How can ppl say this or that is the best fighter plane?

Question

When a huge number of modern planes have never actually seen combat or the human factor (Pilot skill) have not been taken in to account,So therfore best prop driven fighter could be Spitfire or Fockwulf,P51 Mustang plus you must think of the period when these planes met in combat 1914 Sopwith Cammel or Spad the list is endless what we must not forget is the brave people who flew them and why,Same goes for modern aircraft.

Answer 1

Based on the time when all aircraft were built and flown, there have been many which were the best. Over the years are the ones you mentioned, plus many of todays aircraft. The aircraft may be well built and designed, but as for its performance and capabilities, it is all left up to the pilot, who makes the final decisions as to how it performs. To carl marks, I'll correct you on just one thing. The US came out with the look-down shoot-down systems for their aircraft before anyone else did, and the first ones to have this capability wher the F-15 eagle, F-14 Tomcat and F-16 Falcon, just to name a few.
My hat is off to all those who came before us and those yet to come that take on the responsibility of flying these machines, whether they are fellow countrymen or those we may oppose. The skills they use will make the difference in their outcomes

Answer 2

whilst on exercise in the RAF i witnessed a mock dogfight above RAF NorthCoates in lincolnshire. the exercise was USAF v Europe. there were 3 f15 versus 2 hawker hunter (used at the time as training aircraft for jaguar) the hunters won! pure luck and smaller turning circle probably, but not bad for a plane built in the 50's. all aircraft have plus points which a good pilot uses to his advantage...the 1914-18 Sopwith with its rotary engine made turning (i think to the left) really fast, but ,to the inexperienced pilot that same action could turn into an uncontrollable spin! didn't the spitfire have a problem with negative g 'pushover'? that's why they turned upside down before diving?something to do with the fuel flow? has anyone seen the Harrier in action? remember the Falklands?admittedly they were only up against the finest of french aircraft design (sorry, had to get that one in).the phantom was an excellent all rounder, but the yanks lost rather a lot to the migs which were 15 years older!i think that these days the emphasis has shifted to more 'stand off ' aerial combat, thinking its better to have your aircraft and pilot return in one piece. personaly i prefer the 'Bader Big Wing' approach, outnumber the enemy 3 to 1 as a minimum.

Answer 3

To me as a brit the Spitfire and Hurricane are the greatest fighters, not only did they prove themselves in combat but the sight and sound of these magnificent aircraft in flight is enough to bring tears to my eyes.

If you go to America they will tell you it was the Mustang because of its range and fire power. The Mustang was originally known as the Apache and was nearly scrapped until the RAF stuck a Merlin 61 engine in it and it became a true great of the second world war

The Germans will put forward The Fw190 or Bf109G both of which were found wanting by the MkVIIII and Mk1B/MkII Spitfires Respectively.

The Japanese will probaly say the Mitsubishi Zero.

In the modern era you've the F15C Eagle and Harrier F/A2 both of which as far as i'm aware are both undefeated in Air-Air Combat, although the F15C was out turned By an Avro Vulcan B2 during a Red Flag Training Engagement in Canada!!!!

really its down to who you are and where you are from more than bare facts and figures. For me the measure of a great Fighter is the affect it has on you and your Enemy on that score the Spitfire wins Hands down

Answer 4

This is why I never get involved with any "What is the BEST" (fighter plane, car, motorcycle, boat, truck, toaster, etc) questions. A lot of it is personal preference, and as ADULTS we really shouldn't be here to stomp on anybody's toes just because we like something that someone else doesn't.

In the aviation world, (both big and small, old and new) , Cessna, Piper, Beech, Grumman, Taylorcraft, Boeng, Stearman, Lockheed, GD, Bell, Robinson, Huges, McDonnell, Raytheom, Embraer, British Aerospace ALL make or made good and a few bad products. If I forgot someone's favorite aircraft, it's not intentional, just trying to make a point. Even the ATR has its following . . . certainly not my favorite, but still has merits. It's comfortable for a commuter, is pretty stable in the air and has decent payload capacity, both pax and their stuff. I like the fact that it has fairly large cargo holds fore and aft. You also need a GPU to start it, it will tip back on it's butt while you're boarding if you don't load it right (passengers don't like that) and it's kind of slow and clumsy-looking. I think it looks like it has a big ***, especially when you have to make a tight turn on the ground.. But that's just my opinion, and my opinion, like everybody else's, really amounts to ZIP when it's all said and done.

Let's play nice, shall we?

Answer 5

I agree. It's a VERY difficult claim to make. There are just too many factors outside the actual airframe that affect the outcome in battle: pilot training, command and control, etc. For instance, how often is there a one on one fight between two different fighter types? If there ever was, I highly doubt both sides have equally skilled pilots, equal support, and equal command and control. One of the basic rules of war is to go to battle with an overwhelming advantage so you'll rarely see battles when both sides are equal. The closest way to evaluate two different fighters might be in a one vs. one fight where the outside factors are controlled to be equal such as in aerial combat training that U.S. fighter pilots often do. However, no matter how realistic the training, it's still just a simulation.

Answer 6

Aircraft companies will say their planes are better than others so that they can sell them.
But the real test is in armed combat can an F16 kill a Sukhoi 27 I would say no but they have not yet encountered each other in combat.
I base my reasons for this on the manoeuvrability of the Sukhoi 27 and its look down shoot down technology which the F16 does not have.

Answer 7

Yea. But the abilities of the planes in testing. Air shows. Whatever. Thrust to weight ratios. It does depend on the pilots and a bit o luck though im sure. And training and stuff.

Answer 8

It's all a matter of opinion, even if you asked the question of the pilots who flew the birds. Me, I think the F-104 and F-111 were the greatest inventions since pockets on shirts. There are many who would disagree with me. See? Just opinions.

Answer 9

Planes are like women, all will do in a pinch, yet there are some that just get you going. But for the most part you can deal with most of them.

Answer 10

yup, it's hard to judge how good something is when it hasn't been proven. although a recent programme declared the north american mustang was the best fighter aircraft, proving itself in the pacific conflict against the japanese fleet.