Another problem is over-complexity.
All the great missiles we equipped a/c with in RVN weren’t worth a damn, with the occasional exception of the Sidewinder. Nothing worked as well as the gun they finally put back in the Phantoms.
Also, enroute to RVN, carriers and their air groups would often stop in Hawaii. The famous “HANGman” (Hawaiian Air National Guard Korean-era F-86 driver with nothing more than .50 cals) would meet all the hot USN Phantom pilots over Mana Loa for some air to air. He would even go against them 4-1 (4 Phantoms v. the HANGman!)
Nobody ever beat the HANGman in his 20 year-old beat up Sabre!
We heard the same thing about the F-16 in 1978. The “electric jet” is falling out of the sky in droves (it did take a lot of losses in its first 10 years of service). It has too much electronics, too much complexity, how is a guy supposed to fix something that requires a degree in electrical engineering just to read the drawing?