![]() ![]() Air Force F-105D Thunderchief being shot down during the Vietnam War (WikiMedia Commons) ![]() (For a deeper analysis into what really went wrong in the dogfights over Vietnam War, make sure to read our full analysis of it here - because it’s more complicated than something as simple as a lack of guns.)Ī U.S. But this isn’t the first time the United States has questioned the future of air combat, and as many aviation buffs and historians will tell you, assuming dogfights were dead because of the introduction of new technologies didn’t pan out quite like America would have hoped the last time we found ourselves having this debate. There’s no denying that technological trends back that growing sentiment. With more than three decades now separating today’s aviators from America’s last dogfights and stealth increasingly becoming the norm, it’s no wonder the Defense Department seems to be leaning away from the idea that air-to-air combat in close quarters should be a priority. ![]() But the last time American aircraft truly found themselves in some serious mid-air scraps was in 1991, over Iraq. The interaction wasn’t much of a dogfight, but it was the first air-to-air engagement carried out by an American fighter since Operation Allied Force over Kosovo in 1999. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet shot down a Syrian-flagged Su-22 as it bombed American-backed Syrian Democratic Forces in the Raqqa province of Syria. The most recent air-to-air kill scored by an American aircraft came in 2017, when a U.S. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |