Can anyone verify this story about Blackbirds?

I would think a head on-shot after a pop-up intercept would have a
meaningful Pk if the intercept was run perfectly. The problem is getting
to
the right point in time and space to take the head-on shot.

I'd think head-on the SR would likely present a pretty small RCS (it was
after all known for being rather stealthy for its day)--couple that with its
speed, the interceptor's speed (i.e., one heck of a closure velocity), and
the idea that the Draken would have to be lugging at best a couple of Rb
27/28 (read as "Falcon") AAM's, and I don't see it as very doable. Color me
dubious.

Brooks


I am not sure about their real stealthiness, at least from the rear hemisphere.
Yeah I know the chances of a shot from that quarter are not the best to say
the least.

Went on a F-4E Functional Check Flight out of Korat once. The FCF involves
among other things, doing a Mach run around 2.0 somewhere between FL400 and
FL500. On this particular flight I found and locked on to a very high speed
tartget target well above us with a huge negative closing range. We were M2+
and probably at FL450 over nothern Thailand headed NE. Stayed locked on long
enough to have been able to get an AIM 7 off though I suspect the PK wasn't the
greatest. The Mach run was interrupted by a #1 engine compressor stall so we
had other things to do besides play with that bogey.

On another occaision we were #2 for the active behind a Blackbird at Kadena.
After he took off and we took the active I locked on to him and again stayed
locked on until he was about 15 miles out.

Both were in friendly airspace so I suspect that whaterver ECM those bogeys had
was turned off, as well. The F-4 radar was very susceptible to gate stealers.