When does the German AA get effective?

[Reymu]

Title. My Nurnberg captain doesn't have AFT yet, and generally don't fell a plane unless it stays within my AA bubble for a while.

[Mesrith]

Tier 8 is solid, tiers 9 and 10 are very good with AFT/BFT.

[Magic_Fighting_Tuna]

When you get BFT, AFT and install the AA upgrade.

 

[TheCalciumKid]

My Hipper has more than solid AA with the aforementioned upgrades and skills. I hate carreriers, thus my decision to turn her into a flipping AA platform. The Hindenburg though, that thing is a plane killer if half the videos I've seen are to be believed

[SeaRaptor]

Tier 8 is solid, tiers 9 and 10 are very good with AFT/BFT.

 

My Hipper has more than solid AA with the aforementioned upgrades and skills. I hate carreriers, thus my decision to turn her into a flipping AA platform. The Hindenburg though, that thing is a plane killer if half the videos I've seen are to be believed

 

Tier 8 is the tipping point.  Hipper's AA with AFT/BFT - with our without Defensive Fire - is quite solid.  Roon and Hindenburg devour planes that linger in their AA bubbles, so much so that I don't bother with Defensive Fire on either ship.  German Hydro is just too good.  

[sargentmki]

How is this in comparison with Baltimore and Des Moines. (New Orleans AA is meh so I don't care so much about that comparisons)

 

I'm only at the Nurnburg and want to just keep track so I know what to expect.

[SeaRaptor]

This should help.  

Now this is just a test, but it will give you a good sense of how good Hindenburg's AA really is.