Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!bonnie.concordia.ca!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!pacific.mps.ohio-state.edu!linac!att!cbnews!cbnews!military From: daveh@vax.oxford.ac.uk Newsgroups: sci.military Subject: Re: German F-4 variant Message-ID: <1991Jun22.040330.29651@cbnews.cb.att.com> Date: 22 Jun 91 04:03:30 GMT References: <1991Jun21.013542.12347@cbnews.cb.att.com> Sender: military@cbnews.cb.att.com (william.a.thacker) Organization: Oxford University Computing Service Lines: 48 Approved: military@att.att.com From: daveh@vax.oxford.ac.uk In article <1991Jun21.013542.12347@cbnews.cb.att.com>, dthompso@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (David G Thompson) writes: > > The aircraft [German variant of the F-4 Phantom] is supposedly > designated the ICE, although I don't > know what that stands for, and seemed to be dedicated to the air- > superiority role. Improvements over existing Phantoms seemed to > be mainly in the areas of intercept radar and maneuverability, > both of which in game-terms came out equivalent to those of the > F-15. I think there was a major improvement in speed as well, > and that the ICE was supposed to enter service that year--1986. As far as I remember, the F-4F upgrade did go ahead, and basically involved installing the F/A-18A's radar, along with other avionics improvments. However, for the game to claim that the improved F-4F is equivalent to the F-15 would seem to be very generous! > > This sounds rather like the ca. 1973 situation when McDonnell- > Douglas supporters argued that the souped-up F-4S (with leading- > edge slats, etc.) made the brand-new Tomcat unnecessary, doesn't > it? (Except that the F-15 already had been around for a while.) Well, they may have argued this but the F-14 replaced a lot of F-4s anyway. > Finally, as a follow-on question, if the Germans *don't* have > this Phantom-on-steroids available, isn't it about time they > started thinking about acquiring reasonably up-to-date air- > superiority fighters and/or interceptors? These former-DDR MiG- > 29 Fulcrums of which they seem to be disposing so casually > probably could out-fight anything in the current Luftwaffe > inventory (other than the hypothetical ICE), couldn't they? > The Germans are still taking part in the Eurofighter development program, but whether they actually buy any remains to be seen. The MiG-29 is a lot more maneuverable than the F-4F, although probably inferior in radar and avionics. Dave -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Hastings | JANET: daveh@uk.ac.oxford.vax VAX Systems Programmer | INTERNET: Oxford University Computing Service| daveh@vax.oxford.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk -------------------------------------------------------------------------------