F/A-18C - What is it to you?

[Gierasimov]

With, by design, a fighter as well as a striker I thought it would be fun to see what is your prefered mission for DCS F/A18C Hornet.

 

Just two answers to keep it simple, and it is just pure our of interest, no speculations, comparisons or any other hidden agenda.

 

While I enjoy Hornet as a dogfighter I love all variants of strike mission myself, how about you?

[Preendog]

The F/A-18 is two boat kills, 2 SAM kills, 4 tank kills, 4 plane kills and however many soft things you can hit with the gun, in one flight. It pounds ground better than an A-10 due to the higher sortie rate, is more survivable, and doesn't need SEAD or escort because it is the SEAD and escort.

 

It is all things and the only limit is the pilot.

[dchriest]

Looks like we have a few ground pounders here

[MrNewLife]

I alway use hornet as Striker because A10c is so vulnerable to eneny fighters as it slow speed due to carry heavy payload, hard to run away from enemy fighters even with clean payload...

[Tholozor]

I've always viewed the Hornet as a strike aircraft because it was designed to replace the A-6 and A-7 as the fleet strike aircraft while the Tomcat remained in the air superiority and fleet defense roles. Obviously as the technology progressed for the time and the Tomcat began showing its age, the strike fighter as a concept began to take the foreground as the primary role of a carrier air wing: equal ability to project air superiority and prosecute ground targets.

[Fonz_408]

A combat naval aviator Sir

[104th_Maverick]

Both

[Scofflaw]

I use it more for A/G just because I prefer the play style. I'm terrible at BFM so I get frustrated quickly when I try.

[StormBat]

75% Strike 25% Fighter for me. I love that my mates and I can defend ourselves and have situational awareness while ground pounding the enemy back to the stone age.

[Jak525]

Both, 50-50. I like the Hornet partially because it's designed to do both, with very in depth and capable systems for both AA and AG.

[Baco]

I voted a Striker, but then again it replaced everything else on board except ASW... so I call it a multi roll ;)

Good at both excelent at none ;)

[streakeagle]

The F-17 from which it was derived was designed to be cheap but effective air superiority fighter. "Navalizing" the F-17 into the F-18 cost a few pounds, but it was still first and foremost designed to do what the F-4 could not: turn with MiGs. It may be multirole as was the F-4 it replaced, but it was a purely political move to rename it "F/A-18". The F-16C is an awesome multirole aircraft, but no one deemed it necessary to label it the "F/A-16".

 

I sometimes fly some air-to-ground missions, particularly when exploring the capabilities of aircraft like the AJS-37 that are more ground attack with some defensive air-to-air capability. But I spend most of my simulated combat time flying air-to-air missions, preferably WVR with guns :)

 

For the record, I haven't dropped one pound of weapons on the ground while flying the DCS F/A-18C. I have spent the majority of my F/A-18C time flying WVR principally using only the gun to defeat the enemy. I love the flight model and enjoy using it to beat otherwise superior opponents with a nice gun kill.

[dawgie79]

Both actually, but mostly AG because then you can make use of most of the ordnance and the Litening Pod.

[Pizzicato]

I rarely actually use any weapons in the Hornet. I get most of my enjoyment from starting up, taking off, refuelling, and landing (both on carriers and airbases).

 

Bit weird, I guess, but that's what I enjoy the most.

[Lucky]

Strictly A2G for me. Not interested in A2A probably because I suck at it. That's why I love the A-10C and the A2G side of the F/A-18C

[Dagger71]

I would vote if you add multirole fighter. It is the best DCS module in this role.

 

In MP I rarely go up with just CAP loadout. I'll take at least 1-2 HARMS up on every flight to deal with SAMs.

 

 

 

I am nowhere as good with the F18 at A2A as I was with the M2K but I am continuously getting better.

 

 

 

If I were to speculate, I'd say I've dropped more A2G ordinance than A2A so far.

[ravenzino]

Some may dislike my answer... As much as I like the TGP and blowing things up, I find A2G is of less challenge than A2A, so I ended up spending much more time in A2A(PvE at first, now almost exclusively PvP).

 

Well, tbh, this might mostly because it's much harder to find an A2G opponent that is not an AI, making A2G mission way too predictable. Dealing with AI ground units is mostly just planning and execution. I still do it when I have less time or just want to blow something up. But if I want some serious and rewarding play, I always go to PvP, or at least A2A in PvE MP servers.

 

Having said that, if I had a team or in a squadron, I guess I would like A2G more, as a team would enable a lot of complicated A2G scenarios which requires teamwork, and teamwork is always fun.

Edited September 8, 2019 by ravenzino

[Eldur]

I'm a mud mover and this thing does move mud very well. Might become a fighter once ED pairs up the datalink with the JHMCS so I'd be able to see things in midair without having labels on.

[GazAce]

I love dropping iron man! Oh and firing Mavs and A to A refueling. I suck at Traps tho but hoping to improve but overall in regards to Hornet I totally dig EVERYTHING!

:thumbup:

[MegOhm_SD]

Both equally, it should be a choice so I didn't vote.

[CarbonFox]

The Hornet is a striker first and a fighter second to me based on it being designed to replace the A-7 Corsair and remaining F-4s. Not so much the A-6 as the Navy was looking to the A-12 Avenger to replace the Intruder which obviously never happened.

[Gierasimov]

I did this on purpose

 

I would vote if you add multirole fighter

 

If I did, it wouldn't make sense to ask what is the preferred role, I wanted to see what you guys and gals would say if you had to make a choice.

 

Thank you all for your votes so far and interesting comments.

[Wizard_03]

I like to use it as fighter because it presents more of a challenge then other jets in DCS. It's a lot less forgiving then say the F-14 or F-15 and requires a solid understanding of it's limitations and strengths to make it successful. But I feel It's very rewarding once your skills get to the point of matching and beating other jets, that at first seemed to blow it away every time.

[Dagger71]

If I did, it wouldn't make sense to ask what is the preferred role, I wanted to see what you guys and gals would say if you had to make a choice.

 

Thank you all for your votes so far and interesting comments.

 

 

 

 

IF I had to chose then it would be Fighter. The A10C fills the striker role very well and being the first module I bought, it will always remain one of my favs.

[Bearfoot]

It's a lot less forgiving then say the F-14 ...

 

 

Wut?