What is the general opinion of the F-5E compared to other Vietnam-era planes?

[Wahoo12]

Good?

Bad?

More/Less Realistic than DCS:MiG-21bis?

More/Less fun than DCS:MiG-21bis?

 

Thanks!

Edited March 3, 2018 by Wahoo12

[dimitrischal]

I don’t think the bis was used in Vietnam though.

And our F5 is E3 so after Vietnam as well.

[mattebubben]

what area should be judging here?

 

The level of realism of the module?

The amount of fun it is?

or how effective it is in combat etc?

[Wahoo12]

I don’t think the bis was used in Vietnam though.

And our F5 is E3 so after Vietnam as well.

I changed the title for clarity (but it won't let me change the poll title)

[Wahoo12]

what area should be judging here?

 

The level of realism of the module?

The amount of fun it is?

or how effective it is in combat etc?

All three, if you'd like. I'm really just curious what people think about the F-5E in comparison to the MiG, its best-fitting opponent in DCS currently.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

They complement each other well. Both are very well-modelled, both have some issues here and there, and both have areas where they excel and fail as fighter aircraft.

 

At high speeds and/or high altitudes the MiG-21bis puts the F-5E-3 to bed quickly. Its engine power combined with delta wing design makes it excellent in those envelopes, where the F-5 loses speed and becomes stationary quickly.

 

At lower speeds or altitudes the situation is reversed. Thanks to its combat flaps, leading edge extensions and lift-enhancing extensions the F-5E runs circles around the MiG-21, and thanks to gunnery cues from the radar and a pair of powerful guns with lots of bullets it has a much higher chance of converting good positions and snapshots into concrete kills.

 

All in all their design roles say it all - one was born as an interceptor, the other as a tactical fighter.

[wedge_one]

once you get into a knife fight against a F-5, you better have a good wingman.

[Lucas_From_Hell]

A part of the problem is the MiG-21's deadly combination of a delta wing, engine prone to flameouts and very good control authority. Any harsh pulls on the stick leave you flopping about without speed and possibly a dead engine as well, which is never a good thing to put it mildly. The F-5 funnily enough behaves the same at very high altitudes, almost every time I go for a hammerhead the engines quit at the top and I'm left desperately chasing thicker air with an angry bandit behind me!

[Robert31178]

I understand that the specific models are not "Vietnam" per say, but even though we have the -3 and the bis they are still Vietnam era planes to me, having both been designed in that era and then simply upgraded. That'd be like saying the Phantom isn't Vietnam era simply because it's a German F or something.

[dimitrischal]

I understand that the specific models are not "Vietnam" per say, but even though we have the -3 and the bis they are still Vietnam era planes to me, having both been designed in that era and then simply upgraded. That'd be like saying the Phantom isn't Vietnam era simply because it's a German F or something.

 

You’re right they can be used in scenarios. However there are notable differences.

With your logic an F4 Peace Icarus or Terminator is Vietnam era however I don’t think this is the case...

[Capt_Haddock]

If you are talking fps the F-5 wins by a mile!

 

I love the MiG-21, but in DCS 2.5 it is an absolute drain on resources. Horrible loading times and lots of stuttering. The F-5 on the contrary is smooth as silk.

 

I'd love to compare texture sizes, polycounts and shaders...