What is your all time favorite military fighter jet?

The F4 is my favorite. They used to wake me up in Northern Thailand getting ready to make the daily sortie into Viet Nam. Most of them were made in my home town.

I get the impression that pilots would not choose the same plane.
The last time I mentioned the F4 a lot of derisive comments, like like Lead Sled. How times change.:)

2 would be the F86
3 would be the F4U Corsair (I know its not a jet but It is my favorite piston aircraft.
 
F-86 Sabre -
Golden age of fighters was WWII & Korea - mainly 'cause of those fire & forget missiles like the sidewinder and sparrow (I know the sparrow needed to have the radar kept locked). Now days the amraam is an over the horizon thing. Not cricket I say.
WWII & Korea was guns/pilot/airplane vs. guns, pilot, & plane.
So favorite jet fighter - F-86 Sabre.
Favorite propeller fighter - F4U Corsair or P-47 Thunderbolt.





 
Somebody above mentioned the AIM-9 Sidewinder Missile.
It has been a solid performer from the git-go for us and our allies.
And it was a wonderful surprise for the Nationalist Chinese F-86s to use against the ChiComs Mig-17s.
The F-86 was well matched by the Mig-15 but slightly outclassed by the Mig-17.
But the addition of the Sidewinder tilted the playing field in favor of the Sabre.
The F-86 was a great gun fighter but also a great Sidewinder platform.

FOX TWO: The Story of the AIM-9 Sidewinder, by Don Hollway
 
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If interceptors count, the English Electric Lightning. Also the SAAB Gripen and SAAB Vigen.
 
A couple of points. I talked to an F-15 pilot who said it was a dream to fly, compared to the F-4. He thought sometimes in the F-4,"Please, please turn!" as he maneuvered. The F-15 is much more nimble.

Secondly, it's been mentioned here that the Korean War produced the last dogfights of plane and pilot against comparable hostiles. I'd challenge that, as some dogfights happened over Vietnam.

But it's interesting that in Korea, a Royal Navy Sea Fury piston engined fighter shot down a MiG. Did any other allied prop planes do that?
 
It's hard not to mention the Russian SU -27 also. Shattered 27 world records, some held by our beloved f 15. And can perform maneuvers no western aircraft could. Some say the raptor can perform some of these also. Its is a beautiful plane in my opinion. I'm sure it would be a tough fight with our majority aircraft like f 15, 16, 18.

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I am worried about the capability of recent Russian and Chinese fighters. And they have a lot of them!
 
Yes, and I'm sure the Ruskies have some very qualified pilots, for the most part anyways.

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Texas Star said:
A couple of points. I talked to an F-15 pilot who said it was a dream to fly, compared to the F-4. He thought sometimes in the F-4,"Please, please turn!" as he maneuvered. The F-15 is much more nimble.

Secondly, it's been mentioned here that the Korean War produced the last dogfights of plane and pilot against comparable hostiles. I'd challenge that, as some dogfights happened over Vietnam.

But it's interesting that in Korea, a Royal Navy Sea Fury piston engined fighter shot down a MiG. Did any other allied prop planes do that?
Click to expand...



Yes, in Viet Nam a pair of A-1 Spads brought down a MIG.
 
I would have to say it's the A10 Warthog! ;)
Just the name of it makes it sound like it wants to get down and dirty! :rolleyes:
I like it! :)
 
I like the AC130. Not a jet but neither was the C130 mentioned earlier. But the AC130 can bring a world of hurt to the enemy! Not sure how to post pictures.
Trying to post a link. Angel of Death.

http://youtu.be/vP8AvkSqATs
 
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A couple of points. I talked to an F-15 pilot who said it was a dream to fly, compared to the F-4. He thought sometimes in the F-4,"Please, please turn!" as he maneuvered. The F-15 is much more nimble.
Click to expand...

I can attest to that, back in the 80s someone decided P3s needed to be familiar with DACM (Dissimilar Air Combat Maneuvering) so we would go off of the coast of CA and play with the fighters. We always were able to turn inside of an F4 and meet them head on. Occasionally they would go as vertical as well as they could and then come down on us, we would just tighten up the circle under him and when he decided to commit we could turn into him.

The F15s were a different story all together, it would give us a workout trying to stay nose to nose with him.

I am not sure who decided we needed to train like that, the real bad guys would have lobbed a missile at us from so far away we would probably never see them.

Speaking of the MiG 17, I never knew they had an afterburner until this airshow in 2010. Very swept back wings and tail.

MiG172_zpsc74e3047.jpg


bob
 
Put me down for the Me-262. Had Hitler not been a mad man and insisted they waste airframes on a bomber variant - and dedicated production solely to interceptors - the war in Europe would likely have continued. As an interceptor, it carried four 30mm automatic cannon, one round from such being capable of severing a wing from an Allied heavy bomber. It was such a great round that it was copied for the infamous A10's Gatling gun! The other limit was the early Jumo & BMW jet engines with their 10-20 hr lifespan. The 262 was built in limited numbers as a radar equipped 2-seat night fighters, too. It still looks mean close up - like under the B36's wing at Wright-Pat (USAF Museum in Ohio.).

Speaking of the B36... it had, in latter variants, four jet engines. They augmented the six P&W R-4360's in pusher format, mainly on take-off. They would be the first to likely drop an M4 bomb in the first "Broken Arrow" (lost nuc) event. So... it was a 'jet' powered aircraft!

Stainz
 
I guess if I have to name an old and previously operational plane I would go with the SAAB Draken. Perfect for the 1950's and a steampunk Battlestar Galactica.
 
 
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I'd have to go with my late father's favorite.

His nickname was Thud Guy. (the F-105 was the only one he could walk under without ducking. :) )
 
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