Juvat wrote:

Guy Alcala opined thusly to my remark that I had never witnessed RAF
Harriers use VIFFing (in the early 80s)

Probably because they weren't using it.

Guy, that I, like many here respect your posts and research goes
without saying (usually) so with tongue firmly in cheek I must
respond..."Gee ya reckon? Clearly I have a keen grasp of the
obvious." LOL

I grant you, I could have worded that a bit better ;-) But what I meant
was that the RAF apparently didn't use Viffing at the time, PERIOD. I
don't remember if this was due to official disapprobation, or because they
hadn't made the minor changes to the nozzle drives etc. that the USMC and
presumably the FAA felt were necessary, to use VIFF on a routine basis.

The RAF Harriers were tasked and trained for attack, the FAA and
to a lesser extent the USMC were more A/A oriented.

I do indeed grasp the implication WRT VIFFing and the nature of the
FAA vs RAF mission/training, I omitted that from my post for brevity,
simply to demonstrate that at least RAF Harriers were not using the
technique at the time.

But my friend you never tangled with RAF Harriers over Germany.
Everybody and I mean everybody in fast jets routinely hassled...the
PCA started at 7000' MSL so this totally UNAUTHORIZED dogfighting went
on from 250' AGL and above; it included the guys from Gutersloh. They
didn't merely grovel into a tail chase, ISTR watching them use split
plane and counterflow entries at low altitude.

snip

I freely admit my lack of personal experience of ACM in this period (or
any other). My knowledge of combat flying and usage is all gleaned
second-hand from "them what's been there and done that." Having said
that, the difference in FAA and RAF attitudes at that time towards using
the Harrier does seem to be rather wide, and there was still considerable
daylight between the RAF and the USMC on roles and missions. The RAF
refused to wire the GR.3s for AIM-9s until they were forced to for the
Falklands (and then had to remove it again when they were re-rolled for
bombing during the conflict, as the SHARs were felt to have the A/A game
well in hand). Getting AIM-9s on RAF Jaguars was another case of pulling
teeth, although at least in that case there was some less than trivial
cost involved (the overwing AIM-9 pylons that only the export Jags had up
to that time). And not all of the RAF Harrier jocks were air-to-mud types
born and bred - many had come from F-4s or Lightnings, and more than a few
had flown SHARs on exchange tours with the FAA. Indeed, Ward's QWI was an
RAF Flt. Lt., Ian Mortimer, and there was a substantial sprinkling of
light blue among the dark blue uniforms of the Falklands' SHAR pilots --
in addition to Mortimer, Dave Morgan, Bertie Penfold, Paul Barton, John
Leeming, Eric(?) Ball and Simon Brown.

Guy