Top Gun: which fighter would come out on top?

[DWG]

There's an important point I don't think anyone has raised explicitly, though Dynoman skirted it. Top Gun, in terms of the USN programme, was specifically about close-in combat, the approach to and beyond the merge. That's a different crown to the most capable aircraft when you start the engagement from further out.

Further out the pure and balanced stealth designs, and LPI radars both have advantages, but so do the aircraft with high-end IRSTs, where the advantages of stealth vs radar are less marked vs IR. And in a head-on engagement front-aspect stealth is useful, while much of all-aspect stealth is irrelevant.

Then there's the advantage of the super-cruise capable aircraft in using themselves as a first stage to punt their missiles out to greater ranges. And that's certainly the engagement Typhoon was designed for, lob the missile in and turn away before the merge.

Post merge it's down to power and agility, and reports suggest Typhoons, Rafales and Mirage 2000s have all scored dogfight kills vs the F-22.

And then there's being sneaky, because if you aren't cheating you aren't fighting smart enough. And the IAF was reported to have done precisely that when they brought their MiG-21 Bisons to take on F-15Cs in Cope India https://nationalinterest.org/blog/b...mes-last-two-times-indian-air-force-won-38232 While the Swedes are reported to play similarly capable games using the Gripen's data link.

Which is the best aircraft? It depends.

 

[_Del_]

It had a massive 61lb warhead to palliate any alleged deficiency in accuracy. That had a psychological impact on every pilot succeptible to face it.

Also puts you immediately on the defensive, burning energy in your defensive maneuver(s), and breaking up the cohesion between you and your companions. Hard to get off the AMRAAM off under those circumstances, and easier for the Tomcats to enter the merge where who knows what happens.

These type of comparisons are always based on tactical situations which essentially never happen (ie one-on-one, no support, both presumably aware of the other, head on engagement, etc). Life is typically more messy.

All the updated platforms have a very real and large advantage. That doesn't mean an Iranian Tomcat can never splash a newer western fighter. An upgraded Tomcat with modern avionics and engines such as were proposed would probably give at least the legacy platforms a real run for their money. Significant signature advantages would be harder to overcome.

 

[Ronny]

That masking advantage is limited to a fairly specific range of aspects on the target, and not ones that are particularly relevant if going head to head.

Apart from direct head on, the nozzle could still be visible in the front aspect, the nozzle have very small area but they are much hotter than the rest of the aircraft
and the masked area can block the direct view to the flames in low afterburner.