My decade a day of fighter aviation continues into the 1970s. What, in your opinion, is the best fighter aircraft of the decade from 1970 to 1979?
You pick the criteria of what makes it best. This is all about opinion, so say what and why and talk it out. It can be based on stats, based on which model was the coolest you built as a kid, or any criteria decide. It's your opinion, so you say why. The point of this is to discuss and back your opinion, so have at.
The only rule is that the aircraft has to have been operational in the decade. You can pick an aircraft from a previous decade if you like, as long as it served operationally in this decade. That means aircraft like the MiG-29 is out because, though designed in the 1970s, it didn't serve until 1982 in actual operational flight.
If you want to have a go at earlier decades in this series, you can find them here:
1960s- TMP link
1950s- TMP link
1940s- TMP link
1930s- TMP link
1920s- TMP link
1910s- TMP link
For me the 1970s was the decade of the American fighter. In the 1960s the American designers went through soul searching based on the Vietnam War and decided things had to change. The result of this flurry of activity are the front line fighters that still serve today. Other nations were still developing new aircraft, and some of them amazing, but often with restricted budgets and limited success. With that said, there are a number of iconic fighters to choose from.
As much as I want to pick the F14 Tomcat, and a beast it truly was, I have to go with the F-15 Eagle. With a 100-0 combat record and a capability that makes it one of the most powerful fighters in the world, even today, it is a top pick. Add to that the Strike Eagle ability to become both a top class fighter and world class and accurate bomb truck, and the F-15 wins the title for me.
I still have to give a nod to the F14. It is my favorite Naval fighter, and a great fighter that became a good bomb truck in its own right. Taken from us before its time, a fully modernized F14 would have been formidable. Even the D model, which was a compromise, was incredibly capable.
Just the two above aircraft would have made the US legacy in the 1970s hard to beat. But let's add into that the F-16, an amazing multi-role aircraft that was originally conceived of as a pure dogfighter, but proved the capability of its design in multiple roles.
The US wasn't alone in top shelf designs, though. Other candidates that near the top of my list include-
The Panavia Tornado. A European fighter bomber that proved to be very capable in several nations.
…And the Mirage 2000, which modernized the Mirage III design and made it a fine multi-role aircraft.
Which fighter that was operational in the 1970s do you believe was the best fighter aircraft of the decade?
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