Sweden Grind, Best plane per rank, air SB only

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Hey everyone! I’m currently grinding through the Swedish tech tree, and I’m specifically looking for non-premium planes that are effective for grinding through each rank, starting from rank 3.

Could you recommend:

  • The best non-premium planes for each rank that can help me progress efficiently?
  • Any tips on loadouts or strategies that work well with these planes?

I appreciate your insights and suggestions!

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For rank 3 and 4 i don’t really know much but i also don’t think it matters very much as you grind those out kind of quickly regardless. My over all best tip is to unlock the SAAB-105G as soon as possible, that thing is a beast. It loses almost no speed while turning even with gun pods and missiles equipped.

Rank 6 is a black whole no one wants to talk about… I can’t really recommend anything in there so it’s best to just play what you feel like you enjoy the most as this rank is going to be a sad part of the journey. all the “lansen” planes are boom and zoom, you fly in, shoot once and fly out. don’t try to turn fight in them.

Rank 7 is a bit more fun, the J35 as well as the JA/AJ-37 variants can be kind of fun to play but i think the Mig-21 is likely the most efficient for it’s BR, that or the AJ(S)37 for base bombing. I do however recommend at least trying the others as they are a bit different from most other trees options :)

Rank 8 is, well. it is what it is, i haven’t played the F-18 much at all to have any opinion on it but the Gripens can be fun to play due to how smal and nimble they are :)

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Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts! I really appreciate your advice about the SAAB-105G; it sounds like a great plane to focus on early. I’ll definitely keep in mind what you said about rank 6 being a bit rough and the boom-and-zoom tactics for the Lansen planes.

I’m also curious to try the J35 and the JA/AJ-37 in rank 7, especially since you mentioned the Mig-21 being efficient. I’ll see how the Gripens play in rank 8 too. Your recommendations mean a lot to me, and I’m looking forward to my journey through the Swedish tech tree!

Thanks again for your help!○

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Personal favourite is the J29F its a Amazing all-rounder- not best visability but its pretty fast turns and rolls well and keeps it energy well^^ fuel is decent and armament is great^^

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this is rank 2 but the b239 is really good got me through ranks 2-4

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I can’t say much for the prop ranks, since I barely play prop planes these days, let alone in sim.

For Rank V, SAAB-105G is obviously the best choice. Very good all rounder.

For Rank VI:
  • Barely played the J34, so can’t comment on it.
  • I mostly played the J29F in RB, where it performs reasonably well. Jack of all trades plane. I played it exactly once in SB. My main problem was IFF, but if you’re familiar with silhouettes it could be a good choice.
  • A32A is a surprisingly good choice for ground pounding in SB. I carried 12x120 kg + 1x250 kg on centreline (the rockets are unusually hard to use in SB, even with the ballistic computer), which allows you to take out quite a few ground targets in a single sortie. You can also carry the heavier bombs or incendiaries for base bombing. The radar and RWR give a bit more situational awareness, which is quite crucial in SB, and the radar has IFF. However, it’s not very good at dogfighting (this one has a weaker engine than the J32B).
  • I mostly used the J32B in RB (I used it to grind out Rank VII). Turn rate and max speed are both average, but it has very good energy retention. Armament is also decent. In SB the radar helps with situational awareness and IFF, and it’s easier to sneak up on someone to use the missiles.
For Rank VII:
  • Barely played the J35D.
  • In SB, I actually used the AJ37 mostly for A2A. Her radar is excellent for the BR, so it’s easy to find and sneak up on someone to put a missile up their tailpipe. Energy retention is lacking so prolonged turnfights should be avoided, but her speed is very good.
  • MiG-21bis is alright for sim. Her avionics are average for the BR (I only use the radar for IFF), so it takes a bit of skill to find enemies. However, having all aspect missiles is a pretty big advantage; much easier to use than the rear aspect RB24Js, even if the R-60MKs are lacking in range. I also find her to be a slightly better dogfighter than the Viggens.
  • JA37C is one of the best fighters at this rank, both in RB and SB, so I’d recommend getting it ASAP. Excellent radar, and the RB71 DF is a great SARH missile for this BR (especially in SB, where it’s harder to notch or multipath). You also get a target indicator on the HUD once you lock on to someone (either in TRK or TWS), so in the frontal aspect your situational awareness is almost like being in RB.
  • Barely played the AJS37, but I imagine the RB74 would be nice, coupled with the great radar.

Also, hopefully the strike Viggens are getting their anti-ship missiles one day. Would be awesome to use them in naval maps

For Rank VIII:
  • JA37D is just as good as the JA37C. You get all aspect RB74 and more countermeasures for just a 0.4 BR increase in SB. I actually used the RB74 more than the RB71, since they don’t set off the RWR and have pretty much the same effective range, but the RB71 is still pretty good and can be the better option in some situations.
  • JA37DI is okay. RB99 is good (especially since, as mentioned before, it’s harder to notch or multipath in SB) and the radar is still good at 13.0, but the bad RWR really starts to bite now. Either you’re extremely good at multipathing, or you just pray the enemy doesn’t shoot back.
  • Haven’t used the two Gripens much in SB, but in RB they’re quite average. Hopefully they’ll get better with the upcoming air top-tier decompression.
  • Never played the Swedish F-18s. I don’t have much experience with the US F/A-18C late either.
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J-22B I adored in ASB because of it’s cockpit and guns, otherwise go for the 109Gs they’re really good for rank 3/4, don’t have much experience in anything else

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That. I always found the 105G a great multi-purpose aircraft, especially in Sim: You got a good bomb loadout, CCIP, and AIM-9B you can bring along as well.

I’d usually damage a base with 4x Mk.83’s then on the way back to base keep my eyes peeled for enemy aircraft I could engage with the Sidewinders, then reload and finish the base with 2x Mk.83’s, and damage a second base, and repeat the process.

The 105G is nice to fly, and I like the side-by side cockpit very much, especially in VR…

Higher up I’d especially mention the JA37C, which is a Beast if used correctly: I usually only carry the AIM-9J’s, and use radar sparingly, only to find and ID targets, then go silent and position myself to ambush the enemies I previously found and identified with the radar.

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