Originally Posted by
forumname
Edited for clarification;
I'm sure there's going to be opinions on this, but I'm just curious. In a pure turning post merge engagement just using the gun, which airplane was better, the original F8 or the F4?
I know there's a ton of factors that can skew it, like pilot training/proficiency etc, but which airplane could out turn the other?
Where there differences like at which altitude the engagement that might make one batter at lower altitudes and the other better at higher ones, etc?
I'm anxious to hear the answers/views of those questions as well. It was my understanding that the F-8 was the last fighter designed around a gun as its primary weapon and it was designed to use that in a turning fight... while on the other hand the F-4 was designed around the missle. Whether that is completely accurate I'm not sure.... it'd be interesting to hear about it from those that flew each. I suppose that an orginal F-8 would be better for a close, guns only fight than an orginal F-4... because I don't think the orginal F-4s had guns.