Bomb Bays vs Bomb Locks... Discussion and a Question?

[Delpheus]

Have to disagree with this. While as a strategy it has disadvantages (such as much decreased ability to project power i.e. putting your planes on air superiority mission over a sea zone), the CAS-fighters can get ridiculous trades which is all that really matters most of the time. Also, at some point since BBA released (this was not true at first), a change was made that allows bombers to engage other bombers, and this seems to take priority, so CAS fighters will absolutely delete an enemy's CAS that are up in the air. Previously, a theoretical counterplay to CAS fighters was to just not dogfight them and only put up your own dedicated CAS, which would do more actual damage to enemy troops. Now, your slow bombers are being engaged by basically a fighter plane that has extreme doctrine buffs and will take losses in ratios like 1:100.

I don't want to clog up the thread with excessive details from teh testing I did, but suffice to say this was the result of 8k German CAS fighters vs. 8k French fighters 1k french CAS. 1940 techs with full doctrine (BS vs. OI) and relevant spirits (the CAS mission one vs. centralized control). The French even have better base detection and efficiency since we are fighting over Northern France.

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CAS fighters outtrade dedicated enemy fighters (that are also objectively better since they have self-sealing fueltanks since allies can afford rubber) and shot down the entire starting deployed french CAS force in 1 month.

Also, a minor benefit of CAS fighters is if there is no combat going on, they just don't fly, so you don't waste fuel or planes dogfighting when there is no combat (and thus you don't need air superiority or ground support bonuses anyway). This isn't a huge deal, but probably nice for Germany/Axis especially (or in SP as anyone fuel and/or IC-strapped).

Can you explain what a cas fighter design is and how to use it?

 

[The Colonel]

Can you explain what a cas fighter design is and how to use it?

You either make a fighter with just one single CAS-capable module (ideally, once you unlock it, rocket rails because they have the lowest agility penalty) or a "CAS" plane (i.e. CAS module in the first weapon slot) with all fighter equipment otherwise. Again, ideally rocket rails. The benefit of making it a fighter is you can benefit from fighter design buffs for combat stats, wereas making it CAS gives it more doctrine buffs. Also, if your CAS-fighter is a "fighter", then you can also make proper pure ground attack CAS planes and keep the wings separated more easily.

Then you take the battlefield support doctrine, and combine the doctrine and doctrine spirit of the air force that give you a huge boost to ground support mission efficiency--this confusing modifier has nothing to do with the overall efficiency state based on range coverage + weather effect, it instead boosts your speed and air attack in combat. So, because battlefield support lets you stack so much ground support efficiency, putting these planes on ground support mission means that when enemy fighters intercept them, they actually massively beat them in a dog fight because you have almost identical base stats and then a huge percentage modifier vs. the more tame ones the other two doctrines give to fighters on air superiority/interception missions.

 

[blahmaster6k]

You either make a fighter with just one single CAS-capable module (ideally, once you unlock it, rocket rails because they have the lowest agility penalty) or a "CAS" plane (i.e. CAS module in the first weapon slot) with all fighter equipment otherwise. Again, ideally rocket rails. The benefit of making it a fighter is you can benefit from fighter design buffs for combat stats, wereas making it CAS gives it more doctrine buffs. Also, if your CAS-fighter is a "fighter", then you can also make proper pure ground attack CAS planes and keep the wings separated more easily.

Then you take the battlefield support doctrine, and combine the doctrine and doctrine spirit of the air force that give you a huge boost to ground support mission efficiency--this confusing modifier has nothing to do with the overall efficiency state based on range coverage + weather effect, it instead boosts your speed and air attack in combat. So, because battlefield support lets you stack so much ground support efficiency, putting these planes on ground support mission means that when enemy fighters intercept them, they actually massively beat them in a dog fight because you have almost identical base stats and then a huge percentage modifier vs. the more tame ones the other two doctrines give to fighters on air superiority/interception missions.

The downside to this is that your CAS fighters will be shot down by AA while performing ground attack, so some of the stat boost is offset by that. You do trade better in the air, but you accept some ground losses on the side in return.

 

[Delpheus]

You either make a fighter with just one single CAS-capable module (ideally, once you unlock it, rocket rails because they have the lowest agility penalty) or a "CAS" plane (i.e. CAS module in the first weapon slot) with all fighter equipment otherwise. Again, ideally rocket rails. The benefit of making it a fighter is you can benefit from fighter design buffs for combat stats, wereas making it CAS gives it more doctrine buffs. Also, if your CAS-fighter is a "fighter", then you can also make proper pure ground attack CAS planes and keep the wings separated more easily.

Then you take the battlefield support doctrine, and combine the doctrine and doctrine spirit of the air force that give you a huge boost to ground support mission efficiency--this confusing modifier has nothing to do with the overall efficiency state based on range coverage + weather effect, it instead boosts your speed and air attack in combat. So, because battlefield support lets you stack so much ground support efficiency, putting these planes on ground support mission means that when enemy fighters intercept them, they actually massively beat them in a dog fight because you have almost identical base stats and then a huge percentage modifier vs. the more tame ones the other two doctrines give to fighters on air superiority/interception missions.

Very interesting, thanks for the in detailed explanation. I'll have to try this

It sounds like it could really help me when I'm playing a minor and will be outgunned in the air war.

 

[Ashantai]

Please do not necro threads, please create new ones.