This is coolbert: Now, that post about Russian pilots flying combat missions over Korea stimulated this observation. On that web site link, it was stated that the MIG-15 was considered to be a superior aircraft to the F-86 Sabrejet. Superior but having one glaring weakness. During a steep turn, the MIG-15 had a tendency for the engine to cut out. Well, this was probably due to a weak fuel pump or something like that. Gravity and G-force inhibited the fuel flow and the engine would cut out. Well, even possessing this glaring weakness, the plane was still considered to be superior to the Sabrejet. Fancy that??!! You are never going to build a weapons system that does not have some weakness. Whether it is the MIG-15 or say the Abrams tank, there will be some area where the system is weak. Or supposedly weak. Weak in one area perhaps, but strong in other areas. The strengths far outweigh the weakness. What the operator does, whether it is the pilot of a MIG-15 or an Abrams tank, is to not expose themselves to a situation where your adversary can take advantage of your crucial weakness. In the case of the MIG-15, the pilot just avoids steep turns. Uses his own advantages in stressful moments, like superior rate of climb to avoid a Sabrejet on your tail.

Of those five major U.S. Army weapons systems from the late seventies and eighties, each was supposed have a glaring weakness. The Abrams had a gas turbine engine that ran too hot, was subject to having clogged filters, used too much fuel, etc. The Apache helicopter was too sensitive, required too much maintenance and had too much down time. The Bradley was too vulnerable to a tank round, which it could not withstand, and had aluminum armor, which burned hot when ignited. And there seems to be a degree of validity to each of these arguments. But does this render the entire weapons systems useless. NO! The strengths of each system far outweigh the weaknesses, if they are indeed weaknesses. If the commander of the system is aware of weak points, they can work around these points and still have a superior system. Such as what was had with the MIG-15.

coolbert.