Camel could turn in it's own length and was seen to fly tail first at times. I think that's more maneuverable than a missile. Of couse, the shock wave from a mach 2 missile as it misses isn't going to do a Camel much good.

A Camel or a Spad might give enough of a signature to pick it up with radar. Two An-2 Colts were blown out of existence with Sparrows during the Vietnam War. A modern Sidewinder can home in on the heat of the sun reflected off a canopy. The Navy occasionally throws in a fudge factor in Top Gun graduation exercises. A F-14 or F-18 might draw a F4U or a Mustang as an opponent. Apparently one year they had a Fokker D.I replica, complete with Red Baron colors, show up for a dogfight with a Tomcat. I have no idea how that turned out, but the Fokker was flown by a Top Gun instructor, so the outcome might not be as pat as one might think. Maybe the Navy doesn't want anyone to know that a F-14 became the simulated kill of an almost 100-year old triplane with twin Spandaus as its armament.

8^) Now, the day they throw a Tie fighter in.... (Actually, as they move more and more to simulator-based training, I'll bet they do something like that, sooner or later....)

Hee hee... Might be sooner than you think. I understand the B-2 typically uses "Vader" as a call sign.

>A Camel or a Spad might give enough of a signature to pick it up with radar. Two An-2 Colts were blown out of existence with Sparrows during the Vietnam War. AN-2s are all metal and practically the size of DC-3s.

a COLT is a fabric cover airplane half the size of a DAKOTA. It use the same engine as the Dakota I believe. The Russian got that engine under lend lease program during world war 2. I could be wrong but correct me if that is the case. PS: sentinel you start to sound more reasonable lately, perhaps you're tire of French bashing hehehe

I don't think they're quite that big, and they do have fabric control surfaces (at least the older models, which the VPAF flew, did). Your point is taken, though--an An-2 would present a far larger target than a Spad. Given that the newest radars can track cars on the highway, I would still think that they could find a Spad. Kind of a moot point anyway. I don't think even the Russians have any Ilya Muromets they're saving for a rainy day.

"PS: sentinel you start to sound more reasonable lately, perhaps you're tire of French bashing heheh." Me? French bashing? Check some of my posts! I'm usually defending the French war record, being the Bonapartist that I am. It's your politicians I have a problem with, not the people of France or its military. Well, except maybe the Parisians, but I understand the rest of France can't stand them either.

"but the Fokker was flown by a Top Gun instructor, so the outcome might not be as pat as one might think." During the Battle of Britain the Italians made a bombing raid and their escorts were Fiat biplane fighters. The Spits and Hurricanes couldn't keep them in ther sights long enough to shoot them down.

1. What is the next strategic move for the IAF? 2. What technologies will the IAF focus on? 3.Can Israel afford to keep pace with new U.S. hardware? 4. Will the gap increase or decrease between Israel and its key competitors in the region such as Iran and Eygpt? 5. What will happen to the "special relationship" between Israel and China re aerospace cooperation. Did the Phalcon deal kill the relationship? Will China be the next Soviet Union in supplying Israel's foes with weapons?