Since the introduction of the Rafale and the Eurofighter into the game, top-tier US jets have been on a continuous downward trend in terms of effectiveness. In the upcoming version, they are reaching their weakest and most frustrating state so far.
The core issue lies in the excessively poor manoeuvrability of the AIM-120 missile.
Compared to the AIM-120A, the AIM-120C-5 — despite being a second-batch missile added to the game (around the same time as the R-77-1) — shows virtually no real improvement. Its close-range manoeuvrability is even worse, its thrust-to-weight ratio is extremely poor, and its acceleration is very weak. All this is traded for only a minor reduction in drag. As a result, I believe that 99% of players would choose the AIM-120A/B over the AIM-120C-5 without hesitation.
Could we consider improving the AIM-120 series in order to restore a reasonable gameplay experience for US top-tier jets?
Below are my personal observations and experience:
When Fox-3 missiles were first introduced into War Thunder, the AIM-120A was indeed overpowered and severely disrupted game balance. That situation was unhealthy, and I fully supported the first nerf to the AIM-120, particularly the correction of its unrealistically low drag values.
However, the second nerf — specifically the reduction of tail control surface angle of attack — was, in my opinion, excessive. That said, given the 13.7 BR environment at the time, it was still acceptable and did not cause major issues.
The real problem emerged after the introduction of the Rafale, Eurofighter, and Su-30SM. At that point, the AIM-120 simply could not compete anymore. Chinese aircraft face a similar situation, but thanks to the strong performance of the PL-12, good carrier platforms, and BR placement, their gameplay experience remains relatively solid. They can still pose a threat to 14.3 aircraft through constant transitions between defence and offence.
US aircraft equipped with AIM-120 missiles, however, are in a completely different situation. Due to game mechanics, the AIM-120’s energy retention advantage cannot be properly utilised. Long-range launches almost never hit, while at close range the missile’s low tail AoA prevents it from posing a real threat to modern high-performance fighters.
Furthermore, the drag values assigned to the AIM-120C-5 are far too conservative. For comparison, the Soviet R-77-1 received a 0.05 reduction in drag coefficient (Cxk) without even undergoing a significant redesign, while the AIM-120C-5 only received a 0.025 improvement. This is difficult to justify. Additionally, the AIM-120C-5 suffers from questionable overload limits, lack of a smokeless motor, and an extremely poor thrust-to-weight ratio, all of which prevent it from adapting to the current game environment.
In my opinion, implementing any three of these changes would already significantly improve the AIM-120’s situation and allow it to compete with missiles such as the R-77-1 and MICA.
Applying four or more of these buffs would likely make the AIM-120 too strong and harm overall balance.
I do not want US aircraft to become overpowered. However, in the current state, the performance of top-tier US jets is simply unacceptable.
In comparison to aircraft such as the Su-30SM2, Rafale, and Eurofighter (AESA variants), the J-10C itself lacks the raw platform performance to compete on equal terms. Therefore, in order for the J-10C to remain viable in the top-tier environment, it should be equipped with more capable missiles — such as the PL-12A — to compensate for this inherent performance gap and adapt to the evolving top-tier meta.