Kills with Guns

On the Navy side, Zero for the F-14 and F-18. I don't think the USAF
F-15/16 drivers have ever gotten a gun kill either, it's possible the
Israelis have. With modern missile systems, you generally have to drive
through the missile envelope to get to guns, so it makes little sense to
pass up the opportunity and expose yourself more than necessary. A gun
kill in a post-Vietnam world would also often require entering a
hard-maneuvering engagement that is generally an unhealthy place to be.

According to a recent interview I saw on TV, at least one Israeli pilot got
a guns kill in a F-15 on a Mig-21 solely for the prestige of getting a guns
kill. That blurs the fine line between being bold and being stupid! Hard
to argue with their record though. Funny comment about the Thud kills- it
reminds of G.I. Basel's: "It wasn't a memorable battle. They didn't see me.
I whispered 'Jesus' and filled the sky with 20 mm bullets. It didn't seem
fair, I wanted to honk or something." Perhaps the most humble account of an
a-a kill I've ever heard!

TV