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Old 16th Nov 2014, 13:00
  #23 (permalink)  
Fox3WheresMyBanana
 
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Presuming you mean 5,000 and 10,000 ft Sabre Dog.
With Low level evasion down to 250 feet, one would very rarely let the aircraft get below 400 kts.
Every aircraft is fought to make best use of its advantages over the enemy type(s).
Since the F3 had low Specific Excess Power relative to other fighters, one did not attempt to turn more than 90 degrees if one had the option. In fast, shoot straight, disappear even faster was preferable.
Because of the risk of unseen enemy, high performance fighters generally adopt the same tactics with larger numbers around.
The aircraft had better performance down low due to engine design, and with low drag also, F3 crews would attempt to drag any fight down to base height (5,000 ft for normal peacetime training).

However, with known small numbers of enemy, or if bounced, the ability to fight the aircraft slow was an essential skill which, due to its difficulty, would be practiced quite often. The aim was either to engineer one of your aircraft to be free of threats, who would then shoot the bad guys; or to pass the bad guys nose-to-nose whence one could then successfully run away (due to the low drag).
Missiles were preferable - you had lots. The F3 gun is best thought of as a sniper's rifle. Highly accurate and destructive if the enemy hadn't seen you (or couldn't manoeuvre much), but not much use in a fight in a telephone box.
2v3 seems unusual for F3s. 2 F3s v 3 Gr1s a lot more likely. 2v4 was probably planned with 1 aircraft going unserviceable before the fight.

Mind you, I have occasionally turned up at a fight with more aircraft than I said I would
Very naughty, very successful. Could have been 2v2 with a 'sneaker'
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