4 ms·

A Concorde could not outrun an F-15, which has a maximum speed of more than Mach 2.5 at the cruising altitude of a Concorde. And an F-16 would only need to get

• Scramblejams 12y ago
  Still, you'd be surprised how a fast target shrinks missile envelopes. I spoke with a guy who spent a few minutes chasing a MiG-21 over Vietnam in a Navy F-4. They were both supersonic -- don't know how fast, but they were in the weeds and IIRC even in the 80s the Tornado IDS doing M1.2 at sea level was about the fastest thing at that altitude -- and from 7 miles astern, his Sparrows just didn't have the range to do it. That from a missile that we think of as a 30+ mile range weapon. Similar story with today's weapons. I've read about frustrated F-15 drivers saying all an F-22 has to do in a mock dogfight is change his heading by 10 or 20 degrees and the F-15's beyond-visual-range missile solution goes out the window, such is the F-22's usual speed advantage with supercruise.
  • Curmudgel 12y ago
    I was thinking that in the hypothetical scenario an F-16 would intercept the Concorde head on. I don't think that a Concorde had the right kind of radar to detect a BVR missile launch so it would not be able to turn and outrun the missile. But even if it was able to do so, an additional pair of F-16s on each flank of the lead fighter could wait for the Concorde to turn and run towards them after the initial missile launch.