Since the last time this thread was around I`ve read the Ault Report and looked at the Red Baron II report, which led to Top Gun and Red Flag respectively. I was amazed to learn that as late as 1969 there was no proper loading equipment for the Sparrow, squadrons and ships rigged up their own devices, leading Ault to say `missiles that get treated like bombs frequently preform like bombs,`which is one reason why the performance of the sparrow in Vietnam was so shit. Ault also found that experienced fighter pilots, using their skills and best judgement, fired their AAMs outside their performance parameters about half the time, so half of the missile shot were wasted as soon as the pilot pulled the trigger. The sylabus of Top Gun was aimed at getting pilots into the `no escape` zone of their weapons, using instrumented training ranges to ensure this.
Anyway, to bring that ramble back to this thread, giving the Argies a sqn of Phantoms will make little difference. Top Gun was only a decade old, and Red Flag only 8 years old by the time the Falklands broke out and the Argies had been to neither. IOTL their Mirage pilots fired R530s and Magics well outside their parameters which is why none hit, give them Phantoms and I think they`d do the same. In contrast the RN-FAA has a stack of QWIs among their Sea Harrier sqns, these are equivilent to Top Gun instructors, and this is one reason why 21 of the 26 9L sidewinders the RN-FAA fired hit their targets.
So while the Brits might ahve to do a bit of resuffling of ships and maybe delay until the big fuel tanks, twin sidewinder rails and AEW helicopters enter service in the end they would defeat Argintine Phantoms readily enough.
Anyway, to bring that ramble back to this thread, giving the Argies a sqn of Phantoms will make little difference. Top Gun was only a decade old, and Red Flag only 8 years old by the time the Falklands broke out and the Argies had been to neither. IOTL their Mirage pilots fired R530s and Magics well outside their parameters which is why none hit, give them Phantoms and I think they`d do the same. In contrast the RN-FAA has a stack of QWIs among their Sea Harrier sqns, these are equivilent to Top Gun instructors, and this is one reason why 21 of the 26 9L sidewinders the RN-FAA fired hit their targets.
So while the Brits might ahve to do a bit of resuffling of ships and maybe delay until the big fuel tanks, twin sidewinder rails and AEW helicopters enter service in the end they would defeat Argintine Phantoms readily enough.