almost everybody... 8^)
I had the privilege and opportunity to spend several hours with a recently retired Air Force pilot. He had 28 years in (USMC, Air Force and ANG) and retired in protest over the recent homosexuality issues in the military.
When I visited him, he had on his wall about every plaque and certificate you could imagine that could be bestowed on a fighter pilot. Top Gun school, you name it. He had extensive combat experience in Iraq and Afghanistan. He said had flown everything in the inventory from A-4 Skyhawks to the F-15 (Mostly F-18 and F-16) but not the F-22.
When I asked him if he had ever flown against F-22's, and if so, what was it like, he looked at me and said:
"Flying against the F-22 was like being a baby seal."
This guy was, from all accounts, Sierra Hotel as a fighter pilot, and he said that not only was it not even close to being close, but "Any pilot not flying an F-22 who tells you he waxed an F-22 is simply full of crap."
That says it all... thanks
On a air combat wargame website, some of the designers were trying to come up with a way of simulating the F-22 in their game. They came up with a humorous table for the F-22's opponent to use:
80% chance: you are shot down and have no idea why.
10% chance: you see the F-22 immediately before you are shot dow.
10% chance: you see the F-22 and eject before you are shot down.
This guy was, from all accounts, Sierra Hotel as a fighter pilot, and he said that not only was it not even close to being close, but "Any pilot not flying an F-22 who tells you he waxed an F-22 is simply full of crap."
I've heard there was one simulated battle flown by Air Force pilots where some F-15s or F-16s won against the F-22, but it was a set up lopsided battle to show how bad things would have to be for the F-22 to lose. If I remember the story, the F-22 wasn't allowed to have any AWACS support and was outnumbered at least 6-1, and the other planes came in from above and behind and even then it was still a very close battle.
http://www.dakotavoice.com/2010/06/f-22-slaughters-f-16-in-war-games/
“The F-16s still manage to make some kills even against the futuristic Raptor.”
http://www.f-16.net/f-16_forum_viewtopic-t-8620.html
“The 57th Adversary Tactics Group undertook some interesting tactics not contained in the overall [scripted] intelligence scenario. These involved surprise threats, generally Red Air [enemy] fighters, entering the air battle unexpectedly. White Force [exercise control] staff would confirm that the threat was Red and Blue Air [the “good guys”] had to react. The tactic worked. An F-16C pilot assigned to the 64th Aggressor Squadron gained the first-ever F-22 kill in Red Flag. [94th commander] Lt. Col. Dirk Smith told AFM: “At least half of the 94th FS crews had less than 50 hours in the F-22 and no matter how magical the F-22, any pilot can make a mistake. The beauty of Red Flag is that we were able to go out and practice our tactics in a challenging scenario, make a mistake, learn a lesson, and be that much better prepared for actual combat.”
almost everybody... 8^)