THE CONCEPT of operating a mixture of different fighter types was not new to the Cold War. After all, at the end of World War Two, Allied and Axis forces had engaged in operations along those very lines, using the qualities of various aircraft to maximum effect. Although similar lines, the Mixed Fighter Force concept differs in that the aim is to capitalise on each fighter's unique strengths as well as acting as force multipliers. As an example, the Hunter is a highly manoeuvrable dogfighter but lacks the arsenal of air-to-air weapons that, say, an F-4 Phantom II can carry. The origins of what became known in the RAF as MFFO, Mixed Fighter Force Operations, can be traced back to the late 1970s when the service was undergoing a major re-equipment programme, especially within RAF Germany. The Cold War was reaching its zenith and the ageing Canberra bombers and Hunter fighters had been rendered obsolete. In a matter of years the RAF had transformed the 'clutch' bases with the introduction of Phantoms (then in the ground attack and recce roles), Buccaneers and Harriers. Soldiering on in the low-level air defence role were two squadrons of Lightning F2As, now very long in the tooth.
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