Quote:
Originally Posted by trashcanman
Sternjaeger II, please could you explain exactly what Argentinian communities were kicked out of the Falklands by British settlers? Or maybe actually read some historical facts on the subject before making such comments?
As for USA help during the 1982 conflict, it was minimal. AIM-9Ls offered all aspect capability however all the SHAR sidewinder air-to-air kills were rear aspect.
The Argentinian airforce was beaten by the FAA in air-to-air due to better tactics and training. I will resist the cheap shot about who trained the Argentine airforce  |
Wether the AIM9L shots were predominately rear aspect is neither here nor there what the AIM9L brought to the fight was a previously unknown reliability and Probability of kill if launched in the envelope.... with a true front sector capability if required. All previous generation AIM9's had very average reliability and low PK. The AIM9L brought a quantum leap in reliability and PK to the IR missile world. If the RN had gone in to battle with its AIM9G's (with which they actually sailed from the UK with, the Kill statistics would I suggest have been very different.) Unfortunately for the Argentinians they brought the early generation Shaffir to the fight on their Daggers a missile in the same league as perhaps AIM9D .... but with an even worse Pk. Not all Dagger sorties carried the Shaffir either as the drag penalty ate into an already precarious range problem. In the case of the Mirage they brought the R530 a missile which at the time was more dangerous to the shooter than its intended victim, due to premature detonation at 2.5secs into the flight phase as the influence fuse armed ! Though the various reports indicated that only a few sorties were undertaken with R530 equipped Mirages. Some first generation R550's were also available to the Mirage force. How many R550 equipped Mirage sorties actually took place I have no idea.