Stealth Fighters: What are they for?

[TheRealDio]

I have always wondered what stealth fighters are for. I use normal fighters/jet fighters only in "maintain air superiority" mode (is there any other way they can be useful? for bombing they are quite weak). But stealth fighters can't be put in air superiority mode (why?). So why use them (for bombing one would use bombers) and what for?

Is there anything I have overlooked?

[JeffH]

Stealth fighters are cheaper than bombers, so you can churn out a larger number quicker.

I generally use them to take down unit stacks and for improvement bombing, but in greater numbers they are effective at taking down city defenders.

[TheRealDio]

So basically stealth fighters are just cheaper stealth bombers?

Why can't they do air superiority - is there a reason (game balancing maybe) for that? Being fighters, their main purpose should be air superiority after all.

[alexman]

Stealth fighters also have a higher defensive strength than Stealth Bombers, so they have a lower chance to get shot down by AA fire, SAM missiles, and Fighters on air superiority. Use them when you think your target is protected by such units.

They don't have air supriority because that would make jet fighters obsolete, and that was not the designers' intention. Stealth Fighters are really bombers in this game.

[Fistleaf]

I believe the major purpose of Stealth fighters is for Precision bombing.
Stealth aircraft have only 5% chance of being shot down so higher defense or not makes no difference.
I think JeffH is right, Stealth fighters are cheaper to build, just like you can build more Destroyers to rule the seas rather than build fewer Battleships.

[alexman]

In C3C, units with AA ability (e.g. Flak) shoot down planes without taking stealth into consideration, just their AA strength and the defense of the plane. That means that AA shoots down stealth bombers more often than stealth fighters.

Also, SAM and Fighters have a 5% chance of intercepting stealth planes, but it's not enough to intercept, they have to win in combat. Higher defense of Stealth Fighters means that they win more often against Fighters and SAM.

Of course Stealth Fighters are cheaper to build and otherwise similar in effectiveness to Stealth Bombers, but they also have unique characteristics. Just like Destroyers are not only cheaper but also faster than Battleships.

[Hermann the Lombard]

Originally posted by TheRealDio
So basically stealth fighters are just cheaper stealth bombers? Why can't they do air superiority - is there a reason (game balancing maybe) for that? Being fighters, their main purpose should be air superiority after all.

Think F-117 "Stealth Fighter" as opposed to B-2 "Stealth Bomber." The F-117 is almost exclusively a precision bomber. Now as for the F-22...that might indeed make the jet fighter relatively obsolete.

[Nor Me]

Originally posted by TheRealDio
I use normal fighters/jet fighters only in "maintain air superiority" mode (is there any other way they can be useful? for bombing they are quite weak).

Yes, there is. They can do recon missions as well. They are especially useful in naval warfare as the range of industrial age ships is far beyond their sight. To explore with ships risks casualties unless you can get them back safely. This limits the effective range of even the destroyer to below that of air units.

Since fighters on recon can't be shot down as far as I know, the advantages of the stealth fighter over the jet fighter for it is marginal. The extra range can be important but the main difference is that the stealth fighter can bomb reasonably as well as see. In situations where air defence isn't needed, it's going to be better.

[vmxa1]

This tactic is the main reason for me to want stealh. I want the extra range. Being able to recon to locate those carriers is very useful.

[Jaybe]

To keep stealth fighter/bomber vulnerability similar to PTW regarding fighter intercept, go into the editor and give them negative hitpoints (-2 or -3). Hitpoints don't apply to SAM/flak, so no problem there.

Personally, I give Stealth Fighters a bombard strength of 8.

[Aqualung71]

It's been a long time since I researched Stealth.