U.S. Forces Meanwhile, the disappointing performances of US Air Force and US Navy (USN) airmen, even though flying the contemporary advanced aircraft of those times, combined with a legacy of successes from World War II and the Korean War, resulted in a total revamping of aerial combat training for the USN in 1968 (Top Gun school; established 1969). The designs for an entire generation of aircraft, with engineering for optimized daylight air to air combat (dog fighting) against both older, as well as for emerging MiG fighters, were being put to the drawing board. US forces could not consistently track low flying MiGs on radar, and were hampered by restrictive Rules of Engagement (ROE) which required pilots to visually acquire their targets, nullifying much of the advantage of radar guided missiles, which often proved unreliable when used in combat. Although there were many so-called "political restrictions" placed on US airmen, such as when and where NVAF jet fighters could be attacked, the successful exchange ratio which US pilots had had over enemy fliers during the Korean War (1950–1953) was not to be repeated over North Vietnam; with the notable exceptions of the successes by USN airmen who had completed training from the TOPGUN training center at Miramar, California (USA). |
North Vietnam Forces
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