The thing I fear is that they either:
A) Give us a jet that is still worse than what we got this update
or
B) Give us a jet that is much better than everyone else and ruins the match making again
I want a jet close to equal and since they consistently modify the performance of missiles to make them more balanced (AAM-3, AAM-4, PL-12, etc) I would rather giving the MiG-29SMT (or add the MiG-29M/K for 8 AtA pylons) and give them the R-77-1 but ofc nerfed. My main issue with the Soviets is the fact the R-77 does not have the range of the AIM-120A/B while only turning a bit better. The R-77 would be fine if the Soviet jets had a single advantage over other nations but they won’t ever due to the fact we are already getting AESA/PESA radars.
Blue Vixen (Sea Harrier FA2 and Gripens) / CAPTOR-M (Typhoon, though its basically modeled to be identical to the Blue Vixen) is rather abysmal at the moment, in part due to this. If PESA/AESA become the standard at top tier, then the Typhoons could be in just as worse a position as the Su-27s are in currently
This is true until they got the JAS39 they were suffering bad I just wish they would continue the pattern of giving us things that are equal at the same time instead of going back to what they had been doing in the previous years.
Kinda… as someone who plays the MiG-29SMT quite a bit the R-77 can be nice at close range but with the further and further push towards climbing and having duels at altitude the soviets like the french really have to hug the earth so they dont end up dead.
My issue is that before ARH missiles the Soviets and Americans had a nice counter balance with each other. The Soviets had better missiles but worse flight performance and radars meaning, and this is my own experience with the F-16, F-15, MiG-29, and Su-27, the Americans could often get their missiles off first you would have decent duels. Now this is not the case the AIM-120 is imo better than everything the russians have, everyone has a better radar than the soviets, most countries have better flight performance, and we are to the point where even the missile number advantage is slowly going away with the F-15E being able to bring 8 ARH missiles and the EF 6. Hell the Rafale has an 8 MICA payload in the files as of today.
To me the main issue with Rafale is still his radar
I stop to compt the number of time when, in headon with enemis HMD refuse to lock on target.
For exemple an EF was coming torwards me from above. I engage my HMD to lock it and for some reason, even the EF was inside the 4 dots box, this one was flickering when I tried to lock.
I tried 4-5 times but nothing. Of you I was killed.
I will never happen in Mirage 2000.
I lost so many kill because of that.
It’s frustrating.
Also, even on lock (hard lock) I couldn’t launch missile.
Radar need something because as a player coming from Mirage 2000 5F, his radar was way better than rafale’s one.
Rafale/EF both need radar overhauls (EF basically has the radar from the Sea Harrier FA2 at the moment). PIRATE IRST isnt in a great shape either (and I’ve something similar about the Rafales?)
but I do also think this update might have just introduced a few radar related bugs and both airframes probably need old bug reports to actually be actioned. I think a big part of the problem with them is their speed. In other airframes you simply have more time, with the sheer speed of the Rafale and Typhoon, you loose most of the time you had to fight with the radar to get it to lock on how you want it too.
Radar is OK on radar but for some reason, it switch to IR when I try to launch MICA.
So the time I notice the issue, try to re lock the target (if HMD want to work) I’m basically dead or I miss a kill.
But for some reason, IDK how to play this plane.
Mirage 2000, no problemo.
Rafale ?
Impossible.
If I play conservative, I did nothing.
If I play too agressive, I’m getting killed immediately.
On Mirage I can manage kill easely, not on Rafale.
Placement on map is key with this plane, but I don’t get it.
240 battles
174 victories
152 death
318 kills
So really bad since I’m dying all the time (almost). Maybe the worst stat I ever had.