The Greatest Fighter Jet of All Time.

[Condora]

I liked his story about the fictional missile missile they cooked up and logged for fun.
And then put noses further out of joint when a visiting American said that the 'winder had closer miss distances than their "project" - the reply was "Oh , we thought everybody measured miss distances in inches..."

I seem to have missed that one. Air International didn't send many copies here, so either because some numbers failed or were all sold, I missed quite a few.

Hope someday they decide to publish his articles, even from a... how did he describe himself? "Old-aged drinking womanizer"?

 

[Condora]

I like amusing WW II stuff:

there's the radio-guided bombing the germans had. They had a beacon the bomber would follow, until it reached a point that was intercepted by another radio beacon. They would then be on the spot to bomb, even if they could not see it.
Some brit scientist just made a fake second signal, so that the bombs would be dropped in empty fields.

 

[Corebare]

Why is the F-8 Crusader on this list, but the F-16 is not?
Are they going strickly by war record performances or ability?
If they are going by design, armament, performance, stealthiness, in my humble opinion, the best jet fighters of the modern era 1 through 10 are:

1. F-22 Raptor
2. F-15 Strike Eagle
3. F-18 Super Hornet
4. Mig 29 Fulcrum
5. EE Lightning
6. EF - 2000
7. Harrier
8. F-14 Tomcat
9. MIG 21
10. F-4 Phantom

(If we're going by war parformance; F-15, Phantom, F-86, Mig 17, the Crusader and the Harrier should top the list.)
Where's the list for WWII aircraft?

 

[FLYBOYJ]

(If we're going by war parformance; F-15, Phantom, F-86, Mig 17, the Crusader and the Harrier should top the list.)
Where's the list for WWII aircraft?

"War Performance?" Don't you mean Combat Record?

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The list is generally flawed. The Harrier is not a fighter and therefore in my opinion should not be in the list. The Arrow should not be in the list either. What did it do to be considered the best? Nothing...

 

[Loiner]

The list is generally flawed. The Harrier is not a fighter and therefore in my opinion should not be in the list ...

True, however the Sea Harrier FRS1 was a dedicated fighter with a dedicated fighter search radar, and thanks to it's one sided great success from the couple of little baby carriers in the South Atlantic in 1982, should deserve a place on the list if it was to be updated to include the Sea Harrier instead of Harrier.

 

[Waynos]

Quite right. Also, following the lessons learned in that conflict, the Sea Harrier FA.2 complete with AMRAAM's and the radar from which the Typhooons CAPTOR was derived, was one of the most capable (if not very fast) fighters in the world. A read of Sharkey Wards 'Sea Harrier Over the Falklands', now out in updated form, is extremely enlightning and his damnation of of todays 'RN' Harrier GR.9.s, by comparison with their predecessor, quite damning.

 

[Lucky13]

Quite right. Also, following the lessons learned in that conflict, the Sea Harrier FA.2 complete with AMRAAM's and the radar from which the Typhooons CAPTOR was derived, was one of the most capable (if not very fast) fighters in the world. A read of Sharkey Wards 'Sea Harrier Over the Falklands', now out in updated form, is extremely enlightning and his damnation of of todays 'RN' Harrier GR.9.s, by comparison with their predecessor, quite damning.

Do tell.....8)

 

[walle]

I went with the MiG-15 for its combat record.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I went with the MiG-15 for its combat record.

Combat record? For the most part it got creamed!

 

[Lucky13]

Just look at the F-15, how many kills have they accomplished, with no F-15's shot down yet! That's a combat record in more than one way.... 8)

 

[CrotalusKid]

F-4 Phantom!!! Here's a pic of one of my dad's birds! 480th TFS Spangdahlem, Germany circa 1980-83

 

[HealzDevo]

But then, the question is Lucky13, how many times have F-15s really gone into a high threat environment?
As far as I know, Iraq really didn't have that many SAMs, neither did a lot of those environments.
The F-15 first flew in 1976 which is really too Not meaning to denigrate the F-15's achievements but as far as I know, it never really did prove itself in Vietnam or over the Soviet Union.
Therefore it was never in a hiigh threat environment for SAMs. The F-4 did and was very good at its role.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

But then, the question is Lucky13, how many times have F-15s really gone into a high threat environment?
.

Bekaa Valley 1982

But the point here is if the rest of your air force is doing their job correctly, your primary air-to air fighter will never be faced with a SAM threat.

 

[CrotalusKid]

Bekaa Valley 1982

But the point here is if the rest of your air force is doing their job correctly, your primary air-to air fighter will never be faced with a SAM threat.

Who took care of the SAM threat? The one and only SEAD king, F-4G baby!!!!! In all honesty, they are both excellent, very versatile fighters. They come from different generations, and dealt with different threats. One cannot say which was better.

 

[Lucky13]

Don't get me wrong but, I read somewhere that the F-15, have proved their superior combat capability with a confirmed 26:0 kill ratio.
Even though that I like the F-4, F-8 and the F-104 better, I quickly learned that only beacuse you have a favorite aircraft, doesn't always mean that it's the best...
On this list I do think that the best jet fighter, as some still have to prove their combat capability, like the F-22 and the Su-37.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Who took care of the SAM threat? The one and only SEAD king, F-4G baby!!!!! In all honesty, they are both excellent, very versatile fighters. They come from different generations, and dealt with different threats. One cannot say which was better.

Actually A-4s were also used by the IDF for suppress SAMs and anti aircraft batteries...

As far as saying one is better? The F-15 by a long shot. I've flown in F-4s and been around F-15s. They did serve in two eras and when you work around them you could see the jump in technology and thought that went into the F-15. Also look at each one's combat records. The F-4 dished out more than it received but the F-15 is undefeated.

 

[CrotalusKid]

Actually A-4s were also used by the IDF for suppress SAMs and anti aircraft batteries...

As far as saying one is better? The F-15 by a long shot. I've flown in F-4s and been around F-15s. They did serve in two eras and when you work around them you could see the jump in technology and thought that went into the F-15. Also look at each one's combat records. The F-4 dished out more than it received but the F-15 is undefeated.

I was just going by the "best of it's day" rule. I feel that directly comparing an F-4 to an F-15 is a little like comparing an Eagle to something more advanced, say a raptor. I don't feel the combat records are of huge importance as far as the Eagle goes, either. Everywhere it has gone it has been flown by vastly superior pilots in a better equipped armed force.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

I don't feel the combat records are of huge importance as far as the Eagle goes, either. Everywhere it has gone it has been flown by vastly superior pilots in a better equipped armed force.

Over Bekaa 1982, the Syrian AF had the top of the line Soviet equipment and might of had a few Soviet pilots flying with them. The Syrians were planning this encounter for a long time and got their butts royally handed to them. They were no slouches and they did manage to shoot down at least one or two A-4s, but in essence the training won out as well as the equipment.

The combat record shows the stuff works in real time situations and I firmly believe that Bekka showed the world what was to happen if the Soviet Union attempted to challenge the US in a conflict with their top hardware at the time. This was confirmed over Iraq 10 years later.

I believe the F-15's combat kill ratio is something like 83 to one. That has to count for something besides superior pilot training.

 

[Waynos]

In design terms, the F-15 was/is a masterpiece of fabulous design for its role that is virtually unchanged (apart from the stealthy F-15SE prototype) in almost 40 years.

Counter that with the F-4 with its drooping tail and upturned wingtips that, whilst admittedly very cool, are only there because McDonnell made a total hash of the original design.

Separately, possibly the only other jet fighter, apart from the F-15, with a 100 per cent A2A combar record is none other than.....................................




The BAe Sea Harrier!

TA DA!