Third Generation Fighter vs. Fourth Generation Fighter

Kinja'd!!! "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
11/30/2015 at 17:56 • Filed to: planelopnik

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This image should make the difference pretty clear. The outer circle is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The inner circle is a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! General Dynamics YF-16 Fighting Falcon.

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DISCUSSION (19)


Kinja'd!!! HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn
11/30/2015 at 18:02

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Well, the phantom kinda...sucked. I mean it was fast but other than that it wasn’t much cop in a dogfight even if it had a gun. The Viper on the other hand is a scalpel


Kinja'd!!! Jcarr > ttyymmnn
11/30/2015 at 18:02

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Kinja'd!!! ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch
11/30/2015 at 18:05

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I’ve heard it said that the Phantom stayed aloft through sheer brute force, aerodynamics be damned. And to be fair, it was no dogfighter, nor was it designed to be. But still, that’s a pretty impressive difference. It would be interesting to do the same comparison with an A-4 and an F-16.


Kinja'd!!! HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn
11/30/2015 at 18:09

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I would be interested in seeing what the killing machine F15 was like up against the pocket fighter F16.


Kinja'd!!! ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch
11/30/2015 at 18:15

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That would indeed be an interesting comparision. I wonder how the thrust-to-weight ratio works out. I’m no good at math.


Kinja'd!!! iSureWilll > HammerheadFistpunch
11/30/2015 at 18:16

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I’m pretty sure Viper went below the deck knowing that I was on his tail. It doesn’t count.

It's time to buzz the tower.


Kinja'd!!! ly2v8-Brian > ttyymmnn
11/30/2015 at 18:50

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Two very different craft with different goals in mind. One an agile dog fighter, the other a supersonic interceptor.


Kinja'd!!! ttyymmnn > ly2v8-Brian
11/30/2015 at 18:59

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Exactly, but I also think that the interceptor vs. dogfighter was what 3rd vs. 4th gen was all about. You’ve also got quite a lot of technological advancement in the 20 years between these two fighters. So, in a real way, it’s an apples to oranges comparison. But it’s still impressive.


Kinja'd!!! T5Killer > HammerheadFistpunch
11/30/2015 at 19:15

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Yeah but the Phantom was a good Wild weasel and an ok general strike aircraft. I am a bit of a phantom phan boy.


Kinja'd!!! HammerheadFistpunch > T5Killer
11/30/2015 at 19:16

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It was pretty good at many thing, but it was a lousy “fighter”


Kinja'd!!! ly2v8-Brian > ttyymmnn
11/30/2015 at 19:30

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so much advancement that the falcon is still in use by our Air Force.


Kinja'd!!! ttyymmnn > ly2v8-Brian
11/30/2015 at 19:34

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The F-4 served with German until 2013.


Kinja'd!!! d15b > ttyymmnn
11/30/2015 at 21:41

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If I recall correctly, they had to revise the wing shape in order to deal with it’s horrible flight characteristics.

I’m sure some foxtrot alpha regular can better elaborate.


Kinja'd!!! ttyymmnn > d15b
11/30/2015 at 22:02

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The F-4 (F4H in the old numbering system) was as development of the F3H-G, which was essentially a “Super Banshee.” As such, it had a flat wing. When they designed the XF4H, they found that it had poor lateral stability and, to correct that, they would have to give the entire wing a 5-degree dihedral (upward sweep). Since doing so would require the entire redesign of the wing and its titanium center, they instead gave just the outer wings a 12-degree dihedral, and the classic shape was born.


Kinja'd!!! d15b > ttyymmnn
11/30/2015 at 22:27

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BOOM! There it is!


Kinja'd!!! bob and john > ttyymmnn
12/01/2015 at 10:39

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The F4 wasnt a dogfighter. it was a lead-sled. big motors, big power, big guns. aero and physics be fucking damed, I’ll do w/e I want.


and that part of the reason I loved it.


Kinja'd!!! uofime-2 > HammerheadFistpunch
12/01/2015 at 10:54

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I seem to recall this being discussed elsewhere, but IIRC it was said that they were very close and it depended on altitude which was better


Kinja'd!!! The Powershift in Steve's '12 Ford Focus killed it's TCM (under warranty!) > ttyymmnn
12/01/2015 at 11:26

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And is still flown by the Japanese, Koreans, Turks, Egyptians, and (I think) the Greeks.


Kinja'd!!! Prayer Police > ttyymmnn
12/05/2015 at 15:59

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This is the area known as the “Danger Zone”