I thought that the F-16 was the most agile fighter in widescale use today, but I keep hearing that the F-15 is the worlds best air superiority fighter.

Maybe Air superiority >< best dog fighter?

What am I missing?


[Edited on 22-10-2003 by AZLS1]

in my humble personal opinion, the F-16 is the best fighter on the planet

It depends on the pilot really, and how he can take advantage of his strengths and the opponents weaknesses.

F-15 (A) has a G-Limit of 8..

F-16 has G-Limit of 9+



Plus that F-16 has better power to weight and acceleration.. (ratio..)



And also..

F-16 is build to be a dog fighter..

F-15 is build to be a an interceptor.. (bomber killer..)

That doesnt matter FULCRUM, its all in the pilot. Either A/C could win that with the right pilot.

all else being equal, in a dog fight at short range involving alot of maneuvers and such, the F-16 would win, but it would be hard to get to that point because the F-15 would beat it at the long range contest

The F-16 is multi-role, reliable and easy to maintain. On the other hand the F-15 in its attack role has a significant edge: it can reach the newer and distant targets therefore, what is important is that extended threat area and has it become the priority in military strategy.

Basically in close the F16 may be better, but the F15 should kill you before you get close

The most important thing to realize is not how they fight eachother, but how they work together when it really matters. Both are vital to air power.

The Typhoon would win.

Originally posted by DarkSide
The Typhoon would win.

Hehe, nice discussion here. I'd put my money on hte JAS-39 Gripen, it's a light fighter, the Typhoon is much heavier.

You can't really compare the F-16 with the F-15, they were build for different tasks...

Too bad the days of the dogfight are over....Now we just shoot missles and drop bombs on targets that you only see on a computer screen.....on an unrelated note...I got to stand up close and personal to a B-1 Lancer and a B-2 yesterday...freakin amazing machines

Originally posted by DeltaNine
That doesnt matter FULCRUM, its all in the pilot. Either A/C could win that with the right pilot.

~Actually it's not about the pilots. I believe they are making a comparison of the two planes in general, not which or what pilot has more skills.

Oh, whatever. I cant be bothered arguing right now.

Maybe tommorow I will retort.

F-15 wins hands down, it is designed to intercept targets at greater distances, period. The falcon doesn't stand a chance unless it gets up close.

F-15 wins hands down, it is designed to intercept targets at greater distances, period. The falcon doesn't stand a chance unless it gets up close.

good point pw

And getting up close is the whole point of this thread, hence the "dogfight" part of the title. Read it. It helps.

"a glass door"seems to be a reasonable answer ....but given the circumstances(ergo a dogfight circumstance),the f16 is an amazing machine, think how agile the thing is, and i suppose the f15 would launch missiles...then what? agility's what a dogfight's all about
it matters in any case, closecombat, or longrange, if u can dodge 'em ur controlling the game

[Edited on 27-10-2003 by Cyrus]

Dogfights can also be classified as being long range.

F-15K/T with AESA/APG-77........


regards
seekerof

Originally posted by AZLS1
I thought that the F-16 was the most agile fighter in widescale use today, but I keep hearing that the F-15 is the worlds best air superiority fighter.

Maybe Air superiority >< best dog fighter?

What am I missing?


[Edited on 22-10-2003 by AZLS1]

The important issue here is Tactics! How do you want to run the fight?

Senario 1: Turning Fight
In this compition the F-16 clearly wins hands down. The F-16 was built to turn hard and has no problem pulling up to 9G's. In two or thee maneuvers the F-16 will be on the F-15's tail and in range to shoot.

Senario 2: Vertical Fight
This time the F-15's higher thrust wins the day. In a climb, the F-15 can quickly pull out of the F-16's weapon's envelope. Plus with a quick flip over the top the F-15 would quickly bring the F-16 in its weapons envelope.

So I think the answe to your question depends more on the tactics used in the dogfight, than on the individual planes.

Tim

[Edited on 6-11-2003 by ghost]