I love the look of the jas-39 Gripen, it is awesome, in fact I bought 4 plastic kits of it (two and single seatter).
regarding contender for the title, it didn’t actualy asked for contenders.
it asked if we agree if the F-15c eagle is todays best fighter aircraft and if we do why?
My argument as to why it is, is because it has the combat record to prove that.
If I thought it wasn’t, and the Grippen was, I’d say: no I don’t agree ’cause I think the Grippen is:)
Well, let me explain something, in case someone’s wandering what am I on about:
Personaly I love Mig aircraft (and SU- series too), and I would like to believe that they are the best fighter aircraft on earth, because I like their look etc, also when I was a kid I lived in country that used them (mig-21, 29 later) I’ve seen mig-21 @ local airshow, doing a roll about 100 metres from the ground, doing a hughe loop, starting from metres of the ground, topping @ out of sight high, and coming out of it @ excatly the same spot where started, I just loved it.
Anyhow, later when the mig-29 come on the scene and all of the aircraft magazines and reports were saying that the mig-29 is the best fighter aircraft in the world, including the western magazines, the reports were saying that mig-29 was better than f-16 and f-15 and as a matter of fact that the west didn’t actualy have an equivalent to the mig, geez I loved that fact it made me very happy:) I just loved the mig-29 and as a bonus it happened to be the best fighter aircraft in the world, how about that.
In a way to this day in my mind it is the best fighter aircraft in the world.
However, looking @ the facts and records, when NATO attacked Yugoslavia (I think) there were 5 mig-29’s that took of to intercept the NATO aircraft, incidently f-15c.
All migs were hit and 4 of them (I think?) got shot down, f-15c loses = 0.
That’s what I mean that f-15c is the best and there’s a record to prove it.
Now we can argue the fact, (understandably so) that the migs were grossly dissadvantaged: NATO had full AWACS support etc, NATO knew excatly where the field was, how many they have, in what condition they were in, how maintained they were, how often they were/been used for training missions etc. NATO pilots are well trained, with well maintained aircraft and equipment etc, also hughe numbers.
As far the yugoslav migs are concerned, they were just about useless, with their pilots not doing enough training, planes not being maintained, due to luck of spares/funds etc. The migs were just taking off and still climbing when shot down, the ones that stood chance to engage and fire discovered that their equipment failed(one of the lifes unpleasant surprises), so basicaly didn’t stand any chance.
So @ the end of the day, regardless of the circumpstances, the -15c proved the best fighter.
I mean I/we can asked the question: what if….???…, or if’s and buts, but it doesn’t matter, what matters is the resault.
I still think under all conditions being equall the mig is the best fighter, but the fact is: I just wanted to believe that.
Even to this day you’ll find websites and encyclopedias that still claim that the mig-29 outperforms the F-15 and F-16 type of aircraft, although I can’t find any combat record to prove that.
Same goes for all the other new aircraft: f22, jas39, rafale, f35, eurofighter etc, they are all the best, they were designed to be, they have the specs and the equipment to be etc, but we don’t know yet if they are, we believe they are, in combat most likely some of them will be, on the other hand some aircraft that someone thinks maybe the best, may get shot down like flies, but untill (if) that happens, we don’t know for sure which is the best, what we do know right here right now is: the f-15c is the (proven)best fighter today:)
this is strictly my personal opininon, I live in a country that doesn’t use neither the mig or f-15c, but uses the “ugly” f-18 hornet, bummer!
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