With some jets, I think it depends on the angle from which you are looking at them. The F-15, for example, looks really nice from in front and above (like in shots taken from tankers as it hooks up for refueling), but the side view is very bad for the Eagle. The F-16 and F-14 have “bad” angles as well. I guess you need to take photos from their “good side.”

recently in an AFM they mentioned that the Mig-31s used to practise intercepting them when they flew recon missions down the iron curtain. Wonder how those Mig-31s got anywhere near them if these steathy SR-71s can’t even be tracked… I mean did the Mig-31s just fly around all day and night using IRSTs to get a glimpse?

It flew 2410 sorties, the vast majority of them it wasn’t even detected.

So guys, which is it? Maybe the two of you should compare notes; you don’t seem to be on the same page.

Since an Archer launch includes illuminating the target until impact, the pilot has to keep his head turning towards the target, a very tiresome procedure when performed in heavy G dogfights.

So the Archer isn’t a fire-and-forget AAM?

Agreed. SSN is the worst naval-warfare fiction book I’ve ever read. Go ask JA Worsley what he thinks about it. 😀

Don’t mean to split hairs (well, I guess I do), but SSN is technically not a novel really, it was meant as a companion piece to the SSN video game. But I agree it is easily Clancy’s weakest work of fiction.

However, I don’t think it’s anywhere close to being the worst naval-warfare fiction book ever written. IMHO, that dubious honor goes to “Kilo Class,” by Patrick Robinson.

Stephen King once said that every aspiring author remembers one book which, while reading it, makes that person think “I can write much better than this, and this guy is published and making money!” And thus the aspiring author is encouraged like never before. “Kilo Class” was that book for me.

also….who cares of the “sadam argument”???, im not talking about that……

It’s EXACTLY what you’re talking about. You’re claiming that medium range AAMs will be ineffective in a heavy ECM environment. He was pointing out that ECCM can counter ECM, and he referenced a specific example to support his statement.

I realize that supporting one’s claims with factual evidence is something of an alien concept for you (i.e., your ridiculous pronouncements of the Raptor’s supposed inability to reach 60 degrees AoA), but apparently not everyone here is so hindered.

The flatpack name is the same as the Fulcrum, or Flanker name. Made up in the west names to describe Soviet/or other foreign aircraft they don’t know the names of yet. Do a google on ASCC.

Do the Russians use a similar “code name” system for US and Western aircraft? Or do they just call them by their given names?

Somehow I don’t think Flex would criticize that argument about the Eagle’s air combat success if the same was true of the Flanker or possibly the Fulcrum.

Well, the Fulcrum is undefeated against Cessnas. :diablo:

Honestly sorry, that was a smarta$$ comment, but I just couldn’t resist.

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.

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,

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,

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.

Kudos to you, for being able to set personal preferences and nationalism aside and look at the subject objectively. That puts you FAR ahead of many people…