U.S. Warplanes Face Down Iraqi Jet Over Saudi

Yahoo News ^ | Sun Mar 2, 7:48 AM ET | Mariam Isa

[KKing]

The MIG-25 is a fast pig, our ancient F4's have a tighter turning radius.

Good info here.

[El Gato]

After all, if we hadn't protected them 12 years ago, they'd all be speaking Iraqi now. >

While I know what you mean, Saudi's and Iraqis, along with all the rest of the Arabs, from all along the African shore of the med to the western shore of the Persian Gulf, speak Arabic. I imagine they speak with different accents, colloquiallisms and such, but they can understand each other at least as well as Brooklynites and Texans can.

[El Gato]

Just out of curiosity, how does an F-15 stack up against the "Foxbat," from a performance perspective?

F-15 is an air superiority fighter, Foxbot is a strategic interceptor, in particular one designed to intercept the Mach 3 US B-70, which we never built beyond the 3 prototypes. The F-15 is more manueverable, but the Foxbat is way faster. The Foxbat doesn't turn very well, even at slower speeds just below Mach 1, where most dogfights occurr. Depending on how equiped, the Foxbat probably has shorter range eyes but longer range missles. They are so fast that intercepting them is very difficult. IIRC, the Israelies never managed to intercept and shootdown any of the Mig-25s which were making high speeds runs from Syria to Egypt (or vice versa). Although they didn't have F-15s at the time, nor AMRAAMS. A better combination than an F-15 and AMRAAM (slammer) would be an F-14 with Phoenix missles. The F-14 was designed as a Fleet Air Defense fighter, a mission with many of the same requirements as a strategic interceptor, save that the FAD fighter also needs the ability to loiter, which is part of the reason the F-14 has a swing wing. Only the US Navy, and maybe the Iranians, fly the F-14. (We, or at least I, don't know if any of the Iranian F-14s are still flyable, having been deliered before the fall of the Shah, the Iranian hostage crisis, and spare parts having become a tad hard to come by after the Iranian hostage crisis under Mr. Peanut)

[Diana Rose]

I have wondered if we are closing in on the main terrorist cells in the US and Saddam is tring to bait us into starting the war so he can use them before they are caught. Use it or lose it.

[Caipirabob]

We should state the obvious, and stage from Israel.

Nah, it's more preferable to keep a close eye on these rag-headed mental midgets.

[Bob]

Wonder how many Mig 25's they've got ?

I don't know how many they've currently got but, if they keep doing crap like this, they'll certainly have 1 less than they do now. :=)

[RoughDobermann]

70,000 feet? What's the F-15s ceiling?

[RoughDobermann]

Sorry, just being lazy. F-15 has a ceiling of 65,000 feet.

[Beck_isright]

According to an earlier post, they've been doing this for two weeks. I'm very concerned about my friends over there.

[Beck_isright]

Please, please do not remind me. I was in Southern Iraq in 91 and watched the choppers buzz around. It was sickening. We all looked at each other and said what dumb (expletive deleted numerous times) allowed this?

[Diana Rose]

Any idea if we are going tonight?

[craig_eddy]

I believe this is a different incident...or are you refering to the fact that this is NOT in Breaking News?

[craig_eddy]

Never mind...I should read closer...my bad: same incident but more clarification.

[Dog Gone]

It was in Breaking News at the time I made my comment. I didn't complain to the mods, because it was an interesting article, but putting more information about an old incident in Breaking News isn't an editorial decision I would make.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

face down