The important clarification is here:
Because you are speaking from descriptive not prescriptive stance.
Me and Vamilad are prescribing how we think the game should be.
I suppose we all broadly agree that the gunner AI is underperforming
I am that.
I want CAS planes and I enjoy 4th generation jet fighters. Prop gameplay and early jets don’t interest me.
Death-star gameplay does, however, but since it’s not practical then I just use bombers to grind all the trees.
I think if we want to bemoan lack of teamwork then we need to discuss the incentive structures.
I think this is the core point.
Gaijin sets up a game which rewards only killing blows in essence. Zero-sum game - Wikipedia
Gaijin should seek to create a Win–win game - Wikipedia where ALL behaviour which broadly and holistically contributes to victory is rewarded.
There can be free lunch since this is a video game and the only scarcity is completely artificial.
To recap.
Bombers are obviously crippled and I think we all agree they shouldn’t be.
There may be better ways to play bombers, proper ways, but they’re not worth it with all the aforementiond handicapping.
At least all I and Vamilad ask is that playing planes with turrets, even with experted max level crew, doesn’t seem like you’re just a target drone for fighters to mindlessly click on.
Manual gunnery with turrets is just so crippled with all the parralax and other issues fighter players don’t have to deal with, but I think there’s no good reason that the AI gunners shouldn’t be at least capable of downing planes at distances of a few km if they get very lucky.
Fighters should be scared to engage well defended bombers instead of simply see all bombers as free lunch.