Or thrust-to-weight ratio.
Got an interesting link today from my Internet friend of many years, a retired Air Force test pilot.
Just as we had a top secret program for many years involving captured Soviet fighters, the Soviets had a few of ours.
And the conclusions of one of the Russians top test pilots at the time, in evaluating “The Foreigner” (an F-5 that came from Vietnam after we left) vs a MiG 21, were objective, at times, funny (didn’t know that Russian fighters did not use brakes integrated with the rudder pedals), and, most of all, surprising.
In simulated dogfights, the F-5 won every time.
Lex would have loved to have read this article. He had some flight time of his own in an F-5E, with some amusing stories.
The conclusion of the Soviet experts in confronting a Tiger after their tests?
Our “experts” suggested not to engage in a close dogfight, but to use the “hit-and-run” tactics instead.
More here.