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I think he mean F-4 or G-2 were the best in relation to their opponents of the time. Even if i.e. G-14 was more capable than G-2, it was already surpassed by its opposition. It's like what's the pick of i.e. MiG-21 career: very capable 1960' MiG-21F-13 with great visibility, maneuverability, performance on par with the best fighters of the world. Or 2000' MiG-21 Bison, third grade aircraft, worse in every regard than anything it could meet in the air, a death trap for the pilot in case of any symmetrical conflict.

When it comes to performance it depends solely on level of detail. Strike Fighters had Vietnam map with CPU/GPU requirements of a pocket calculator, because it had level of detail lower than in DCS.

There is no one specific aircraft, but to be proficient flying Phantom you can just fly different aircrafts from similar timeframe, with manual stick and rudder flight control, close maneuver air combat with careful geometry and energy management, manual or semi manual aiming guns and weapons using rudimentary gunsight etc. Like F-5E, MiG-21bis, Viggen, soon Mirage F.1, but even MiG-19P, MiG-15bis, F-86F will be helpfull. F-14 as well for RIO interaction and overall cockpit layout. This will give you the skillset needed for the Phantom, as you need to be simply a skillfull virtual aviator. Only post cold war aircrafts skillset is mostly dependant on memorizing particular MFD sequence to program specific weapon procedure and so on which can be learnt separately.

Both are fantastic, stick and rudder flying, close in weapon, visual range combat, multicrew.

Mandatory pilot model

Central Europe is the most awaited map according to poll. Perfect for Cold War gone hot campaign.

Or Vietnam war early E with better acceleration and speed with unslatted wings.

MiG-17P and S, MiG-19P and S, MiG-21bis, MiG-23MLA, Su-17, Mirage F.1 are in DCS or coming - all fought Phantoms in Vietnam or Middle East 1960s to 1980s

Great news! I'm more excited for F-4 Phantom than anyother DCS module coming! Cold War birds = the best atmosphere and the most exciting combat with short range, manual control and aiming.

Good choice. It would be a Soviet counterpart of F-111 and Tornado GR.1. It would be a Soviet Cold War variant to be possible to model in DCS.

Exactly. ED did a great job here. I've never expected clouds can make such a big difference in general picture. The fact they are FPS friendly is impressive as well.

+1 Iraq/Saudi/Iran/Kuwait border map saw two all out wars, Iraq-Iran war 1980s and Desert Storm 1991. It would be great. It's so strange we had PG map instead, maybe ED wanted more sea? IDK. But flying over Dubai will never have similiar atmosphere to flying over real life war zones, like Baghdad, Kuwait, Basra etc.

Apache training in Nevada Desert would be super atmospheric, bringing to mind simulators from the past, but probably ED can't do that due to NTTR being paid addon, not free like Caucasus map.

I guess it depends on ED and some business agreement. It would be great though.

Super Etendard would be a great pair with both Mirage F.1 and F-8 / Clemenceau carrier. Perfect for RAZBAM's 1982 Falkland Map version as well.

Drag index for pylons and weapons would be grat addition, but last time i checked some modules still didn't have pylons drag and weight modeled at all, yet. I.e. F-14 huge fuselage pylons didn't chnge drag or even weight.

I'm not sure which Phantom variant i would like to see the most myself, but being objective Vietnam war was absolutely the high point of the Phantom's career. Quality wise as right after Vietnam F-14 and F-15 started to replace Phantom in combat units or relegate Phantom to other tasks and from this moment it was most definitely not the high point of the Phantom anymore since both F-14 and F-15 were superfighters compared to F-4. Quantity wise as well - during Vietnam war USAF nad US Navy lost probably more aircrafts than during all other post WW2 wars combined.

I would like to see more of them as well, but it's not true what we have now is either WW2 or 2000s. Most US ground assets in DCS like M60A3, HMMWV, M113, M2A2 Bradley, LAV-25, MLRS, Hawk, Patriot, Roland, Vulcan etc. - represent 1980s or at most early 1990s variants.

I would like to see original French Navy Super Etendard from 1970s/1980s in DSC to fly together with A-6E Intruder, A-7E Corsair, F-14A Tomcat, F-8J Crusader, Mirage F.1, maybe F-4J Phantom, when specialised strike aircrafts like Super Etendard had their specific role to fulfill. "Modernise" variant was just too late for the party, in 2000s it was outdated platform with modernised avionics, probably mostly calssified anyway so it would have to be fictional, especially radar and modern Sherloc electronic warfare. This times universal supersonic fighter/bomber like F/A-18C or Rafale could do everything Super Etendard M could. And do it better, faster, further, higher, defend itself etc.

Yes, there were different ways to do things with older technology, i've heard an interview with A-10A pilot in Desert Storm - they were flying A-10As at low altitude, at night, without NVG! TF Normandy was a special mission with specially prepared aircrafts, i would like to see it as well. Overall Apache destroyed ~1000 tanks / AFV and other assets during the operation.

On one hand it's true. On the other hand the all-digital cockpit, GPS navigation, NVG, datalink etc. kill some part of immersion - it's a different era of aviation compared to Cold War or Desert Storm technology Apache. All of this technology added far more capability to Apache than FCR - which was unreliable and had many limitations according to pilots. For now Apache / Kiowa squadron during 2008 Russia-Georgia war sounds the most appealing to me for AH-64D Longbow.

Is this "carrier capable" F-4E some kind of joke or serous suggestion? Even WT or old Strike Fighters didn't go that crazy unrealistic. Let alone DCS. I'm confident ED will never do something like that. To clarify: F-4E didn't have any carrier capabilities. It didn't have any device to connect to carrier steam catapult. It didn't have reinforced undercarriage. It didn't have naval hook, just a delicate standard USAF hook for emergency landing without brakes which would be teared immediately when catching carrier wire. F-4C had most of the navy equipment to operate from carrier since it was basically a Navy F-4B bought by USAF. Subsequent USAF variants lost naval specific features.

This would be the ultimate scenario, Desert Storm 1991 very good as well. But both are way outside our AH-64D Longbow Apache timeframe. There was original analog AH-64A guarding Fulda Gap during the Cold War or engaging Iraq armored and mechanized divisions in Iraq.

Drag index for pylons and weapons would be grat addition, but last time i checked some modules still didn't have pylons drag and weight modeled at all, yet. I.e. F-14 huge fuselage pylons didn't chnge drag or even weight.

IIRC we have 1980s UH-1H standard, modeled after Australian Bush Ranger, with 1980s cockpit and avionics. Vietnam era UH-1H would be great, with some of the field modifications you mentioned, when we get more Vietnam era aircrafts in DCS or Vietnam map.