Date Posted: 2007-04-09 00:06:08.
Subject: The Best Fighter
Name: alwayshot
Message: The F-4 wasn't the best fighter we ever made, but it wasn't that bad either. It still had a superior kill record over the North Vietnamese, in spite of the fact that it was deployed in a mission it wasn't designed for all too often. it was never meant to be a pure fighter, rather a fighter bomber type craft. I also remember seeing those things come whipping across the rice paddies there, looked real impressive flying so low that they would kick up a huge rooster tail of water with their speed. That had to be the worst flying tactic ever. A well thrown rock could have knocked one down, they were flying that low!

As far as air superiority? That would have to be the F-22, it's basically an AWAC as well as a fighter.

As far as dogfighting goes these days? Dogfights take place at just subsonic speeds, or in the trans sonic envelope. I would say that we are currently beyond dogfighting with our current technology. But amidst comparable planes it all comes down to pilots, not planes these days.

Date Posted: 2007-04-08 23:44:41.
Subject: US vs RUSSIA
Name: alwayshot
Message: You have a pretty good perspective on the subject. People Will disagree with a lot of this, and these are just my opinions. But they are the result of a lot of reading and experience. And my opinion is that any confrontation would be much like the Cuban Missile Crisis, a good old Mexican Standoff. Both sides are simply too tough.

As far as air power goes, the Russians do have some formidable aircraft. But there is a reason the USA has an unchallenged air force:-->track record. Also to be considered is the fact that American aircraft have been squaring off against comparable Russian aircraft for half a century now, always with discouraging results for the Russian aircraft.

Enough flag waving though. Why would this question even be considered? The air force is just about to become as obsolete as the calvary. Lasers and other ray type weapons are coming out of the woodwork every day. They can be deployed on items like ... satellites for instance. Future versions will be able to either focus on a pinpoint precision target, or fan out like an umbrella. And much of this already a reality, deployment is the next phase. Once that happens an aircraft will be one of the least survivable of all military vehicles. Maybe this is why we are suddenly spending so much on the development of a cloaking device? Or maybe trekkies are just bored.

For those that think nukes wouldn't be involved in the initial conflict? If it were to happen, and the first incident were a naval one, there could very easily be an exchange of tactical nukes. There is very little consequence for the use of nukes in a maritime environment.

But one thing you were right on the mark about; the superpowers definitely don't want to be adversaries any more than they already are in today's world. We all already have more issues than we need to deal with. The biggest thing to worry about in this area is the rumored goal of Al Qaeda, which would be to involve China and the western powers in a major war.

As far as bragging rights about Russia and the USA? Both countries have formidable and capable armed forces. Absolutely no one wants to see the proof of a definitive answer to this one.