Could An Ex-RAAF F/A-18 Hornet Air Wing Beat A Russian Su-35 Air Wing (WarGames 142) | DCS 

*JUST read comments and I think I used the wrong radar for the legacy Hornet, sorry about that. I have no way of changing the radar in this plane so can't redo. Ukraine-Russia Series: F-16A MLU vs Su-35: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FHxPMz5MhdI.html Patriot vs KH-47M" Kinzhal: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-C-q1tWlLh0I.html Eurofighter vs Su-57: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OnKuV6259ck.html MALD, Storm Shadow & AARGM-ER: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-d6p0YY_VQZY.html Storm Shadow vs Russian SAMs: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5wJPbBAj0WM.html Iskander vs Various SAMS: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KxxahORODBA.html HIMARS vs Russian SHORADs: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-DI6yIt0goPA.html Storm Shadow vs Kerch Bridge: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UsHa9Fe29gI.html Rapid Dragon vs Black Sea Fleet: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rvUTl6xjxqY.html Ukraine With JDAM-ER: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-deWnN1319Xw.html UK Typhoons vs Su-57: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OnKuV6259ck.html F-22 Raptors vs Russia President: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Fcmt2kdebvI.html Air Force One vs Russia: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IDVULTyzcEw.html AGM-179 JAGM vs 2S38 & T-90: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6-f8GJzxg5E.html SEAD & ATACMS vs Kerch Bridge: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HJ0MgwXydyY.html IMP US Strike vs Black Sea Fleet: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-xSUAiTVwI6o.html HIMARS ATACMS vs Kerch Bridge: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uU_SPj0HQgo.html Sa-11 Buk Firing Sea Sparrow: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uBoryuBHfBQ.html US Strike vs Black Sea Fleet: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KMwYjJghQiA.html Rus SEAD vs Modernized Patriot: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FdoyfKgaONE.html Rus Bombers vs Modernized Patriot: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-4Y961tLNE18.html JDAM vs S-400 Network: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wP4sfDG-01E.html Kinzhal vs Pac-3 & IRIS-T: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i0GzbajI0mU.html F16 or Gripen for Ukraine?: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y-k71nfap4Q.html Mig-31 vs NATO Black Sea AWACS: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vFOzjW25ItI.html R-37M Long Range Shootdown: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--3LKGL4w9Q4.html Drone Swarm vs NATO Defense: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-wDBOSd9qCDs.html Patrio PAC-3/IRIS-T vs Missiles: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N5Z81iW8YNY.html MANPAD/IRIS-T vs Russian Missiles: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-N9R9GUVcTyk.html AGM-158C LRASM vs Sevastopol: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GDZoDRhIIRw.html A-10s Operating in S-400 Nets: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5BwFlesg42o.html Modernized Su-27 vs Su-35: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-7llLDzeT2Bs.html Modernized F15/F16 vs Su-35: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE--TozTHbAXVs.html Can Su-57 Defend Russia From F-22/35: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-E-oC3NgxC94.html IMPROVED Stealth vs Russian Bombers: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IgwLW4YKvVU.html Ukraine Using Hellfire Missile?: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-s_1YHDTmPPw.html US Harpoons vs Russian Navy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Oiee83CWRcE.html Ukraine Using APKWS?: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-FBxV9YuAfaw.html Ukraine US HARMs vs Russian S-400: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eSyEOXsjWo8.html Patriot/NASAMS vs Supersonic Missiles: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i1q7uDeinA4.html Fulcrum/Flanker vs Foxbat/Super Flanker: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BhXfxc94JAU.html NASAMS vs Russian Cruise Missiles: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pJI_b95jzpk.html Russian KH-47M2 vs Polish Air Force: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-cnrVxqL5q9w.html Su-27 & Drone vs Snake Island: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-T_oRoU2Ayfo.html Su-25s vs Russian Convoy At Kyiv: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ryV65bUJzrw.html NATO Eurofighters vs Crimean AWACS: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-EiJ2dFRh95g.html Patriot, Gepard & Gripen vs KH-65: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZhxdrNjig1g.html A-10s vs Russian Convoy At Kyiv: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B0tZoo0uLh4.html USN Tomahawk Strike Kerch Bridge: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-0vpi8xBygV8.html USAF Stealth Strike Kerch Bridge: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-IJbf9Bcxnw0.html Ukrainian Jets Strike Kerch Bridge: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-I8FumuZReB4.html F-22 Raptors vs Russian Fighters: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ComRcmrwJWk.html Raptor/Eagle vs Super Flanker: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-keqYmuSEo-8.html USAF Bombers vs Mariupol Defenses: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aCsboOG0QU4.html Ukraine Bombs Snake Island: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-BX696MKdkb8.html Stealth Fighters vs Russian Bombers: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rym90jnQDsA.html Sinking Of Moskva #3: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-NIjoyIieOzY.html Sinking Of Moskva #2: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-snjfbj_EwW4.html Sinking Of Moskva #1: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Bxwh6MGLJNc.html Russia Nukes Britain: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rzk45RFQwA8.html Ukraine Uses Danish F-16s: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-17Pikrp0QaY.html Ukraine Uses Polish Mig-29s: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zCi4tAIzuOU.html Russian-Britain Missile Attack: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zwIGfabvzHA.html Ghost Of Kyiv: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Yrct8V4n1-U.html Belgorod Raid: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-mQykTxt6ftw.html Eurofighter/Fulcrum vs Super Flanker: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-MPyIipEhgR0.html US Strike vs Odessa ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KeiOHgzic6Y.html Russian Helo Rocket Lob: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-118GgGnP_sM.html Russian Su-25 vs US Patriot SAM: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-asp69ZD_tO0.html Understanding Russian SAMs: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-R4xTxLNZXcw.html Ukrainian Jets Road Operations: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-hBpzQhinPbw.html Russian 40 Mile Convoy: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Vr_-2FLblBk.html Flanker vs Super Flanker: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-VOAuOFLJGk4.html

RAAF F/A-18A Hornets were put through the Hornet Upgrade Program (HUG) thus equal to an upgraded F/A-18C or early Super hornet. They have upgraded ECM, ESM, and a capability to fire AMRAAM AIM-120C to D, ASRAAM, AIM-9X, LJDAM-ER bombs, JASSM missiles, SDB, Harpoon II anti ship missiles, Litening targeting pods and the Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS). Communications and networking increased with the comms and link 16 upgrades. Some Hornets were put through the centre barrel replacement program so this upgraded classic Hornet is no ordinary A model it is a very capable 4 to 4.5 gen aircraft deadly in the right hands.

RAAF legacy F18s use the AN/APG73 radar and have Link16 meaning they should be able to use the latest datalink systems and weaponry too

I feel like you should re-do this, with the correct setup for the hornets. Dont overload them, put the correct radar on them. Fight them how they ought to be fought.

In 1992 I was boogey-boarding in Port Macquarie AUS, and two RAAF F/A-18s flew overhead and were dogfighting at an absurdly low altitude. Insane. Could not have been more than .5 - 1.0 mile offshore

An/apg-73 Radar on RAAF hornets have an approximate range of above 60nm. RAAF honeys were upgraded in the early 2000s. Ordinance on the legacy hornets would be almost identical to super hornets.

Your killing me cap ! The warzone article you cited to make this video literally explains that the RAAF hornets have been upgraded to A++ standard! AN/APG 73 radar, JHMCS, targeting pods, and data link just to name a few! Much more similar to c/d model at this point than a/b

I thought the legacy RAAF F18s had upgraded radar to AN/APG-73.

RAAF hornets used ASRAAM towards the end of there time in service, also they were upgraded in the early 2000’s to be as good as standard fa-18c

Wouldn't the ex-RAAF hornets use ASRAAMs for WVRAAM, as they would during RAAF service?

The RAAF F18s would be armed with the latest AMRAAMs

Im pretty sure the reason the Super Bugs did so well is due to the smaller radar cross section. Its simply a harder target to acquire for both the planes and missiles.

I know you really like to put as many spAMRAAMs as possible on fighters, but it's really penalizing the Hornets. They aren't gonna launch all of them anyways so it's just giving them more drag and worse kinematics. Just put 6 on each. Only scenario where they would be fully loaded is heavilly assymetric conflict where the enemy fighters can't fight back anyways so the Bugs can just lurk in the air and snipe anyone that dares to come close.

For the 18/35 fight: From what I could tell, there appeared to be an issue of firing 1st, turning to avoid incoming missiles, then turning to re-engage leaving you exposed to the second wave of missiles. Meaning that while the 18's could avoid the first wave from the 35's, they were opening themselves up for the 2nd wave to close enough distance so that when they started to turn away from the 2nd wave the "closer distance" was too small to out turn them. Meanwhile, the 35's simply didn't have the distance to turn around in time to outrun the wave of missiles coming at them. They could turn, but simply didn't have the speed to get away from all of the shots coming their way. They would turn to re-engage and already be facing a 2nd missile coming at them as they got their launch authority to fire. At which point, they were having to turn/run and it became too little - too late to help them out. That is the only reason that I could see that explained why the numbers started to drastically change over the battle.

The RAAF has AN/APG-73 after Hornet Upgrade Program

The RAAF upgraded the Hornets to use current systems. If Ukraine picks them up then they'll able to use pretty much anything the Falcons carry. They'd more likely be used in CAS/SEAD than CAP anyway. Having more missiles on a legacy Hornet is just a penalty if you don't ripple them off. The drag and dead weight would be a kill-maker.

RAAF hornets received an upgrade to the radar to AN/APG 73

Well done Matrix. Hung on for dear life there👍

I've been through this a lot on twitter; Seems like the only viable way to get them over to Ukraine would be to ferry them 3 at a time inside of C5s being refueled from Guam, Hawaii and San Diego, then to refurb them before shipping them to ETO.

I find it interesting that the legacy Hornets had about a 16.7% kill rate while the Super Flankers were only slightly better at a 17.7% kill rate. The Super Hornets had the same 16.7% kill rate, but the Super Flankers only had a 16.0% kill rate against them.

We have had those Legacy Hornets since the 70's or 80's. That makes them about 45 to 50 years old. I don't think the frames would be up to the task anymore. Looks good on paper but out in the real world. Don't know.

a thing you might consider is those hornets have upgraded radar and weapons plus warfare helmets and upgraded warfare suits , not you stock standard f-18

Great video Grim Reapers - I was waiting for this one after I heard the news about the ex-RAAF hornets! (Sneaky wishlist) I’d love to see you run a couple of small scale all-human tests of these aircraft - maybe a scenario of attacking & defending a small armoured column? Say 2-4 fighters and 2 helicopter a side each side has a stationary target to hit, a small convoy to attack, a small convoy to defend, and a stationary target to defend. Points for each objective and for air to air kills. But smaller and faster the better so we can see how different aircraft, like the Franken-Migs, the raaf hornets, might go against the might of the Ka-52s and Su-35s (and maybe the beautiful Su-34 on an attack run?:) )

"That's old mechanical RADAR tech I'm afraid" - which is nonsense - the "sensitivity" of modern RADAR is all about the back end return data processing. IE oversampling and hot-spotting returns - which is why mechanically scanned CAPTOR-M in Typhoon is STILL just about the best long range tracker fitted to any fighter aircraft - the systems behind it are fantastic - as they were in CAPTOR-M's Daddy - Blue Vixen fitted to Sea Harrier FA2 which had digital return over-sampling and was "unnotchable" 28 years ago. In fact they are better than AESA RADARs for this task until GaN modules finally arrived which cured the overheating issues which plague compact fighter sized AESA RADAR installations. AESA RADARs also typically have a narrow field of vision - which is why the Typhoon AESA is going to be mechanically steerable. PESA actually was a sensible alternative until GaN TX/RX modules appeared (GaN modules have only been fitted to some F-35s (and perhaps some F-15EXs) so far) - With PESA you could have traditional high-power easy to cool transmit and high fidelity/multi channel ESA returns - however rubbish Russian computing power couldn't take advantage of the theoretical advantage. The biggest advantage of AESA is multitasking due to the independent parallel streams of return data in which they are indeed a giant leap over traditional systems. Most fighter based AESA RADARS out there won't match the range of CAPTOR-M for more than a few minutes before cooling strategies ruin the range. GaN is the game changer and fighter sized AESA will finally come of age giving them the sustained range of the best mechanically scanned RADARs but with far more channels of data.

Lots of fun. Loved that no fuel dogfight!

Thanks GR!

Yeah, I thought the RAAF F/A-18 were upgraded to first slaved Meteor guided by Datalink with Wedgetails. They also had new radars and airframes in the early 2000’s in partnership with RCAF with new avionics etc from BAE Systems. I wouldn’t be shocked is they had AESA radars … these may actually need to be removed. Alternatively, maybe they are looking at the hornets that weren’t upgraded before the program was canned and we signed up for F-35A.

I think you should do better research into the Aircraft you are simulating as the RAAF FA18Cs were upgraded 20+ years ago and have been kept up to date until they retired them. The Australian Hornets were upgraded to an A++ standard, which gives them the capabilities of newer F/A-18Cs, including the type's upgraded AN/APG-73 radar, armaments, and onboard computer system which of course would make a huge difference in your simulation.

The fact that old legacy hornets (with AN/APG-73) even pose a threat to SU-35s is impressive considering their age

Wrong Hornet, wrong radar; don't know who would have your 'legacy' hornets.

Hello to the always entertaining Grim Reapers! Long time viewer, first time commenter here. My question is - i noticed that both human and AI pilots aren't using any physical (not sure thats the correct word - not my area of expertise at all) counter measures like chaff and flares. Ive also noticed that even when they are used in combat against more modern missiles that they dont seem very effective. Are the days of these counter measures numbered or even over? Thanks for all of the great videos!

Why is it not taken into account? that most of the Ukrainian aircraft were shot down by the R-37 missile, which was cut down in the game, and in general they were not presented in battle. And so will the MiG-31 and Su-35 with these missiles meet American aircraft.

The late respawns really warp the results. I don't know if the humans really need two lives when they are fighting from the back anyway.

Hey, Cap, could you please check how good would be Mig-29 or su-27 with AMRAAMs?

the pilots on the Hornets give the impression that they have recently obtained a light aircraft license! Interestingly, their only method of defense is to significantly lower the ceiling

Definitely needs a redoing with the information that has been provided in the comments.

any chance of these being posted on rumble?

would be great to see same scenario, but legacy planes (f16, f18) against comparable russians like SU-27 /30 or mig-29

Carrier Launched Fights! Two opposing Nimitz Class Carriers few miles apart with each aircraft-- F/A-18F Super Hornet's with AIM-120C-7's VS F-14B Tomcat's with AIM-54C's!🙏👍 Two opposing Kuznetsov Class Carriers close together so aircraft take off into the merge-- MIG-29KR's VS SU-33's!🙏👍

Brilliant work on The AIM-120C-7's!👍👍 Lol and The Super Hornet's! ;) No offense but I think your AIM-120C-7's maybe more deadly than your AIM-120D-3's😅

Do you think it’d be interesting to have these hypothetical Air Force donations go up against a diversified Russian Air Force or even like a gauntlet style run?

Can you set the F-22 visibility to a non stealth and run this to see what would happen if the F22 were somehow easy to spot?

Awesome fight, Simba retains his title lol..

realistically the F/A-18A, with F/A-18C avionics equivalence, that Australia can provide to Ukraine would likely be used as strike fighters those can carry a good amount of decoys and HARMs which makes them ideal to counter russian SAM batteries those have the range to fly over all of western Ukraine and strike at Crimea from the Black Sea, 41 F/A-18 Hornets would clear the peninsula of russian air defenses in a short time after that those can be used to deliver NATO compatible cruise missiles like Storm Shadow or TAURUS, but also JDAM and HARPOON making it impossible for the russian navy to sail out to the Black Sea

Will Smith ID4 “Let’s get low and let’s get fast.”

Cap, is there any way to model the Columbia unsuccessful return to earth in game

More interesting would be a more realistic setting based on current combat conditions. Have the same fight, but under the umbrella of Patriot/S300 vs S400 on the invaders side. Force the fighters to be at treetop like they've been flying at.

give them the amount of missles they use or something close to that please ! I think it would help them notch and stuff like that and survive.

Regarding the defensive tactics, It seems to me that diving to the ground while notching in large battles is relatively ineffective. Perhaps in a predominantly AI battle it might be worth exploring other defensive tactics. For instance staying high and going cold. The missiles have poor manoeuvring ability at high altitude and the survivors would be far better placed for subsequent missile shots.

1:34 its likely not lower, only the massively overhauled su35SM with an rcs of 1 to 2m squar is that stealthy, the base su35 is just not in the same ball park so its definitely 5m or higher

Chuck a couple of AWACs in the air (wedgetails or american) and maybe a few SAM sites on the Russian Crimean side, and it'd be a different story I'd say. Link16 and decent radars work ok for stuff like that.

Looks extremely interesting, so of course it's posted on a day when I don't have the time to watch it. Just watched-honestly hoped for something more related to understanding if these would be useful in a practical sense in Ukraine conflict-ground support or throwing buckets of missiles at distant targets, not simply getting blown out of the air by superior aircraft/missiles.

F for Matrix in that first fight 😅

Very interesting concepts being explored here @grimpreapers. I think the legacy hornets might have done better if we did have the correct radar. That said, I think the survivability is still greater than the current SU25/Mig29/SU27 fleet that Ukraine currently have. At least they will have the capacity to see the SU35 and react and choose engagement or mission-kill which saves plane/pilot. The reports are the current Ukrainian pilots have no chance unless ground-based radar can give them a vector to an aggressor. Would the F18 (Legacy Hornet with upgraded radar from RAAF) and F16A/C's last longer than the current UkrAF jets interms of being able to dictate their engagements and/or evade their RuAF counters? I believe they would be significantly more survivable than current. I'd love to see you test that?

“Objects in the RWR are closer than they appear”

The main advantage of the super Hornets is the amount of missiles they carry

Missing thrust vectoring could have influenced superflankers' ability to dodge missiles

do you have the French Rafale and see how they would do instead of legacy Hornets? i read an article about the possibility of Rafales being on the table for Ukraine Airforce

Why are the F/A-18s modelled as trying to dodge the oncoming missiles by diverging downwards? Would they not be better off pulling up to increase dramatically the aerodynamic drag on the missile when it needed to change its direction radically upwards, rather than just minor tweaks to an existing downwards trajectory?

Spain and the USA could send many legacy Hornets also. Some of the USMC Hornets have been upgraded with radars from Super Hornets among other upgrades. Spain could get refill by tranche 1 and 2 Typhoons from UK and others. The USMC can get refill by accelerated purchasing of F-35s and perhaps use some Super Hornets in the meantime.

None plane guy question: how come when you did the Tomcat carrier defense they had a2a missiles with much longer ranges than 90's tech missiles?

What an interesting competition would be if Australia could have donated its F111s. Sadly Australia were legally required to destroy the air frames due to the fact that even though it was a 1960s aircraft, it was still considered extremely lethal in 2010 when the raaf retired them. When the F111s and the legacy hornets were flying, the pigs (F111) always defeated the hornets. The F111 even at retirement was the world's fastest ground tracking aircraft. In operation red flag in 2008 the raaf pigs were the only aircraft that achieved a 100% attack success rate while not getting a single shot against it. So, out of interest, how would the F111s ago against the su27?

I'd love to see Eagle vs. Flanker through the ages. F-15 A/B vz. SU-27, C/D vs. 30, so on

This would have been a HUGELY different story if the super hornets had 120Ds or even the 260s.

Wouldnt the Rhinos have a lot better jamming capabilities to avoid missiles? Plus a more stealthy design.

I have no idea why, but this popped into my head while watching this episode, for a new series of GR videos. It may not be the best time with GR baby and all, but I think this concept, well-executed/done properly, could turn into something quite good. Essentially, it's adding a sort of underlying mission strategy to a PVP game mode. You get two (or perhaps more) team captains. Each team is their own respective faction and their respective country can be worked out perhaps biddding from a points pool/random number generator/flipping a coin/alterating/rock-paper-scissors (whatever it is, you get the point). When assigned this country, perhaps there could be pre-selected maps/map areas with open country, mountain landscapes, cities, and so on which could be the choice of the captain who lost for first pick of faction. Then there will be options: full war sim, naval sim, navail plus air sim, air sim, ground sim as the names suggest, the available units for each team would be dependent on their home country and what type of battle it is. I will write a quick scenario to try and explain. Simba is captain 1, Cap is captain 2. Simba wins and selects Russia, Cap selects the US and elects to go with a combined ground and air map with both farmland and a city. One of the teams may elect to be a defender, or both teams could be both offensive and defensive depending on the video and so on. In this case, Simba will defend his city as Russia with that being the capture point. He can win by defeating Cap's overall attacking force and/or lasting 60 minutes (something like that, all of this is open to fine-tuning). Both captains will have a set amount of points which dictates the overall size of the battle and if there are more human players, generally the higher the points total. The points are used to buy in-game assets. The assets they can select from would be a list of the most useful/popular units and each has a cost. Each unit can also be upgraded in certain ways for additional points. Simba is defending as Russia, so he purchases an S-400 system and three Pantsirs placed at areas of his choosing. Then, based on the actual winning criteria of the mission, perhaps he buys some armor for ground defense, a couple of Mi-24s, two Su-25, and 12 Su-35s along with extra points spent on enhanced missile distance. Cap attacking as the US elects to purchase two A-10s, two (cheap) Blackhawks with a bunch of dudes in them, 4 Humvees, 4 Bradleys, 8 M1 Abrams, and finally something like 4x F-16s for SEAD and six F-15s primarily for air-to-air with AIM-120D1 enhancement. Everyone would have the general mission info, but then it's up to the captains from there and they can choose where the human players go as well. The critical part, beyond the fact this is a serious endevour which would take a lot of effort to do correctly, is properly balancing how much each asset costs in this point system. Perhaps an Su-35 is 20 points, an F-22 40 points, and an F-15 14 points, a Pantsir as 8 points, and each Abrams as 2 points. Maybe a US supercarrier is worth 500 points and only comes with 8 Super Hornets without upgrades. This is all a huge rough example, but I think it would really generate some great content. Based on your skills in acquiring community assistance, I believe a simple user interface within Windows using a database could make the mission management part pretty easy once the bugs are worked out and things are balanced. But, if you got to that point with a "mission designer" type custom program wihere captains could even play around with their mission setups and export those over to you, the remaining time synch itself would essentially be actually setting up the missions in DCS via mission editor. It would be a long-term difficult project, but it's a thought and I think it has a lot of potential for GR to grow if done right. It would effectively be a highly customizable multiplayer war simulation with air, ground, water assets and AI assisted units with endless replayability as long as it was fun. The missions and entertaining matchups would ultimately write themselves and we'd be able to find a lot of interesting useful strategy as well.

And I quote “Smacky Boom Boom”.

Why no CC?

To finish the thought, when in Rome... Go to Ad Hoc. Great restaurant. And Alfredo alla Scrofa, gotta get the real Alfredo if you're in Rome.

What sort of war expectations would take Oz from f 111 to F 18 to F 35, ?

You messed up. Australian F-18's should be inverted on this side of the world.

Being ED just released the F-15 E we should see how it does against the SU-35. Does anyone have any predictions as both aircraft are top of the line fighters.

Offtopic: today, a pantsir failed twice to shoot down a storm shadow, video footage was released from the radar operator. But it seems like Russia claimed they intercepted it.

Appears to me the 18s only get one missle off while the Su are spamming.

Aussie Classics were brought up to Gen 4++ via the HUG Program. These are not at that level.

I'm pretty sure that at this point, even though these F/A-18 Hornets are "ex-Australian" none of them actually sit in Australia these days. AFAIK they were all sold off, some went to Canada to be used as spare parts while the rest went to a private collector who rents them out to the USAF for training purposes. It's the latter collection that might end up in Ukraine, though I do wonder about how many flight hours those frames have.

Hm, Cap complimenting Super Bogs. There has been disturbance in the force.

Fun, just fun, gliding combat.

If this is at all realistic then it seems that aircraft agility and speed are still important assets for a modern fighter. Yet the F-35 is not prioritised in that regard and the response to that I've regularly seen is that the 35's other assets out weigh those qualities. So what is going on here, would a stealth aircraft be so undetectable that it could win before the opposition had a chance to use it's qualities?

Depends who is driving it !

Australian f18 ab versions upgraded to a+++ rating and also have isralie jamming pod

Cap, our Hornets used ASRAAM.

I don't think the F-16's will make a difference but the FA/18's - that's a different thing.

I think we have to just say the SU-35 is one of the best non stealth fighters ever made... They have performed great in every single sim.. Fast, agile, and great missles The SuperHornet is such an improvment over the orignals and they are better and more veristle than the F16s IMO...

The RAAF is still flying Super Hornets and EA-18G Growlers, which were bought to cover a “capability gap” due to delays in the F-35 program. So it is possible to imagine a scenario in which the RAAF replaced the Super Hornets and Growlers and flicked them to Ukraine.

12:33 why? because you overloaded the hornets, irl they would probably have 6 sticks and 2 or 3 bags, they would jettison the bags when entering combat and they would be a lot faster and could be more maneuverable

Would like to see the same simulation with Grippen's; Maybe the results would be close to the same as the block 70 F-16. If the American election might impact the F-16 deployment in Ukrain. Maybe the Grippen might fill the void.

run the 16a vs the legacy hornets please

this test again with Gripens

Big problem is Pilot experience in that type of plane . Some of my friends who have flow F18 say it takes about 1,000 hours to be really good in them . Without those type of hours you are just bait for anyone in a near equal plane . Add in ground to air missiles and it depends whose area you are flying over . Russian planes can draw you into their own ground to air defence areas and they flee behind their lines . Tactics are as important as weapons load out . Russia can draw you into areas that have stealthier planes poised to attack as you pursue the target you can see on your radar . Airborne Radar is very important Australia have sent I plane over to help . Remember these are easy to shot down on take off with captured or bought on black market Stinger shoulder fired surface to air missiles , simply use mercenary in foreign countries to fire them Just like America has been doing with Private security firms .

Cap is being converted to pro super hornet

is Matrix Greek? cause on the map it wrote GR next to his name

Su35 is heavily Over-modelled, its a slightly upgraded su27, that is all

This is the first time I have been disappointed by one of your videos Cap.. Wikipedia has the list of upgrades that the RAAF did to their F/A-18's. This includes AN/APG-73 which would meant the radar range (60nm+) would have been much fairer. A later comment notes that many of them were upgraded to at least HUG Phase 3.2, however quoting wikipedia 'At any one time, the capabilities of individual aircraft differed considerably depending on their upgrades. Accordingly, the long-standing arrangement where aircraft were almost permanently assigned to each squadron was replaced by a system where they were pooled. Attempts to allocate Hornets with similar levels of modifications from the common pool to each squadron were not successful.'

Most of the ex australian hornets are in very poor condition in Guam. They were left to rot.

Everyone has already said it. Overloaded Hornets with incorrect Radar system installed. 4 to 1 missile launch difference is never going to be a good situation.

So Su-35s radar is nerfed, and deprived it of its best weapon, the well-known R-37M which it has been using to a great effect. All for "keeping it medium range". AND you gave Super Hornets the AIM-120D. Right.

Humans need to learn missile capabilities to successfuly defend agaist them. How does the DCS AI learn how defend against your modded missiles is what i wonder... and if they don't, wouldn't that explain how they could defend against the base game Aim-120 C5's so well, but not aginst the C7 or R77-1?

All the Aussie Hornets had APG73, new RWR, ESM, could carry any AIM 120C or D series...so this comparison is not right apart from the Super Hornets.

Giving all AI max rating is a stretch at best for both sides.