Defense: Problem Bird

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Neat Feat. One area in which the F-lll has been an unqualified success is its revolutionary swing-wing design. The wings work perfectly. But while the F-lll's builder, General Dynamics, fell behind schedule trying to satisfy airmen, Navymen and McNamara men, the Soviet Union scored a neat feat of copycatting. At last July's Moscow air show, it displayed two new swing-wing combat planes, including one that had unquestionably profited from the tribulations of the F-lll. The Russians' Mikoyan-designed fighter has its air ducts placed far forward on the fuselage, apparently thus avoiding engine-stall caused by rearward ducts on the F-lll. Nevertheless, the F-lll is still the hottest plane, packing the most advanced radar and missile systems in the skies today, giving the nation a swinging aerial edge.

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