Would The F/A-18 Hornet Be Balanced IF Added Right now?

Machinery of War Discussion Aircraft
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Would The F/A-18 Hornet Be Balanced IF Added Right now?

If the early F/A-18 Hornet were to be added to the game right now, it would likely be balanced, despite its advanced multirole capabilities. While the F/A-18 is known for its versatility and ability to carry a significant payload, it’s important to note that it wouldn’t introduce any new weapons systems to the game. The weapons it could carry are already available, which means its impact would primarily come from its ability to carry a wide variety of ordnance simultaneously.

The key distinction of the F/A-18, compared to existing multirole aircraft in the game like the Gripen, is its capacity to carry a larger payload. The Gripen, while arguably more advanced in certain aspects, is limited by its six pylons, which restrict its ability to perform multiple roles simultaneously to the fullest extent. The F/A-18, on the other hand, has more pylons, allowing it to carry more weapons at once, enhancing its multirole flexibility.

However, this increased payload capacity does not necessarily make the F/A-18 overpowered. The balance comes from the fact that while the Hornet can carry more, it doesn’t bring new, game-breaking weapons or technologies to the table. Instead, it offers players a platform that can perform a wide range of roles more efficiently but with the same tools that are already in use. This ensures that the aircraft is strong but not excessively so, maintaining the game’s overall balance.

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The F/A-18 Hornet indeed boasts an impressive payload and capabilities, as seen in the image below. However, despite its formidable arsenal, it wouldn’t necessarily introduce anything groundbreaking to the game. The weapons it can carry are largely those that are already available, meaning it wouldn’t drastically alter the current gameplay dynamics.

One potential point of concern could be the Hornet’s ability to carry Anti-Radiation Missiles, which aren’t currently in the game. However, this issue could easily be mitigated by simply choosing not to include those particular missiles in the F/A-18’s loadout. This would allow the Hornet to be added without introducing a new weapons system that could potentially disrupt the game’s balance.

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Yeah, it’s def a Su-27SM competitior.

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Wow it’s that bad?

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Depends on the Variant your talking about

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not the f/a18c but the f/a18a might be balanced possibly

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short answer, no

long answer
absolutley bloody not one squad of them can carry more SPAAMRAAMS than the other team in its entirety, and then have two redundant Sidewinder Ms.

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The problem it’s not the plane it’s the gap between the NATO missiles from others nations like the Soviet R-77.

There is nothing comparable to the AIM-120 in the game right now, even the MICA’s being good, they are not even equivalent.

As a non-USA player at this point I don’t care about adding any sort of F-18 since most of the top tier its already made of USA players, like 80% of the players in a match are on USA aircrafts.

My only issue right now it’s to have equivalent missiles for all nations. Im really not a scholar about missiles, but I find this graphic about the Su-30 Missiles and the R-77M range compared to the currently R-77 that we have on the game.

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Brother, with TEN AIM-120’s, decent maneuverability, and a multirole package. It’s the Su-27 with more missiles, less maneuverability, and a wider array of weapons.

If they gave America the AIM-174, the F-18 would be more busted. Let alone the AIM-120D

Oh, and not to mention the SU-27 has a MASSIVE radar signature, the damned thing is bigger than a B-25J, and closer to a B-17 surface area wise. (Not to mention it makes it an even bigger target in gun fights)

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Well, Top Tier right now it’s all about having the best missiles to shot first. Having 6 or 10 AIM-120 will be the same, since in each match we already have at least 7 or 8 F-15’s on each team.

They added more 2 slots for R-77 on Su-27SM, now can carry up to 12 missiles, but a F-16 with only 6 missiles are more useful in a match than a Su-27 with 12.

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C variant won’t be in game for a good while is my guess.

A out-maneuvers both the JAS39C and Euro Typhoon - it will be nerfed. Heck, the F/A18 any variant out turns anything that is Gen 4+.

That said, any one wanting to wage on leaked docs for that one?

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More Missiles = More weight, more weight = less performance.
Very few people grasp this concept.

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You totally right, that’s why I think a F-16 with 6x AIM-120 it’s more dangerous than a Su-27SM full stacked.

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In what world are you living in? The Eurofighter Can pull 11g going mach to fully loaded at 8000 meters. It also has a much better trusth to weight. Every Game gets this wrong. DCS players have hated that the F18 almost is outperforming their F16. The Eurofighter is 5 Tons Lighter too. It’s turning speed at high altitude and high speed is simply unrivalled, and whilst it’s low altitude and low speed performance isn’t as good as a Rafale or an Su-35, it still outclasses the F-18.

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Eurofighter Typhoons have won in dog fights against F22’s at Red Flag (and the F22 is a WAY better dog fighter than the Hornet)

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Give The Soviets the R-77-1. The main problem is range and get a streamlined nose for more range, 9B-1248 active radar seeker head, and new fins

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Nothing above 8.0 is balanced right now. (4.3 if we are talking about naval)

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Euro fighter has won a lot in staged combat, yes. Also, Eurofighter does out-turn F22, yes. The Eurofoghter has also lost to F16, F22 and JAS39 in unstaged combat.

But do not look at its achievements in staged combat, rather look at its stat and capabilities. It is OK to fanboy but uh, facts remain.

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fanboy “staged” comabt bahahahahah. Keep meat riding The F18 buddy. The stats sure, : The Eurofighter Typhoon is equipped with the CAPTOR-E radar, which is an advanced Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. This provides superior detection, tracking, and targeting capabilities compared to older radar systems. The CAPTOR-E is known for its excellent range and ability to track multiple targets simultaneously. The Eurofighter is powered by two Eurojet EJ200 engines, which provide high thrust and exceptional speed. The engines give the Typhoon a maximum speed of over Mach 2 and allow it to maintain high performance in a wide range of operational environments. And it also makes it the Fastest European Fighter Jet. It features an integrated Defensive Aids Sub-System that includes advanced electronic countermeasures, jamming, and threat detection systems. This enhances the aircraft’s survivability against enemy threats. Your Only Argument is "Ehm Its american so it must be the best*

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The eurofighter can also carry Both American, And almost all european Missils, The F18 can not

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The Su-27SM will actually be able to equip 12 missile next patch.

Oh and the F-18 might have a wider array of weapons for ground but the SM has the F-18 beat in air to air versatility. R-27ERs, R-27ETs, R-73s, and R-77s.

AFAIK RCS hasn’t really made an impact in game. Its modelled but the difference between the smallest fighter (the Gripen) and the larger ones like the Flanker are small.

Gun fights never happen, even if you manage to get into the merge, the Flanker still has R-73s. No other aircraft has dogfight missiles like the R-73s.

Its like 350kg of added weight. Not gonna matter unless you get into a dogfight in which case you can just jettison.

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