I currently have an AV8B and I want to buy a jet and I want it to have more air to air missiles, especially Fox1 and Fox2. Do you have any affordable aircraft that you recommend?
These are unfortunately not mutually exclusive as the options with large number of Fox 1 and Fox 2s will cost an arm and a leg and whatever currency Gaijin wants as well.
High BR premiums are always expensive unless you wait for the next sale.
But your options are realistically speaking the F-4S, F-20A or F-18C Early. All 3 aircraft have the mix of Fox 1 and Fox 2 that you are after.
Alternatively, you could also look to see if the F-14A IRIAF isnt too expensive on the marketplace if you just want a jet to buy and not a premium.
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F-20 has limited missiles, if I were you I would use the av8bna with 3-4 9Ls. And 4-6 napalm, you take off quicker than other aircraft so go for a base.
F4S is good, but right now the MM for it is like abysmal. F18 is doing well, but the second they add a decompression patch that might not be the case anymore. F20 is a unique vehicle, and is kinda in the middle. Something you have that others don’t is mavs, and when you get maps with pillboxes you get about half a base worth of score for slinging 2 of them at pillboxes, a full base worth of score if you bring 4 but thats not really an option in the f20 like it is the f5.
For affordability, sales aren’t until October I think.
as Morvran said, high tier premiums are expensive unless on sale.
anyway.
I assume that since you are looking for plane with more air to air missiles, you are primarily interested in air to air combat.
since i have both F-4S and F/A-18C early, I will talk mainly about these two.
tl;dr is that with 18C early you trade having much more reliable kit overall for having much more harsh matchmaker.
F-4S is missile bus. You wont be winning aby dogfights with it anytime soon. Its kit is sufficient for the role.
You have earlier look-down shot-down PD radar with caveat being that the PD mode works only when the target is coming straight at you. Meaning it is rather susceptible to notching at low alt.
AIM-7Fs are usable. Great range for the BR F-4S sits, which plays well into the F-4S missile bus gimmick. You can also take up to 6x of those. BUT they have tendency to go full retard.
AIM-9Hs are also good rear aspect missile. Since you mentioned you play AV-8B you should be familiar with these. While on paper they might seem worse than 9Js due to having less Gs, in practise thats non issue and most importantly, they have so much better range - which is more important for rear-aspects.
F/A-18C early is, well, kinda going against itself. Its very manueverable, would say the most manueverable 12.7 BR plane out there. At the same time it can carry 6x radar missiles so it would be waste to not take them for the BVR. But then again your top speed is kinda slow.
18C early radar is much better than that of F-4S. Tracks well, holds lock well, its overall upgrade. Goes well with radar missiles.
AIM-7Ps are awesome. Hands down best sparrows in game. While on paper they might seem same as 7Fs, the addition of datalink and IOG almost nullifies 7Fs biggest issue - the aforementioned problem of missiles going full retard. And you can take up to 6x of them while keeping 2x IR missiles for self defense!
AIM-9Ls are 9Ls, whats there to say. All aspect 30Gs, and you can take up to 6x of them (at cost of 2x radar missiles) to really go up close and personal.
While the F/A-18C early has much better kit, one thats easier for newbie to comprehend (due to better radar thats easier to use and jet itself being more manueverable) it sits at BR which is not newbie friendly. At the same BR as you theres MiG-29 with R-27ERs, THE best SARH in the game, and just 0.3 above you there are ARH slingers. While legacy platforms, ARHs are entirely new ballpark for a newbie. Not to mention when you get into full uptier.
And while yes, F-4S can see those too in full uptier, its much less common. 18C early on the other hand will be in the “ARH fun zone” every other game, and above 13.0 there are much more lethal planes than at and below 13.0.
Now, theres also F-20A. One i do not have, ill admit, but its for a good reason - its kit is just meh. You get less CMs than both F-4S and 18C early (45 vs 60 respectively), and your missile kit is all over the place. Yes, you have similiarly performing radar to 18C early, also 9Ls and 7Fs, but your hardpoints are much worse, greatly limiting how many misiles you can carry. Also checking statshark, F-20As acceleration is same as 18C early but it has significantly worse turn radius.
Just some food for thought, as ultimately its up to you which one you wanna get.
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A-4E or F117, A-4E can beat even mig21 and has a lot of wapons to fly with, and F117 is a money maker, when bombing airfield airdefence you get tun of SL and XP.
I like A-4E more, I make up some mini mission like sinking a ship and than landing on an aircraft carryer.
Why would he buy planes he can get for free?
Also he specifically asked for more A2A missiles, F-117 has none.
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F/A-18C Early I think would be the best one to go for, pretty decent kit at 12.7 amazing radar and rwr, great flight performance (personally)
downside: cost
Here we meet again cheeseeeeee burger and this was very well written
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first - dont do this, 2nd gen harriers are deceptively agile and can dogfight quite well
second - you will never even reach a base! you are competing with mig23/mig21 basebombers, which are always the first to get a base
I’ve always reached my bases!
If I’m correct, AV-8(NA) have napalm with 207 kg of explosives. Then he need 3 for a base. If he pick more, then he get a little less points ;)
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I would say go for either the F-18 or the F-20, don’t listen to those YouTubers that claim the F-4S is great. Technically they say it’s broken, which is correct: the F-4S is a terrible jet with the only thing going for it is the fact it can bomb a base faster than others. Terrible radar that can barely track anything past its nose, slowest Sparrows, also the Sparrows are more inclined to TK than to actually hit the target you clearly have locked, plus only rear aspects at 12.0 when it should have AIM 9Ls.
At least the F-18 has a good payload plus it can carry plenty of missiles while being able to somewhat dogfight.
F-20 is just a slightly better F-5. I’d recommend it just for the lower BR.
By the way, I hate Phantoms with a burning passion. I don’t care what you have to say, I hate that jet.
7Fs and 7Ps have the same top speed, not accounting for launching plane speed.
How’s the acceleration though. I swear that thing moves pathetically slow.
Missile spreadsheet shows identical stats for both missiles beside IOG and DL.
Maybe I’m wrong then. Either or, it’s still a terrible plane.
F-4S has better top speed than 18C early which is better for BVR as it gives more initial speed to the missile.
Not to mention F-4S at its BR faces different and at times much slower planes than 18C early faces at its BR.
F-4S is good missile bus for BVR, held back only by the 7F behaviour.
Also pardon me but I went to check your profile and if i dont have wrong guy, not only you dont even have F-4S, you never played at those BRs?
I switched accounts (Gaijin is terrible at linking accounts, because God forbid people play video games on consoles), but on my old account, I was unfortunate enough to have bought the F-4S. I had top tier America, China, Russia, Sweden, Britain, Italy, and Israel.