Iranians... You should go home

[Hound]

Looks like the F22 is getting to show its stuff:

http://p.washingtontimes.com/news/20...hy-stunt-you-/

The U.S. Air Force has a message for Iran: Don't mess with our drones.

In what only can be described as a scene out of Tom Cruise's "Top Gun," Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force chief of staff, describes how F-22 stealth jets scared off Iranian jets from a U.S. drone flying in international airspace.

The Aviationist reports that in March a U.S. MQ-1 drone came close to being intercepted by an Iranian F-4 Phantom combat plane, but the Iranian aircraft stopped short after a warning by an American pilot.

"He [the Raptor pilot] flew under their aircraft [the F-4s] to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there, and then pulled up on their left wing and then called them and said 'you really ought to go home,'" Gen. Welsh said.

According to The Aviationist, the Iranians came within 16 miles of the drone.

[spqrzilla]

By now, Iranian F4 Phantoms probably sound like a ghetto Chevy Impala driving down the street on broken suspension springs and a space saver spare.

[speedysst]

Come on now, don't dis the Phantom. Its always been one of my favorite combat aircraft. I still remember building a model of one in my youth. Then I flew it off my parents deck.

[centrarchidae]

Come on now, don't dis the Phantom. Its always been one of my favorite combat aircraft. I still remember building a model of one in my youth. Then I flew it off my parents deck.

And the remaining Iranian spare parts supply probably also came out of a Testors box.

[JMBD2112]

Come on now, don't dis the Phantom. Its always been one of my favorite combat aircraft. I still remember building a model of one in my youth. Then I flew it off my parents deck.

Same here, but I punched a hole in my dad's brand new leather recliner with mine, its fate was met by a hammer

[thvigil11]

The F4 was great in its day, but was still the heaviest airframe for a fighter that the US ever fielded. Originally it was designed as a missle carrier, not a dogfighter.

[Hound]

The F4 was great in its day, but was still the heaviest airframe for a fighter that the US ever fielded. Originally it was designed as a missle carrier, not a dogfighter.

My recruiter for the Navy was an F4 mechanic. He put it as "The F4 is proof that with enough thrust a brick can be made to fly"

[<MADDOG>]

The F4 was great in its day, but was still the heaviest airframe for a fighter that the US ever fielded. Originally it was designed as a missle carrier, not a dogfighter.

Unloaded, didn't the Thud weight more?

[Colorado Osprey]

F-4's didn't quite have the heaviest airframe ever.

Thud 27.5k empty-- although technically a light bomber
Phantom 30k empty
F-22 Raptor 43k empty 83.5k gross

Gross maximum take off weight and the Phantom was still heavier 52.5k vs 61.8k.

Even the F-14 weighed 40k empty 61k gross

If you want to include fighter bombers-- F-111 46k empty 91.5k gross
Starts to make the phantom look steam-lined and slim, eh?

Heaviest fighter ever fielded.. Tu-28 Fiddler, 54k empty 96k gross


What is the lightest modern fighter now flying?
I don't include the F-5's as modern... and is the F-16 really considered modern these days?
Really the only modern light weights are the Saab JAS39 Gripen 12.6k empty and the Taiwan F-CK-1 Ching-kuo 14.3k empty

[Irving]

Why hasn't Iran switched to the Toyota Tacoma by now?