For gun CAS? HVAP is only used on gun CAS if it is the only thing that can penetrate. If APHE can penetrate, even if you have to work more at it, then that is always preferable.
I also do not see how you can claim that the Yak-9k, a fighter, has inferior anti-air abilities compared to a large, heavy, twin engine aircraft like a Me 410.
@WolfgangTheSecon
Ammo is more accurate from aircraft the faster it is for some reason.
Whether its on a per-ammo basis or velocity base, that makes HVAP inherently superior when you have 240 rounds on a rather maneuverable airframe like Me 410.
Me 410 also has superior anti-air guns to Yak, and you claim that Yak is inferior in airframe performance… lol Yeah, your post is null and void.
1v1 me in your Me 410, I’ll grab any Yak and whip you.
Just cause Me 410 is really good as a heavy fighter doesn’t mean it’s meta at anything other than CAS.
I claim that the Yak has superior airframe performance. Naturally, if you and I were to fight with the Yak and Me 410 you’d whip me, because the Yak would win every time. The problem of this situation is that the Yak is too good for it’s BR, so I don’t know why you’re acting like we’re saying the Yak is bad, considering that line of reason directly damages your side of the argument.
I don’t think anyone has said the Me 410 is particularly good in air to air. Workable, but that’s not been part of the conversation. We’ve been saying it pays for its CAS ability by being poor in air to air, wheareas the Yak suffers no disadvantage for that.
As to the guns, the cannons are better than .50 cals, but not to the degree that you wouldn’t be better off with a better airframe instead.
Honestly, on something as big and heavy as the Me-410, I might actually prefer the .50s. I’d have to try it out and see, but the combination of a large and sluggish airframe plus the low velocity of the MG151s makes it rather tricky to aim, and limits your range quite heavily.
Since you typically get a smaller window of time to hit things, due to your target being able to instantly outpull you the second they notice you, I expect I’d prefer the weapon that can hit at longer ranges more consistently.
I agree. On most things I do prefer cannons to .50 cals, but the MG 151 more difficult to use than most other cannons, to the extent I’d say they aren’t an advantage over .50 cals on most aircraft. They’re worse for dogfights and better for BnZ.
I’d say that what makes the MG151s good is the aircraft they’re on more of less counter their weakness in range. Bf109s and Fw190s excel at energy fighting, meaning the aircraft they’re targetting are almost always slow and flying in predictable, easy to intercept paths. This makes the relative difficulty in aiming much less relevant, and allows it’s incredible damage to shine (Although the difference in damage isn’t nearly as great as it once was).
But put those guns on something that can’t energy trap opponents, and they become more of a detriment than an advantage. Sure, anything you hit with them will usually die, and with a lot fewer rounds than a .50 cal. But it’s a pretty sizable struggle to pull the deflection you need to lead them in a merge, they’re a liability in tail chases where your opponent is faster than you, and they’re not great in headons if you lack the ability to quickly pull out of the way.
Basically, they’re a solid option for aircraft that can cover for their primary disadvantage, but a serious detriment for those that can’t.
Airframe performance matters less when doing anti-ground runs.
See Tornado vs Typhoon. Both are GBU buses, it matters not that the Typhoon can out-dogfight everyone, it only matters if the Tornado doesn’t face plant.
Airframe performance is quite literally what makes the Yak-9K so OP. It is able to always do vertical runs against tanks, compared to other CAS which cant.
So Me-410 is OP by your own argument, not your words, your rationale.
Either acknowledge them all, or you’re clearly fanboying over a specific country’s equipment.
I claim the same for the me262 with the 50mm. I was flying my “boat” of a TU-1 and a very terrible player flying an me262 shot like 15 rounds at me trying to kill me. And one hit blew me in half.
I couldn’t out run him, or out turn him. And my inferior defensive machine guns were only “hitting” him. (Yes I was manually controlling it).
Meanwhile, in my XA-38 vs the Yak, I have a good chance to out run it, and possibly light it on fire. Not to mention I can drop my x4 500 lb bombs to get him off my tail.
Yes, that is what happens when you meet another attacker a full BR above yours. You usually lose.
Only if you already started near your top speed, which is almost impossible to do if ground attacking. 9K has much greater acceleration and can keep you away from the battlefield indefinitely by simply not allowing you to fly back in, because it is a fighter. You can’t turn against him because he is a fighter. You can’t outclimb him because he is a fighter.
What’s weird, is with my bombs, and cannons in my boat I was able to score 6 kills. What’s weird is the other day I played the XA, and scored 7 kills with the bombs and cannons.