The 10.0-11.0 air-ground confrontation environment is imbalance. SPAA has a huge advantage.
The Absolute Reign of SPAA
SPAA like the 2S6 Tunguska (10.7), 9A35M Strela-M (10.3), Rapier (10.0), 9K33BM Osa-AK(10.3) and Tor-M1 (11.0) have disrupted the fundamental balance of air-ground interactions. These systems boast:
8-12km effective range (Tor-M1’s two-stage 9M331 missiles reach 12km,only in 11.0, and Rapier with 8km 35G missile only in 10.0)
Radar fire control + electro-optical backup(Except 9A35M, but 9M37 is tricky enough)
High mobility (Make it easy for them to hide)
Minimal skill floor (automated radar and Highly maneuverable missiles locks require little expertise)
Meanwhile, CAS aircraft in this bracket face crippling limitations:
- Traditional attackers (like Su-25K/Su-22M3/Tornado IDS) must close within 3km to deploy unguided rockets or bombs, placing them squarely in SPAA missile “no-escape zones.”
- Precision strikers (A-10A/A-6E/Buccaneer S.2B/Jaguar) rely on short-ranged AGM-65B/AGM-123 missiles (5-8km)or Paveway(less than 5km). For AGM-123 and Paveway, Even after launch, pilots must maintain guidance for 10+ seconds—enough time for Tor-M1 missiles to obliterate them.
- Countermeasure shortages: 9A35M and 81C with Fire-and-Forget missiles are difficult to interference with countermeasure, They are very big threats even in top tiers, but you may probably meet them when using 10.3 CAS jets.
Asymmetric Costs of Engagement
CAS players bear disproportionate risks compared to SPAA users:
Research cost: Requires grinding entire air trees.
Operational cost: Manual target spotting (no thermal imaging) + Missile evasion in Ground RB.
SP cost: Earning CAS spawns demands 2-3 ground kills (~600-800 SP), while SPAA deploys for 70-100 SP with zero air tree research.
SPAA advantages, by contrast:
No research barrier (unlocked via tank lines).
Radar seeking & tracking(No skill required);
Instant respawns: Players can use backup (with only 150SP) after losing SPAA.
I appreciate the concerns of ground-focused players, but CAS enthusiasts who invest significant time and resources also deserve a rewarding experience. Measures should be taken to solve the situation:
- Introduce a “Ground-Only” Single-Spawn Mode
Purpose: Protect players grinding tech trees and allow focused tank gameplay without CAS interference.
2.Adjust SPAA BR and SP Costs
Current Issue: Low-risk, high-reward SPAA dominate sub-top tier game.
Proposed Changes:
BR Increases:
9A35M (Strela-10M): 10.3→ 10.7 (Fire-and-forget missiles outperform peers).
81C: 11.3→ 11.7(Fire-and-forget missiles outperform peers).
Rapier: 10.0 → 10.7 (radar and guided SAMs at 10.0 trivialize early jets).
Tor-M1: 11.0 → 11.3+ (12km range breaks sub-top-tier balance).
Pantsir-S1: 12.0 → 12.7(Extremely difficult to fight)
3.Reduce the probability of severe weather
Almost all CAS players are averse to thunderstorm clouds and low cloud weather, This makes it difficult to fight both the SPAA and the CAS, and no one gets pleasure from it.