Posted on 07/13/2017 7:52:41 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
The Israelis would get directly behind and slightly lower. The field of view in that aircraft is very limited.
The defection of Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa with his MiG-21 in 1966 gave the Israelis exactly what they needed to develop dogfighting techniques unique to that aircraft.
These were put to great use in 1967.
Most notably, at roll rates over 180 deg per sec the 21 had a very pronounced yaw coupling that got worse as the roll rate increased . Much worse. This was largely fixed in the MiG 21Bis by using a yaw damper in the controls but it really crippled the older models in a dog fight because it prevented the pilot from taking full advantage of the 21s high relatively high maneuverability
A well flown MiG 21 bis actually has an edge over the early F16 at speeds below 400 knots, but very few jet pilots would consider engaging an enemy fighter below 400 knots
He did mention the below the nose visibility , and rear visibility issues. However he also mentioned that its poor performance against the Israelis was primarily due to poor pilot skills and training of the Arabs.
Not a very technical observation, but I always thought the MiG 21 was the neatest looking fighter. I was very excited to finally see one close-up at a museum a few years ago. I was surprised at how small they are.
Interesting that the pilot used the term a “supersonic suit” for his (one ?) very high altitude flight profile, as if it were a pressure suit .... but the normal low altitude flights were supersonic with no such pressure suit. He also indicated the 21 had no real flaws, but apparently only the best pilots could use it - ordinary pilots could not fly it successfully.
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