Yeager wouldda had 'em

[mikea]

A chance encounter over the Lake District between a Eurofighter trainer and two F-15 aircraft turned into a mock dogfight, with the British plane coming off best - much to the surprise of some in the RAF. The episode was hushed up for fear of causing US blushes.

http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/uk.cfm?id=673262005

 

[Dave Krall CFII]

Sounds like RAF/Eurofighter PR BS.

 

[gismo]

Sounds like RAF/Eurofighter PR BS.

Could be. Also could be the American pilots were having a bad day or were just taken by surprise (same thing I guess).

BTW I'm surprised that fighters would engage in a "mock dogfight" with friendlies on the spur of the moment without having established the ROE, hard floor etc.

 

[sere]

Somethig does not sound right about this.

 

[BruceAir]

From an Air Force fighter pilot friend of mine (instructor in F-4s, F-16s, T-38s, and Aggressor Squadron commander):

Well, it is highly unlikely the F-15E pilots were maneuvering in a mock engagement with the Eurofighter. They may have jumped the guy but a maneuvering sequence would be very much against the rules. The F-15E depending on weight and configuration is not a real good maneuvering machine, unlike the single seat F-15C. However, if it is clean and light weight, which they don't fly around like that in Europe, the airplane can maintain its own in a dogfight. Sounds like the Eurofighter pilot was strutting his stuff maybe a little too loudly.
​

 

[poadeleted20]

When I was flying in USAFE, there were standard ROE for jumping folks/being jumped when flying around Europe. Anyone could jump anyone they saw, but the fight was limited to one defensive move by the jumpee -- if that lost the jumper, that was it; if not, that was it, too -- no extended unbriefed air combat maneuvering permitted. It sounds from the press report like the Eurofighter may have slightly exceeded that rule by maneuvering to an offensive position once the Strike Eagles' offensive position was lost, but not by much.

However, a couple of air-to-ground loaded Strike Eagles would be no match for the highly agile and lightweight Eurofighter in a turning fight, which is as it should be, since the Strike Eagle's mission is night/all-weather interdiction, not air superiority, while the Eurofighter's primary mission is air-to-air. I'd like to see a Eurofighter carry as many bombs as far as a Strike Eagle can. Finally, the Eurofighter's technology is over 20 years ahead of the F-15 series -- match a Eurofighter with its contemporary F-22 Raptor, and you might see something really different.

 

[Ghery]

Just one possible A-G loadout...

A B-17 should have carried so much hurt to a target...