Applies to: Battlefield 6 and REDSEC on Game Update 1.4.3.5 (live since September 30, 2026), during Season 4: Tidal Strike. Season 5: Siege of Vegas has been previewed but is not live as of October 6, 2026.
Quick answer
Jets are not bugged and they were not left untouched. EA has reshaped air combat four separate times, and almost every change pushed in the same direction:
- Update 1.1.3.5 reduced jet cannon damage against other jets and helicopters, "requiring approximately 40% more hits to destroy enemy air targets." That is why dogfights now feel like they never end.
- Update 1.3.1.0 published a full damage table for every weapon that shoots at aircraft. Twelve of the twenty-two damage-against-jets entries in that update land on exactly 1,000, the highest value EA prints.
- Update 1.3.3.0 then raised Attack Helicopter Heavy Rockets against jets from 450 to 520 and buffed all three anti-air ammunition types, while cutting the tank round that was overperforming.
- Update 1.4.3.0 removed the directional warning that told pilots where a MANPAD lock was coming from.
- For Season 5, the only jet-specific item EA has named is a resupply-pad cooldown change. Every other air item in the Season 5 previews is an anti-air buff.
If you want the two-seat Top Gun jets and the Hardware Ranks that unlock their countermeasures and ordnance, that is pure vehicle grind, and it is the part you can skip. Our Battlefield 6 vehicle leveling service handles the Hardware XP so you land in a jet that is already kitted.
Are jets bad in Battlefield 6, or just skill-gated?
The community verdict is that jets have been near unplayable for a year. The more precise version, which keeps surfacing in the air-power threads, is that pilots do not say the airframes are weak — they say dogfights cannot be finished, and that any fight lasting more than a few seconds degenerates into circling an enemy headquarters where base auto-anti-air and mobile launchers punish you for being predictable.
Both halves are traceable to published patch notes rather than to vibes.
The first half is Update 1.1.3.5, which is explicit: EA "updated jet combat balance by reducing jet cannon effectiveness against other air vehicles," and the changelog puts a number on it — "requiring approximately 40% more hits to destroy enemy air targets." No subsequent update restored that damage. If you learned to fly before 1.1.3.5, your gun solutions are permanently 40 percent short.
The second half is the ground-to-air ladder.
Every published damage value against jets
Update 1.3.1.0 printed twenty-two damage-against-jets values, eighteen of them attached to a named weapon. Update 1.3.3.0 then revised two of those and published a figure for a third weapon. Nobody has put the current list in one place, so here it is, with every value 1.3.3.0 touched marked.
| Weapon or ordnance | Damage vs jets | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Aim-Guided Missile | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| Air-to-Ground Missiles | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| 120mm HEAT-MP-T Rounds | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| 120mm HEMP-T Rounds | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| Aim-Guided Shells | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| Lock-Guided Missiles | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| Attack Jet Mk82 High Drag Bombs | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| Fighter Jet GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| C-4 packs | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| M136 AT | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| RPG | 1,000 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| Light Rockets (higher entry) | 700 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| 120mm APFSDS Rounds | 650 | Cut from 750 in 1.3.3.0 |
| Attack Helicopter Heavy Rockets | 520 | Raised from 450 in 1.3.3.0 |
| Aim-Guided Rockets | 460 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| Light Rockets (lower entry) | 330 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| HEI-T Rounds | 150 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| AP shells | 100 | Set in 1.3.1.0 |
| High Velocity Anti-Air Ammunition | 65 | Raised from 60 in 1.3.3.0 |
Two caveats, because the internet gets both wrong. EA has never published aircraft health, so read this as a ranking, not a shots-to-kill count — and the shape matters more than any single row, with eleven named weapons on an identical ceiling of 1,000, which suggests a cap rather than a tuned value. And "Light Rockets" appears twice with different numbers — 700 and 330 against jets in the same changelog — so anyone publishing a single Light Rockets figure is guessing which one they got.
The infantry story is simpler. The M136 AT and the RPG both sit at the 1,000 ceiling, which is why the practical advice — bring a launcher, not a sniper — keeps being right. Our anti-vehicle loadout guide covers which Engineer kit closes the deal.
The pilot-facing changes most players missed
Four changes have real consequences in the air and almost no coverage.
The MANPAD directional warning is gone. Update 1.4.3.0 carried an explicit developer comment: "We've heard your feedback on infantry vs. aircraft balancing. We are removing the directional warning that alerts pilots to the location of a MANPAD lock-on. This means pilots will have to break off attacks earlier or wait for the missile trail to find its source, making the MANPAD a more effective deterrent and its user less vulnerable to immediate retaliation." That is EA deliberately taking information away from pilots. If you are still flying as though you will be told where the lock came from, you are flying a build that stopped existing on September 15.
Jets no longer spawn on breached carriers. Also 1.4.3.0: "Jets will no longer spawn on the carriers once breached, and will only be available through the deploy screen." On Top Gun: Carrier Strike, take your air time early — once your carrier is compromised the convenient spawn is gone.
You have a below-radar indicator, and most pilots have never looked at it. Update 1.3.1.0 added it: "Jets and helicopters will now have an indicator on their HUD clearly showing whether or not they are currently being protected by below radar." The same update added a threat indicator that appears when a nearby enemy jet has your vehicle in its sights.
Forcing flares now scores. Update 1.4.2.0: "A new score event has been added for forcing enemy aircraft to deploy countermeasures, providing clearer feedback and rewarding effective use of anti-aircraft gadgets." The same update made missiles "react more quickly to countermeasures deployed by their target." Both reward the anti-air player, not the pilot.
Update 1.4.3.5, the build live right now, contains zero jet-related entries — we searched the full September 30 changelog for every jet, aircraft and countermeasure term and found nothing. Our full 1.4.3.5 breakdown covers what actually shipped.
Every jet in Battlefield 6 and how you unlock them
EA names four jets across its own pages. The F97 Kestrel appears as far back as the 1.3.1.0 audio fixes. The generic Attack Jet and Fighter Jet designations carry their own ordnance — the Attack Jet Mk82 High Drag Bombs and the Fighter Jet GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs in the table above. And Update 1.4.2.0, which went live on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, added the two Top Gun airframes:
- F/A-81F Super Spectre. EA's description: "Bring your wingman into battle with this two-seat Top Gun fighter jet. Built for aerial superiority and precision strikes, the Super Spectre allows pilots and co-pilots to work together to dominate the skies and attack targets below."
- F-74A Seacat. EA's description: "Adapt to every flight and every fight with this two-seat Top Gun fighter jet. Its variable-sweep wings adjust during flight, giving pilots a distinctive aircraft built for speed, maneuverability, and aerial combat."
An authority note, because it trips up guides: EA spells these inconsistently inside a single update. The Portal section of 1.4.3.0 reads "Added support for FA-81F-Super-Spectre and F-74A-Seacat", while the audio fixes in the same changelog read "The F/A-81F Super Spectre and the F-74A Seacat". The second spelling is the vehicle-facing one and the one to trust.
Both are two-seaters, which is the single most useful fact for anyone who cannot fly: one player pilots, the other runs weapons. Ride the second seat for a few rounds before you waste an airframe.
What you cannot shortcut by riding along is progression. Each new aircraft arrived with its own Hardware path starting from zero, so countermeasures, ordnance and optics are gated behind Hardware XP earned in that specific vehicle — not your account level and not your Career Rank. Our vehicle unlocks and Hardware XP guide explains how that ladder is scored.
Skip the airframe grind:
- Battlefield 6 Vehicle Leveling — Hardware Ranks on jets, helicopters and armour so your countermeasures and ordnance are unlocked before you take off.
- Battlefield 6 Weapon Leveling — for the Engineer launchers and the long-range optics that actually threaten aircraft.
- Battlefield 6 Account Leveling — account level and Battle Pass progress, including the tiers that hold the Interdictor.
How to fly if you keep crashing
Update 1.4.2.0 is the patch that made flying approachable, and most people never read its vehicle section. It added "a new assisted aircraft control option" that "makes flying more approachable by guiding the aircraft towards the centre of the camera view while automatically managing pitch, roll, and yaw." EA calls it Airplane Control Assist. Turn it on, learn where the airframe wants to go, and turn it off later.
The same update improved "all Jet landing gear physics," giving "better control during take-off, landing, and taxiing," fixed the Fighter Jet's Precision Bomb so it "can now track laser-designated targets as intended," and stopped lock-on rockets fired from a jet causing "unintended aircraft movement or damage." Earlier, Update 1.2.1.0 fixed jet throttle input remaining active after ejecting, the map flipping when rolling an aircraft, and duplicate ladder indicators on the jet HUD.
One grievance EA has not addressed is cockpit camera freedom. Pilots in the current air-power threads describe having to lock their control surface in order to look around, trading situational awareness against manoeuvring. The closest thing in any changelog we searched is "Free Camera has been updated with a new control system" in Update 1.3.3.0, which says nothing about cockpits or pilots — so treat the look-around complaint as still open.
What EA has actually confirmed about jets in Season 5
This is where almost every guide currently on the internet is wrong.
The expectation is real and it came from EA. The Tidal Strike community update stated plainly: "We have some targeted changes planned for jets in the next season, and will share more once those changes are finalized." The next season is Season 5.
Then EA published two Season 5 previews — the Siege of Vegas community update on September 30, 2026, and the longer Season 5 and Beyond article on October 1, 2026 — and we searched both for every form of the word jet. Siege of Vegas contains zero occurrences. Season 5 and Beyond contains exactly one: "Air Vehicle Resupply Pad Cooldowns are now vehicle-class specific (example: a jet can resupply immediately after a helicopter without waiting for a shared pad timer)."
That is the entire confirmed jet-specific Season 5 change. No handling rework, no cannon restoration, no countermeasure change, no new airframe.
What the previews do name for the air war points the other way: "Anti-Air System Changes to create a stronger interplay between Anti-Air and aircraft. Such changes include making the cannons for mobile Anti-Air more effective against aircraft and raising the skill requirement for laser designators by requiring users to more consistently track targets in order to maintain lock." Mobile anti-air cannons get stronger against you; laser designators get harder for your attacker to hold. That is not a jet buff.
EA has also told us when to stop speculating: "You can find a full breakdown of these changes in greater detail once our Update Notes go live the day before the season goes live." As of October 6, 2026 those notes do not exist, no Season 5 game update page has been published, and 1.4.3.5 is still the live build. Our Season 5 weapon balance breakdown tracks the rest of the previewed changes and flags which are Battle Royale only.
The jets-only mode is leaving the lineup
Here is the deadline nobody has connected. Gauntlet: Fighter Sweep is the only jets-only experience in the game — EA describes it as a chance to "take to the skies with your wingman in a jets-only Gauntlet experience built around high-intensity aerial combat." The Tidal Strike update confirmed "Carrier Strike and Fighter Sweep have been extended through the entirety of Season 4." Separately, the Siege of Vegas update says: "With Season 5, we're prioritizing Rapid Royale Solos and will be removing Gauntlet from the active playlist lineup." Fighter Sweep is a Gauntlet experience, so both statements point the same way.
To be precise, because this gets exaggerated — that is a playlist-lineup removal, not a deletion or cancellation, and EA has not said Gauntlet content is being destroyed. Our Gauntlet and Season 5 piece covers the full wording. But if Fighter Sweep is where you grind aircraft Hardware XP, grind it now.
FAQ
Are jets getting buffed in Season 5? No change to jet handling, guns or countermeasures has been confirmed. The only jet-specific line in either Season 5 preview is a resupply-pad cooldown becoming vehicle-class specific. The named anti-air changes make mobile anti-air cannons more effective against aircraft, which is the opposite direction.
Why do dogfights take so long now? Update 1.1.3.5 reduced jet cannon damage against other jets and helicopters, in EA's words "requiring approximately 40% more hits to destroy enemy air targets." No later update reversed it.
What is the best way to kill a jet as infantry? The M136 AT and the RPG both sit at EA's published 1,000 ceiling against jets, the same value as a tank's HEAT round. C-4 is also at 1,000, which matters on carrier decks. EA does not publish aircraft health, so treat these as a ranking rather than a shot count.
How many jets are in Battlefield 6? EA names the F97 Kestrel plus the two Top Gun two-seaters, the F/A-81F Super Spectre and the F-74A Seacat, and separately prints ordnance for generic Attack Jet and Fighter Jet platforms. There is no single published roster page for aircraft, so any precise count you see elsewhere is inferred.
Can you get sniped out of a jet cockpit? Yes. The Interdictor, added in Update 1.4.2.0, is described by EA as giving "skilled marksmen the precision needed to eliminate exposed targets, including aviators in aircraft cockpits." It unlocks through the Battle Pass. Our sniper rifle guide covers where it sits against the rest of the class.
Is there an easy mode for flying? Update 1.4.2.0 added Airplane Control Assist, which guides the aircraft toward the centre of the camera view while automatically managing pitch, roll and yaw. Two-seat jets are also a legitimate way in — ride the weapons seat while a friend flies.
Can I still spawn a jet on a captured carrier? No. Update 1.4.3.0 removed it: jets no longer spawn on carriers once breached, and are only available through the deploy screen.
When do Season 5 patch notes drop? EA committed to publishing the update notes "the day before the season goes live." As of October 6, 2026 they have not been published and no Season 5 game update page exists.
Sources
- EA Battlefield 6 Game Updates 1.1.3.5, 1.2.1.0, 1.3.1.0, 1.3.3.0, 1.4.2.0 (August 18, 2026), 1.4.3.0 (September 15, 2026) and 1.4.3.5 (September 30, 2026)
- EA, Battlefield 6 Community Update: Tidal Strike — the planned jet changes statement
- EA, Battlefield 6 Community Update: Siege of Vegas Incoming, September 30, 2026
- EA, Battlefield 6/REDSEC: Looking Ahead To Season 5 And Beyond, October 1, 2026
- Battlefield 6 community air-power discussion, October 2026
