How we ranked them
Three coaches ranked all 26 aircraft across four metrics: campaign clear speed, endless-mode ceiling, boss damage and forgiveness (how the plane flies when your hands get sloppy). Disagreements were settled on stream, which was exactly as chaotic as it sounds.
Patch 14 shifted the meta: laser aircraft gained tracking buffs, and the heavy bomber line lost 8% bomb radius.
S-tier — the airspace owners
- Mustang P-51 'Boomerang' — the laser-tracking buff pushed it from good to oppressive. Best boss DPS in the game.
- Zero-Sen Kai — unmatched agility and the tightest hitbox; endless-mode record holder.
- Corsair F4U — the all-rounder; no weaknesses and the friendliest learning curve at high level.
A-tier — the honest workers
Spitfire Mk VIII, Hellcat and Lightning all sit a rung below: each excels in one discipline and stays usable everywhere else. If your favourite plane is here, it is genuinely viable — do not reroll.
B-tier and below
The bomber line took the patch hit hardest; B-17 remains fun for campaign but bleeds score in endless. Trainer aircraft are exactly that — retire them once a real fighter unlocks.
What this means for your grind
If you are mid-unlock on a B-tier frame, the maths now favours redirecting to Corsair or Mustang. Our Aircraft Unlock Concierge computes this properly for your hangar state.
