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Strengths and weaknesses of each AC (A2A)


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Hello,
i'm trying to get better at dogfighting (focused more on a2g in the past) and was wondering if there is a summary somewhere with each available aircraft and it's strengths, weaknesses and quirks in dogfights. i don't look for buyers advice, since i own most modules i'm interested in - i'm looking for understanding each aircraft's capabilities better in relation to other aircraft (not only adversaries but also friendlies).

in which altitude should i be able to outperform or outmaneuvre which other aircraft? how difficult are AI to beat in which aircraft at which altitude (what are good AI aircraft to fight against for different difficulties)?
what are generally the champion aircraft in which situation / flight regime?

thanks!

 

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I found out, that AI tend to enter vertical loop tactic at lower alt so at alt where AI is no longer able to do it i can beat AI much easier.

I haven't flown against AI 1 at least for 1 month, things may have changed.


Edited by grafspee
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System specs: I7 14700KF, Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Elite, 64GB DDR4 3600MHz, Gigabyte RTX 4090,Win 11, 48" OLED LG TV + 42" LG LED monitor

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9 hours ago, grafspee said:

I found out, that AI tend to enter vertical loop tactic at lower alt so at alt where AI is no longer able to do it i can beat AI much easier.

I haven't flown against AI 1 at least for 1 month, things may have changed.

 

this is maybe a stupid question, but why would vertical loop tactics be harder to pull off at low altitude? wouldn't the improved lift counter the increased drag?
i mean it's not particularly difficult to go vertical at lower alt, but since i never flown competitive (and not yet familiar with the new improved AI) i don't have a good feel yet of what works and what doesn't...

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9 minutes ago, twistking said:

this is maybe a stupid question, but why would vertical loop tactics be harder to pull off at low altitude? wouldn't the improved lift counter the increased drag?
i mean it's not particularly difficult to go vertical at lower alt, but since i never flown competitive (and not yet familiar with the new improved AI) i don't have a good feel yet of what works and what doesn't...

It is harder because AI does not care about cooling, and it will hand on prop all day long and you will cook your engine 100 times, above alt where AI can;t pull vertical loop of death it sucks and it is very easy to beat, still AI will dive and try drag you to lower alt to be able enter loop of death tactic but i always stay high and drop on this stupid ai. 

Things could changed, Last time i went after AI was 1-2 month ago.


Edited by grafspee

System specs: I7 14700KF, Gigabyte Z690 Aorus Elite, 64GB DDR4 3600MHz, Gigabyte RTX 4090,Win 11, 48" OLED LG TV + 42" LG LED monitor

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Generally, and this includes some personal bias, you can use this as a following rule of thumb for the following planes:

 

Spitfire: Good at turning, rather slow

Fw190A: Good roll rate, moderate at everything else

Fw190D: Moderate - good roll, good speed, moderate turning

P-51D: Good speed, moderate turning

I-16: Slow but good at turning

Bf-109K: Good-moderate turning, good speed, bad high speed controllability

 

With this you can already see a bit the tendencies of the planes, but obviously, actual performance depends on many things and it does not matter if you fly the superior airplane, if you mess up, your advantage is gone.

As for altitude, with exception of the I-16 and the Fw190A, the others should be, more or less generously, in about the same ballpark where their engine starts to lose performance.

And a sidenote: Remember, do not take the AI in DCS as a benchmark. If you want a fair comparsion, get a player to fly with/against you.


Edited by razo+r
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i can only speak for the mustang a dora.  latter ive been flying myself just for couple hours.

some basic have been discussed, but the main sticky is: fight in your domain!

the mustang is a high altitude escort fighter. thats where it excells above all other current warbirds. the mustang is extremely dependant on cool air flow. up where its chilling it performes best.

fighter doctrine for the 51 dictated to abort any pursuit if going below 18k ft when on bomber escort duty. the mustang has a supercharger gap which gives it a hard time below 18k ft and above 8000ish. plus it takes quite a while to form up with the bombers again.

up high dogfights get sluggish but the mustang will outrun and outturn any axis fighter. stay high stay fast.

usually i circle alot in the mustang. high shallow jojos and observe especially when i notice that an 190 or 109 dives away. they lure you dow  into their domain. thats where they jump you. so dont unless you have a favorable position.

the dora and anton are hit and run fighters. at high altitudes they dont perform as good as the mustang. they cant out turn it. strafe your opponents from top and then dive away especially on the 190s.

the general tactic with the 190s is to loiter high above watch for an unsuspecting target and drop down on it and unload your rounds on it then break away and climb. rinse and repeat. if your opponent notices you or the situation becomes unfavorable and turns abort the dive, climb and loiter again. the p51 cant climb and dive as good.

most of historical accounts state similar ongoings and tactics. furballs bein the exception.

if you find yourself in a furball its gettin chaotic and very dangerous.

knowing evasive manouvers and the pros/cons of your a/c handlin are life!

the mustang is fast up high and fast with wep down on the deck and can outrun the axis fighters in a straight line. but you gotta get there first..

out turn your opponent. pull gradually harder but dont yank on the stick. often the 109 oe 190 aborts and veers off. in most cases thats enough to bug out straight or have the bandit in front of you. down on the deck when it gets low and slow extend your flaps one step. prevents the mustang from departing.

an old fashiones barrel roll with a twist rudder can help to fall behind the enemy. add flaps to brake faster. but dont just roll and reverse your turn. if you fly again the 190 or you have mr iceman on your 6 all he has to do is keep still for a second and shoot while you still turn or already reversed the turn. dont fly a straight horizontal zig zag rather fly shallow rolling scissors. that way you eliminate the possibility to fly through the fire of your oppo.

another thing is to break visual. usual i go inverted and dive under the opponent keepin it in sight. the bandit will always have to pull on the stick to follow you hence the engine etc blocking its vision. as soon as you are below his line of sight break left or right (or start with a extendet left/right dive)  and pull through on the turn. if all goes well youll be extending away from the opponent and he lost sight of you. this works best if distance is rather short.

rolling scissors can work especially in high speeds with the 109 and up high as the 109 isnt as good up there and doesnt turn as good at high speeds as the mustang. down low... rather not.

the doras edge is the dive and climb first and foremost. extend extend extend.

it also rolls like hell compared to the p51 so rolling scissors can do wonders. breaking visual works even better

dont try to out turn the p51. you cant. when on the deck apply flaps but staying fast is more preferable. up high its simply not your thing. stay in your lane and youll be good.

it really boils down to fight on your terms. most fighting in dcs is done below 8k with the war birds and people complain the mustang is crap. its not. it simply doesnt fly in its domain.

know your planes habbits and weaknesses.

know where it excells (height and fighting style)

check your target fixation.

check your six. often.

also i shied away from taking potshots at the target. wait for a good solution aim well and give it a massive 2 second burst instead of some peppering here and there. conserves ammo and doesnt wear out the guns as fast. firing in a tight turn isnt as good as in a shallow one. hold your horses. lurk. shoot. dont shoot from far away aswell. bullets are fast but no lasers. if you can see the tracers you can just give the stick a nudge forward and theyll fly over you.

its something that must be trained.

you sure can score a lucky hit but out of how many fired rounds? better burn more fuel whilest engaged in a pursuit to get a good angle than to pepper around and be caught pants down with no ammo after few mins in the fight.

out of lack of ww2 servers ive been flying dogfights with m mustang against jets.

they all made the same mistake.. an f14 or f18 and mig 29 cannot outturn a p51... their lowest speed is my max speed! they were always near departing and got their asses waxed by an 80 year old plane. they didnt fight on their terms they didnt capitalize on their strengths...

they could climb and dive down on me all the time but they chose to fight me on my terms.

thats target fixation and lack of situatuonal awareness. theres always a wild frenzy to make a kill. dont fall for that to fast. fly with caution and be aggressive when the situation dictates it!

only the f5 pilot knew what he was doin and waxxed me good after a 10 min yank and turn dogfight. 


Edited by Doughguy
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