I did this many times from both sides - Fighter and Hawk. I can't tell you what the Government had in mind, but the principle was very simple. Augment the number of platforms in the air and the number of AAMs that could be launched even if the Hawks were, potentially, sacrificial lambs.
The plus side was as above. The down side was that the F4s/F3s had to hold back on speed so as not to out-accellerate the Hawks, potentially reducing their Pk. But, it produced a a very effective force multiplier. Imagine the Soviet Hordes coming over the horizon to be faced with 20 (unidentified) fighters instead of 4 or 8.
No time to go into into it all tonight, but it was a very interesting concept that, generally, worked well. When the chips are down, be ready to launch everything you've got.
More if you wish.
Courtney
Last edited by Courtney Mil; 12th July 2012 at 19:10.