Nerd1000

Isn't the F/A 18 considered to be very comparable to the MiG-29?

Ahh, that makes sense. Thanks for correcting me. Out of curiosity, is it a common thing to attack more than one target at the same time in TWS, or is the main benefit of it the 'silent' BVR launch capabilities?

Yeah, thought that might be the case.

I didn't mean to imply that lower fidelity planes = lower pilot quality. As a matter of fact a lot of the FC3 fighter guys are way better than I'll ever even hope to be: when I try to go toe-to-toe with an 'average' F-15 pilot he usually wipes the floor with me in seconds, which is why so far I've stuck to sneaking past them and clubbing helpless A-10s. Those extra radar modes would be helpful for finding and attacking enemies without a doubt. That said, in my opinion the F-15's excellent flight performance and superior missiles are more important than the finer points of its radar capabilities when it comes to success in-game. As for the TWS, my comments were based on my personal experience on the 104th, which is that I almost always get a lock warning from the RWR before attacking F-15s launch their BVR missiles. AFAIK a shot using TWS doesn't produce a lock warning on the RWR until the AMRAAM goes active. When I get locked in the MiG-21 I usually respond with an immediate dive towards terrain masking- If the lock was a result of a slammer going pitbull I would be dead long before I got into cover, hence my observation that most F-15s don't seem to use TWS, at least when they have only one enemy plane on their scope.

I find that when you are within visual range you can often see an orange flash under the wing of the launching aircraft as the missile's rocket engine ignites. Your best bet is therefore to keep an eye on your opponent at all times so that with luck you can spot the launch, even if the missile is essentially invisible. Coincidentally, I was surprised to notice that the early MiG-21 missiles (R-3 and K-5 families) produce very little smoke. Does anyone know if this is realistic?

I would say that in the hands of the average FC3 pilot the F-15 would have roughly the same level of lethality. Few pilots really know how to use the radar modes that are already available (I don't think I've ever been engaged by an F-15 using TWS in multi-player), let alone the specialized niche modes that a fully modeled plane offers. What really makes the F-15 deadly is its forgiving flight characteristics and extremely capable missiles. Those two together let you get away with mistakes that would kill a Flanker, let alone a MiG-21. Don't take that as a criticism of the plane or its modeling, it just means that McDonnell-Douglas did their job right.

I'm an Aussie (from Brisbane, to be precise). I've got some limited experience in talking for radio from my university classes, so if you need me feel free to ask.