<p>Edit: Flieger beat me to it, but I’ll leave this here anyway.</p>
<p>Translation: Even though we didn’t think we needed guns going into 'Nam, aerial combat from beyond visual range didn’t receive a whole lot of discussion because the missiles of that day weren’t very reliable.</p>
<p>In the video, the pilot fired off all four of his AIM-7 missiles. Only one hit, while the other three wandered off uselessly, even though he was set up in a good spot to the rear of the bandit, which is the most advantageous position. In short, the probability of scoring a kill with an AIM-7 or other Vietnam-era missile, especially beyond visual range, was not good.</p>
<p>Today’s missiles, however, are quite different. After a pilot locks onto a target and fires a missile, the modern AIM-120 will take over and do all of the work involved with destroying the enemy. If such a pilot were to engage the aircraft in the aforementioned video at the same range and aspect using modern equipment, the odds of scoring a kill would be very high.</p>