do air combat pilots still engage in dog fights?

Answer 1

To let you know, if the fighter pilots would know that they were never going to get into dogfights anymore they would have removed their Vulcan cannons from the fighters like the F-4 Phantom II. No, dogfights will be here forever, because missiles can be tricked and/or miss, fail to lock, be a dud (some missiles just drop off the rail) or even too dangerous a shot (your buddy may be the bandit's target and too close that the missile may lock on to him instead) Radars will short out or be jammed, sometimes you just need to go for the kill with the gun armed. The F-4's were outfitted with a gun because they found out that missiles don't always work. The AIM-7 Sparrow in Vietnam only had a 10% kill rate, in other words for every 10 launches only one will hit and kill the target. The best idea is to understand that technology can fail and sometimes you need to use the older tech to get the job done. The Israelies got a gun kill with the F-15 Eagle in their first war agaisnt Lebanon for the same reason as the most resent one.

Answer 2

Currently no. We have air supremacy over both Iraq and Afghanistan and there are no enemy aircraft flying. We still perform a counter-air mission where sorties are tasked to patrol the skies in the event that some other nation decides to invade the airspace over Iraq or Afghanistan.

Fighter pilots still train to very high standards should just an event ever happen. They train on how to use their standoff weapons such as Air-to-Air Missiles, as well as how to engage targets should they have to use guns.

Should an aircraft perentrate either of the airspaces listed above, our fighterts that are performing Air-to-Ground missions still carry weapons to defend themselves such as 20mm cannons (A-10's 30mm is designed for Air-to-Ground).

Fun fact: The F-15C (Strictly air-to-air missions) has a 20mm cannon that is canted 15-20% up off the nose to allow it to shoot targets easier while trying to get on their tail.

Answer 3

While it might be possible for the typhoon to beat the Raptor, I find it very unlikely. As others have mentioned, these simulated dogfights are based on assumptions of the information that is publicly available about each jet. The Raptor has way more features than most people know about that makes it, in my opinion, the baddest mofo jet in the sky out there right now and thus unbeatable. What program was this by the way? I pretty much have the MC on 24/7 and didn't see this.

Answer 4

duh! ever heard of TOPGUN? or the NAVY FIGHTER WEAPONS SCHOOL? the AIR FORCE FIGHTER WEAONS SCHOOL? not to mention countless other institutions and training regimens, and pilots settling bets in the skies?

dogfighting is as much a part of today's military aviation as it was almost a century ago! fighters, even the big bad modern F/A-22 Raptor and its "little stealth" buddy, the JSF F-35 Lightning II, are still fitted with rapid-firing cannon (which has replaced the machine gun/cannon combo of WW2), in the F-14's and F-15's case, the 20mm M61A1 "Vulcan", which fires 6000 rounds a minute. the Panavia Tornado has a Mauser 27mm cannon, i think, as does the EF-2000 Typhoon. pilots still practice ACM (air combat maneuvering), still pull maximum G's, and still duel it out in the clouds. dogfighting, despite the efforts of numerous critics who have been time and time again proven wrong, will never disappear.

Answer 5

You have to sometimes. The last time the US relied solely on air to air missiles, we were not effective in air combat. Lots of misses, enemy escaping, etc. Sometimes you have to bear a gun on the target, even today.

Answer 6

With todays technology.....dog fights are rare and not at all like you see in the movies. Most "dogfights" Take place at extended ranges and seldom are aircraft guns actually used.

Answer 7

yes all US pilots engage in dog fighting at all times

Answer 8

Yes they do. Watch Dogfights on the History Channel.

Answer 9

not often, but the new fighters britain have bought have been designed with dog fighting in mind, so are they planning something ;)

Answer 10

If it were necessary. They'd probably prefer to deal with their adversary at longer ranges, but that may not always be possible.