The old F/A-18 vs. F-15 argument
F/A-18
F-15
Guess it depends on whether you favor the Navy-only F/A-18 or the Air Force’s F15 whether you think one or the other is “better”. They’re both lethal as hell, and even after decades of service, better than the vast majority of rivals.
We’ve seen comments about the three F-15s taken down by the Kuwaitis a coup0le of days ago… what came out recently was that all three were shot down reportedly by ONE Kuwaiti F-18. (Sorry, tired of that /A.)
The three F-15Es shot down over Kuwait yesterday met their demise at the hand of a Kuwaiti Air Force F/A-18 Hornet, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal’s Lara Seligman.
Seligman’s story is based on three sources “familiar with initial reports of the incident.” Just one Hornet was supposedly involved, launching three missiles and taking down the three Strike Eagles. TWZ
I’ve seen other reports that said Mr. Kuwaiti pickled off four missiles, not three. While it shows how lethal our technology is, it is a bit disappointing that allied pilots (that we trained!) made such a basic blunder. Heck, two more and the guy’s an ace!
Here’s some purple prose:
It was supposed to be a standard intercept. In the pitch-black maelstrom over the Kuwaiti desert, three F-15E Strike Eagles from the 335th Fighter Squadron were hunting for Iranian suicide drones.
“Pitch black” – I know my eyes are not what they once were, but that looks like a pretty clear blue sky to me. As you pilot guys reportedly say, CAVU (Cieling and Visibility Unlimited.) Having a hard time believing a “fog of war” explanation, aren’t you?
In a rare moment of grace offered in a theater defined by attrition, all six aircrew members survived the ejection. They were quickly recovered by local Kuwaiti civilians, men who traded their morning routines for a rescue mission in beat-up SUVs, marking a strange, human end to a technical catastrophe.We Are The Mighty
Glad the lads and lady survived okay, although I suspect this is not an incident they’ll brag about at the O-club much.
It’s a bit ironic in a way – the F-18 is coming out on top here, but the last ones are rolling off the assembly line.
Boeing’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet production line is one major step closer to shuttering with the completion of the last batch of fuselage sections and vertical tails for those jets by subcontractor Northrop Grumman. The company has also confirmed that production of the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare jets ended after the completion of orders for the U.S. Navy and Australia in the late 2010s.
The above is an Iranian go-to, the Shahed drone. Looks just like the planes up top, doesn’t it? Think Mr. Kuwait pilot needs a bit more training.
Strange. I thought that this rivalry ended with the YF16 v YF17 fly off in the 70s. Just let it go, man. Let it go.
I know we will probably never know for sure, but I wonder if this shakes out to be a tan on blue attempted fratricide.
With hundreds of engagements the F15 has yet to be shot down in combat. Friendly fire, of course, isn’t.
The problem here is the pilots didn’t know or expect the F18 to jump them as it was supposed to be allied. Otherwise 3:1 odds he would have been toast
It’s hardly a contest when one side doesn’t know a “friend” is targeting them. I’m assuming that it was sidewinder missiles used as radar guided missiles would have clued in the F15s to a target lock and a warning they were under attack. Where was the usual AWACS supposedly covering the airspace?
It’s impressive and embarrassing at the same time…a rare feat.