Looking at culture, news and gossip through an aeroplane window. Featuring contributions by the finest writers and artists.
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[…] The Fang was far smaller than F-104, with a greater emphasis on manoeuvrability, design priorities that would later lead to the superb F-5 family. […]
[…] Real Soviet fighters were not available for the 1986 Top Gun movie so US Navy F-5s (operated by the real Top Gun aggressor units) were painted black and given Communist-style markings. The black paint was sleek and sinister, and made the aircraft both easier for the audience to see and to clearly differentiate from the ‘goody’ F-14 Tomcats. The MiG-28 is is highly described as manoeuvrable, but somewhat slower than the F-14 Tomcat, both of which are true of the F-5. The American pilots are warned that the MiG-28 was armed with the AM 39 Exocet, this is a real French anti-ship missile which earned notoriety in the Falklands War which took place four years before the film. The nationality of the air force operating the MiG-28s is not stated but according to a director’s commentary was originally intended to be North Korea, though there is also nods to it Libya or the Soviet Union. Intriguingly, the Soviets had some actual F-5s of their own. […]
You are aware that the Russians had other US aircraft–not only others from the VIetnam conflict, but also some from the Korean War also
[…] The Fang was far smaller than F-104, with a greater emphasis on manoeuvrability, design priorities that would later lead to the superb F-5 family. […]
[…] Real Soviet fighters were not available for the 1986 Top Gun movie so US Navy F-5s (operated by the real Top Gun aggressor units) were painted black and given Communist-style markings. The black paint was sleek and sinister, and made the aircraft both easier for the audience to see and to clearly differentiate from the ‘goody’ F-14 Tomcats. The MiG-28 is is highly described as manoeuvrable, but somewhat slower than the F-14 Tomcat, both of which are true of the F-5. The American pilots are warned that the MiG-28 was armed with the AM 39 Exocet, this is a real French anti-ship missile which earned notoriety in the Falklands War which took place four years before the film. The nationality of the air force operating the MiG-28s is not stated but according to a director’s commentary was originally intended to be North Korea, though there is also nods to it Libya or the Soviet Union. Intriguingly, the Soviets had some actual F-5s of their own. […]