I have to question the current costs/perks involved to fly this great bomber.
The AR234 carries only 3 bombs and is a high altitude bomber, hence for a bomb run with a successful impact one need to take a formation flight having a total of 9 bombs.
But here is the catch, flying the AR234 in formation the cost would come to roughly 178 points one has to redeem. Flying one single AR234 is not sufficient and with minor affects. This might be the reason why we almost never see anyone flying the AR234 in the main arena. The AR234 is the only bomber in the game one can redeem bomber perks for; unfortunately there is no other “Perk-Bomber” around, like a B29 could be.
The AR234 was supposed to be used for very strategic operations, i.e. HQ runs, bomb runs on time pressure, etc. I wonder if the point/perk system for this bomber has been set up to avoid any strategic operations in the main arena, a place where almost everyone sorely looks for kills and climbing up the ranks (just watch how eager one is for vulching). The current behavior in the main arena is far from a strategy, something all wars in history were planned on.
I hope that in AHII the AR234 perk system will be more moderate or that great bomber better be removed from the bomber list.