Iraqis thought the same thing, as did most of the Arab world when fighting the Israelis. While Stalin was partially right (quantity has a quality all its own),

Iraqis thought the same thing, as did most of the Arab world when fighting the Israelis. While Stalin was partially right (quantity has a quality all its own), the most valuable factor in determining the outcome of air combat is pilot skill. And even if the Fitter pilots were as good as the Hornet pilot, they don't have as good ESSM/ECM systems, nor as good AWACs providing support. The Bug doesn't even typically carry 6 AAMs. The one that did the shootdown probably only had 3-4 depending on its mission tasking. They have to worry about bring back weight when landing on their carrier. But for our hypothetical, the Bug can carry 12 missiles without a lot of trouble (1). It might not have much range, and the drag would be a bitch, but the Fitters would go down in flames... 1. http://runway.cz/img/zbr/aim120_2.jpg http://runway.cz/img/zbr/aim120_2.jpg