#jets

The Swedish AJ37 Viggen is a strike aircraft boasting a deadly armament of missiles and guns, combined with an extremely powerful engine. In the hands of a good pilot, it can cause chaos on the ground forces below. It is a huge upgrade from the previous strike aircraft in the Swedish tech tree, the A32A Lansen, with much better capabilities including its weaponry, radar, RWR, and more.

The SAAB 29, commonly known as the "Flygande Tunnan" or "Flying Barrel", was Sweden's first mass-produced jet fighter. Developed in the aftermath of World War II as Europe's first swept-wing jet fighter, its remarkable performance, adaptability, and family of variants extended its operational life from the early 1950s into the late 1970s, and propelled Sweden to the forefront of jet fighter development in the years to come.

The Horten Ho 229, also known as the Gotha Go 229, was yet another German wonder weapon developed during World War II in an attempt to save Germany in the final months of the war. It is well known for its sleek, tailless design, minimizing drag and improving aerodynamics. It was one of the earliest jet-powered flying wing aircraft, designed to meet Hermann Göring’s “3 × 1000” requirement.

Did you know that the F-14A, the original variant of the legendary naval fighters, served with the U.S. Navy until 2004? Throughout its long and distinguished service, the F-14A underwent a series of significant upgrades that transformed it from a dedicated fleet air defense interceptor into a versatile multi-role fighter. This topic explores the key enhancements made to the A-model since 1977, tracing its evolution into a formidable platform with both potent air-to-air and precision air-to-ground capabilities.

The Soviet MiG-15 gained fame during the Korean War as the F-86 Sabre's most notable adversary. Its swept wing, powerful engine, and small size gave it a significant advantage over its outdated enemies and predecessors, such as the F-84 and MiG-9. Due to these characteristics, it was also used by Hungary, China, East Germany, and many other Soviet allies. In the game, the MiG-15 shines with its excellent maneuverability, energy retention, impressive climb rate, and strong airbrake—so useful when fighting Sabres. But are these characteristics offset by poor gun position, awful roll, and ineffective rudder?

The Su-27 is a fourth-generation Soviet fighter jet developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau to achieve air superiority. It first took to the skies in 1977 and entered service in 1985. Created as a response to the American F-15 and F-14, the Su-27 was distinguished by its long range, high maneuverability, and ability to engage in air combat at both long and short ranges. It became the basis for further modifications, in particular the Su-30, Su-33, Su-34 and Su-35. The Su-27 is still in service in many countries and is considered one of the most successful developments of Soviet aircraft manufacturing.

The Romanian MiG-29 Sniper was a cancelled program to upgrade Romania’s fleet of MiG-29 Fulcrum aircraft with modern Western technology. These upgrades include the addition of a digital radar warning receiver and a modernized cockpit with colored MFDs and a western-style HUD. In the skies, the Sniper performs like its Soviet, Hungarian, and German counterparts, but it has the added advantage of being equipped with more modern avionics.

The Blackburn Buccaneer was a British carrier-borne, high-speed, low-level strike aircraft, designed by Blackburn Aircraft in the 1950s for the Royal Navy in response to the USSR’s Sverdlov-class ships. 209 planes and 2 prototypes were ever created.

The JA37C “Viggen” is a Swedish indigenous fighter developed from the successful AJ37, first seeing operational service in 1980. Designed to replace the J35 Draken as Sweden’s primary air defense fighter, the Viggen was capable of many unique things, such as being able to operate from extremely short runways with its short takeoff run and thrust reversers for landing. A unique canard design, the Viggen served the Swedish Air Force well, being retired in 2007 after handing over its job to the JAS 39 Gripen.

The F-4E is an American 3rd generation fighter jet built to address the significant flaws found in the earlier F-4C, most notably its lack of a built-in cannon armament and countermeasures. The upgrades it received gave the F-4E a very wide appeal with export customers and made it the baseline for the vast majority of export variants to the air forces of Western-aligned nations. While many of these exports, like those to Germany and Japan, would receive downgraded avionics, a lack of radar-guided missiles, or reduced flight performance, Israel’s F-4E “Kurnass” fighters are almost identical to their American counterparts, excluding the switch to AIM-9D/G Sidewinder missiles used by the United States Navy. Regardless, American and Israeli players can benefit from the F-4E’s very user-friendly playstyle, with a very high skill ceiling that provides all the tools necessary for success when flying it.