How a U.S. Navy Pilot Shot Down the First Enemy Plane in 18 Years

A few factors involved including both technology as well as the skill of the pilot and of course taking action to become the survivor and not the victim. This should certainly give the other guys something to think about when its become predicable if they engage US combat aircraft they will not be the survivor.

LTC (Join to see) In a target rich, but very confusing airspace where belligerents are hard to distinguish from friendly and benign actors, one must be flexible yet decisive. as we used to say when I was on active duty: flexibility is the key to airpower.

Yes, on the first night of the war Mig 25s downed an F/A-18. They also launched some Migs to strike Saudi oilfields but they ran back when Saudi F-15s showed up. They did launch some attack sorties that didn't do much and most of the rest of the Iraqi sorties were aircraft escaping to Iran.