Minor thread hijack:
The overwhelming opinion was that the BVR missiles were junk - proved by the US experience in Vietnam. I was of the understanding that there was ROE that meant the bad guys had to be visually ID'd before letting fly - and when your opposition was as small and fast as a Mig 21, that meant letting them get inside the minimum engagement envelope of the Sparrows.
How much of the poor missile success was because of the restrictive ROE? Was there even a restrictive ROE? Or was it more to do with the early missiles developmental immaturity?
Thanks.