"Red" wrote in message m...
Going strictly on how things were in 1963 the best fighter at the time was
the F-8. The F-4 which became a great fighter in its own right wasn't one at
that time. The F-4 was an interceptor which is not the same as a fighter.
The F-8 community practiced fighter tactics from missile range down to knife
fighting range. The F-4 practiced radar intercepts and firing BVR.

A good example was how the F-4's and F-8's greeted the Bears in the North
Atlantic. F-4's would approach from behind and slide into position on the
bears wing. The F-8 would announce their presence with a vertical pass (aka
thumping).

Does this mean that the F-4 had a better radar and missile fit but the
F-8 could out dogfight? Going strictly by 1963 that is.

From what I've read the 1963 F-4 radar and missile systems were pretty
bad. The early sidewinders could only lock on to a read-view jet
exhaust and could be distracted by almost anything (sun, lake, etc.)
The Sparrow could not shoot anything below the shooter.

But what do I know, maybe the F-8 was worse.