#jet_fighters
The reporting name Baz (“Falcon”) was assigned to all F-15 A/B/C/Ds purchased by Israel from 1976 all the way through to the 1990s, regardless of their specific models or configuration.They very quickly became a key component in Israel’s regional superiority — providing an umbrella that could not be challenged by any of Israel’s belligerent neighbors. Nevertheless, by the 1990s, the aircraft was being threatened by the capabilities of newer Soviet/Russian models of the Su-27 and MiG-29. An upgrade program resulted in the F-15 Baz Meshupar (lit. “Improved Baz”), more commonly known by the acronym BazMash. The first such aircraft was rolled out in late 1998, the same year that the first F-15I (Israeli-modified F-15E) entered service.
The Yakolev Yak-141 was a prototype Soviet VTOL supersonic fighter designed as a successor to the Yak-38. While the subsonic “Forger” with limited payload and poor handling was more of a proof of concept than a serious combat aircraft for its time, the heavily evolved Yak-141 was a far more capable one. It was a much larger aircraft with refined aerodynamics and a monstrously powerful Tumansky R-79 turbofan primary engine. With modern avionics and long-range missiles at its disposal, the Yak-141 was poised to be a world-leading supersonic VTOL fighter and a strong asset for the Soviet Navy — however, the collapse and political issues of the USSR prevented the Yak-141 from entering serial production and operational service in real combat situations and operations.
The default skin for the J-8B includes the number “81192” painted on the sides below the cockpit. This number has become the spiritual number of military enthusiasts and players in mainland China due to the Hainan Island Incident between the PLANAF and the USN.
The Republic of China was one of the many nations to use surplus F-86 Sabre jet-fighters. The aircraft would engage in air combat with Chinese MiGs during the Taiwan Strait Crisis of 1958. Additionally, ROCAF Sabres were among the first aircraft to be equipped with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, which allowed them to compete against the superior performance of the Chinese MiG-17s. However, while the AIM-9's deployment was a considerable setback for the PLAAF, the situation changed when a Chinese MiG-17 returned to base with an unexploded AIM-9B lodged in its airframe. The missile was given to Soviet technicians, and subsequently reverse-engineered into the R-3 series of missiles.
As a supersonic fighter born in the late 1950s, the Northrop F-5 series
jet fighters were a popular choice for many countries, as well as being a
famous star in USAF’s Exercise Red Flag, where it performed well even
against 3rd generation fighters such as the F-14 Tomcat. Although the US Air
Force only used a limited number of F-5C “Skoshi Tigers” in the Vietnam
War, both the F-5A “Freedom Fighter” and F-5E “Tiger II” have been involved in many
wars and conflicts around the world, including service in the ROCAF.
The Harrier GR.3's most noteworthy deployment was to the Falkland Islands during, and after, the 1982 Falklands War. When the war began on 2nd April 1982 with the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands, Britain was forced to rapidly assemble a task force to retake the islands, located some 8,000 miles away from the British mainland. The decommissioning of the aircraft carrier HMS Hermes was cancelled and, along with HMS Invincible (itself in the process of being sold to Australia), it was rapidly prepared for deployment. The two aircraft carriers left Portsmouth Naval Base three days later (on 5th April), setting sail to Ascension Island (a small British island in the South Atlantic); which was the designated rendezvous point from where the task force would then sail to the Falklands. The two carriers were carrying Sea King helicopters and Sea Harrier FRS.1 fighters (12 Sea Harriers on Hermes and 8 on Invincible).
The English Electric Lightning was the RAF’s primary front-line interceptor from its introduction in 1959 up until the mid-1970s when it began to be replaced by the Phantom FGR.2. Even so, the Lightning would continue to serve in the interceptor role with the RAF until 1988, leaving RAF service less than two years before the first Phantoms began to be retired from service. Although the Lightning was primarily used to intercept Soviet bombers entering UK airspace, it was also stationed outside the UK, most notably in Germany; the Lightning also saw service at RAF Tengah in Singapore and RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Despite serving in the RAF for 29 years, the Lightning never once shot down a hostile aircraft. Officially, the only aircraft ever shot down by a Lightning was a pilotless Harrier; the pilot had ejected, however the Harrier kept flying. It was decided to shoot it down rather than risk it entering Soviet territory.
After a slew of cancelled aircraft development programmes in the 1960s, the UK would, like many other nations, eventually come to operate the F-4 Phantom II. Three special variants of the F-4J would be created, namely the Phantom FG.1 (F-4K), de-navalised Phantom FGR.2 (F-4M), and the Phantom F.3 (F-4J(UK)) which was upgraded to almost-F-4S standard. The Phantoms would remain the UK's primary air defence force from their introduction in 1968 through to the 1990s when they were finally replaced by the Tornado F.3.
