MiG-21MF hunting A-4s in 1973

[+streakeagle 871]

Getting airborne:

 

Taking a shot with an R-13M:

 

Decoyed:

 

Another R-13M shot:

 

Out of missiles, switching to guns... no kill like a guns kill:

[Rambler 1-1 9]

Tisk tisk. Picking on poor, defenceless scooters with a MiG 21? Hardly a fair match.

 

Nice shots, though.

[+streakeagle 871]

If the A-4s drop their ordnance and engage, they are anything but defenseless.

They obviously don't have the speed and power of the MiG-21, but the MiG-21 flies a lot like an F-4 and an A-4 flies a lot like a MiG-17, so you have to be patient and fight in the vertical if the A-4s engage aggressively.

In this case, they let me empty my missiles into their flares and pull in close for a gunshot before they scattered and engaged.

Of course, while I am turning and burning with the A-4s, their are usually some F-4s and Neshers looking for easy missile shots.

I do get shot down sometimes by AIM-7s, AIM-9s, and Shafrir.

 

I enjoy MiG-21 versus F-4 fights the most if the AI pilot has a high skill level.

They always take me on a long ride of vertical and horizontal scissors with yo-yos, lag rolls, you name it.

Whereas the A-4s just outturn me, then I outclimb them, rinse wash repeat until the AI gets distracted by another issue and flies straight long enough for me to get shots off.

[Rambler 1-1 9]

Wow. If that's not the essence of dogfighting, I don't know what is.

Edited August 23, 2008 by Rambler 1-1

[Lt. James Cater 62]

Thats pretty much how i go about it in an F-100.

 

Seeing how unreliable those early AIMs were i'm always anticipating a gun pass during the initial approach.