the rest of nations.
Good to know, been a while since I played DCS. This could also be options for 11.3 or more.
Not just in DCS, F4E Phantom also used those ordinance in real life.
Not to mention it still lacks more advanced AGM-65 models,Gbu’s and PaveStrike targeting pod.
i am using DCS because it’s the easiest source I could find, as most just boldly said “it can use many variants of the aim9”, so here shows specifically which ones.
The radar is also gimped, the flight model is also gimped. It was a joy before they “buffed it’s drag” but increased it’s turn radius while nerfing it’s energy retention. It could toe to toe with the MiG21 Bis and the MiG19PT which was quite wholesome, considering that the f-4e was the best thing the US had for dogfighting (unironically) til the f-5e came out. Meanwhile MiG23 family has been overperforming insanely since their release til the patch drop. Their radars still laugh at f-15A’s. And I know this is to balance and all, but this is not “usa suffers” type beat, this is “february 2022” so it’s not balanced either because a single nation is oppressing the rest within the 10.3-13.0 threshold.