I saw a video saying the F-4J/F-4E were the best air to air fighters in the world in 1973. This true?The Viggen was worse in what way? Was it at least the definitive #2?
Also was the Fishbed better than the Draken?
Viggen's fighter variant didn't have its first flight until 1974
>>64336475Ah, gotcha. When he did arrive was it better or worse?
>>64336448The F4 wasn't even the best fighter in the air when it was introduced let alone in 1977. An F-5, F-100, or F-8 would kick the ever loving shit out of an F-4 in a dogfight, and the F-4 even in 1977 wasn't to the level to where it could spam BVR missiles and hope for a long distance hit.The F-4 was, compared to its contemporaries, the worst frontline fighter that America has ever had. Not that it was bad, it was fine. But it lacked the decisive edge over its adversaries that all of the others had, it was merely adequate in Vietnam.
>>64336564>1977At that point you had F-15 squadrons that would beat everything mentioned at the same time
>>64336448Viggen was primarily a strike aircraft.
>>64336448f4 got a shitton more airkills than any viggan did
>>64336448That is one sexy aircraft.
>>64336562the F-14 was already entering service when the fighter viggen appeared.
>>64336564>1977I said 1973.>>64336636Yes but again how did fighter Viggen compare to best Phantoms?
>>64336564>the F-4 even in 1977 wasn't to the level to where it could spam BVR missiles and hope for a long distance hit.The video said the F-4J had look down shoot down capability?
>>64336564Bruh. The F4 was the first true multirole fighter. It brute forced all other fighters. It could go fast, carry a fuckton of weapons and bombs, and had superlative radar for its time. Most fighters before it were only good in one of these things at the expense of the others. It was let down a bit by immature AAMs tech but still kicked anything the Soviets had in the ass. All other fighters since then followed in the F4s footsteps.
I want to have sloppy baby-making sex with the Viggen
>>64336658More like the f4 was brute forced into being a multirole fighter after macnamara killed everything else other than the tfx/f111 - which itself was supposed to be the ultimate multirole aircraft.
>>64336745Did he just not have a zero-zero ejector seat?
>>64337129Might have thought he could save it at first, and by the time she stops quaking I'd probably follow his lead and try and sneak out instead of ejecting over a massive fuel fire
>>64337369On top of the "where the fuck am I going to land" question>I think I can squeak out of here with some minor burns>Guaranteed turn my spine into an accordionI think I'm taking the same choice
>>64337481Bump
>>64337481Especially when you consider flightsuits are flame retardant, though ngl I would've panicked and pulled the ejector seat the second a fire burst out
>>64336642>Yes but again how did fighter Viggen compare to best Phantoms?More agile, worse electronics and armaments, especially in the then new airframes compared to very mature and fleshed out Phantoms by that point. I doubt Viggens benefitted from US Riven Joint research on IFF and cockpit ergonomics at that time ether.
>>64340386To be fair, the JA Viggens had some ground breaking technology of its own when it entered service with the STRIL system, pioneering in data sharing and first digital on screen map.The map system was possible in the Viggen aircraft owning to the fact that Sweden is relatively small. and the storage media, cassette tapes back then could only store very limited data. US engineers tried to copy the system but it didn't work since US aircraft were expected to operate over much larger areas unlike the Viggen which were designed purely to operate along the Swedish coast.Pic related, how the map was displayed. Pretty damn shit by modern standards but back then it was groundbreaking.
>>64340546Sure but i don't think it's that relevant to discussion about fighters. As a bomb truck Phantom was totally lackluster compared to contemporary dedicated USAF and Navy bomb trucks other than in payload. Intruders had that electronic navigation system that projected a tunnel image on a tv screen for you to adjust your heading without looking outside the cockpit, for example. This worked so well the system made it into US submarines afterwards.
>>64340569Decreasing the pilot workload and improving battlefield awareness is surely good in a fighter, no?I think the biggest drawbacks of the JA-37 was the meager loadout, 2 Skyflash and 4 Sidewinders, or perhaps the relatively limited action radius while the electronics were one of the stronger points.
