USAF F-22A Raptor and USAF F-15 Eagle fire flares during a training sortie above the Gulf of Mexico, USA. Photographer: USAF Staff Sgt. James L. Harper Jr. Via http://ChamorroBible.org/gpw/gpw-20060914.htm (medium, large, huge)
I am sure he knows about the plane but he plays so much golf he might have forgotten to do this.
Yeah, just try and get in position to do that.
Well in the training dogfight where an EA-18G Growler got a kill on an F-22 it was due to good old target fixation. The F-22 pilot got so busy trying to lock up one fast maneuvering FA-18 that he forgot to check his six. The Growler flying ECM was able to get on his tail and take him out with a gun kill. All the stealth in the world doesn’t help when you are tracked by the MK-I human eyeball.
The Budget Cut is the most powerful weapon known to mankind. So far it is undefeated.
One F-22 might have a pretty good chance of shooting down another F-22?
Simple. Attack them in a ratio of 31:1. Sometimes, quantity has a quality all its own.
In other words, chances are slim and none! LOL! Slim does happen occasionally.
A General is saying this?
Is he going to give out the launch codes next?
What a stupid and wicked thing to say. The #1 argument for having weapons like this is their deterrent effect. Our fighter fighter pilots are well-trained and expert at what they have to do, but I doubt there are many who look forward with pleasure to the prospect of aerial combat.
Purchase 35 times as many F-15 type aircraft, train the pilots decently and flail away? I think that would do it.
BS on the article and a lot of the comments in this thread.
Here is the facts on this scenario from someone who actually does this stuff:
“
Dan
Quoting Dozer— “The Hornet “snap” shot - good story. Happened here at Langley. It was a stock, combat configured F-22 flying a BFM (dogfighting) sortie against an airshow configured, i.e. squeeky clean, not combat configured or loaded, Super Hornet (not at all representative of how it performs with 8 pylons, an EA pod and 4-6 or missiles hanging off the rails and probably a fuel tank or two or their out of gas real quick...). It started from a 9000 foot line abreast 300 knot setup (which AF pilots never fly) where they turned into each other at the “fights on” call. It’s not a scenario we fly because we never find ourselves in those parameters, we try to set up realistic parameters we expect to see in combat - otherwise the lessons learned aren’t applicable and while it might be fun it’s not a good use of scarce training time. The Hornet pilot gave up everything he had to point at the Raptor and take a snap shot - it was NOT a tracking shot. The AF pilot honored the training rules we’re all supposed to abide by, they’ve been written in blood because pilots have been killed in these scenarios so our training rules look to prevent those scenarios by causing guys to quit manuevering for the shot to prevent a mid-air collision. With greater than a 135 aspect angle and inside of 9000 feet we’re supposed to avoid pure or lead pursuit to avoid that head on collision, inside that range at our tactical speeds there’s not enough time to react to prevent a collision once you realize it’s going to happen. The Navy pilot completely blew off that rule, the AF pilot honored it, the Navy pilot pulled lead pursuit all the way into the high aspect (greater than the 135 degree gun shot rule) snap shot, the AF pilot lagged off to prevent the mid-air collision potential, the Navy pilot was still on the trigger inside the 1000 foot rule (we’re supposed to avoid getting inside of 1000 feet from each other to also help prevent mid-air collisions), attempting to get the snap shot, he’s inside the 1000 foot range with the trigger on, flies within about 200 feet of the Raptor (remember who’s backed off to honor the training rules), and dang near kills himself and the Raptor pilot and causing what would have been one of the worst fighter to fighter disasters in recorded history. I’ve had that happen twice to me when I was flying the Eagle as a weapons officer (close enough to hear very loud engine noise and I figured I was dead both times, but God wasn’t ready to take me yet), and both times I knocked off the fight, made the guy fly home, busted him on the ride and he had to explain to me and the boss why he was being stupid. That is the ONLY gun shot video I have ever heard of or seen from ANY Hornet engagement, ever. And it was a hugely B.S. and completely boneheaded act as you can see from the actual circumstances.””
If I remember correctly - there was an Operation Red Flag execise in the 1970’s, simulating combat between T-38 trainers and F-16 fighters.
The T-38s were the Aggressor Squadron [simulating Russian MIGs] - and were allowed to modifiy their jets with Common Off The Shelf [COTS] equipment.
The Aggressor Squadron DEFEATED the F-16s [decisively]. Their secret - Automobile Radar Detectors tuned to the correct frequency AND the human eyeball ...
Did anyone notice the photo. The horizon (clouds) are angled. The 22 climbs at 70 degrees. Only true 90 degree vertical climb I’ve personally seen is F-15.
