Actually I was referring to what Greek pilots have to say about the M2K and the Viper during their own DACT encounters. They operate both i.e. the Viper and the M2K.
Not all 'dissimilar air combat training' (DACT) are the same. Since the movie Top Gun insert DACT into popular culture, I will use US as example.
For US, there are two main schools of DACT:
- The US Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Strike_and_Air_Warfare_Center
...And...
- The USAF Weapons School
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USAF_Weapons_School
Why are there two ? What are their differences, large and small ?
In the old days, each used to have its own 'fighter weapons' training. The US Navy had Top Gun, and the USAF had Fighter Weapons School. Today, both were incorporated into larger tactical combat doctrines and training.
Let us take the MIG-21, for example.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-21
As a fighter, the MIG-21 is still a formidable WVR fighter. It is agile and its small size make it difficult to acquire visual contact, even in WVR engagements.
Here is where the differences in DACT using the MIG-21 comes in...And I will simplify so as not to lose anyone.
If the MIG-21 is employed in an 'untethered' fashion, meaning unrestricted from ground controllers, its agility and small size will make the MIG-21 that formidable dogfighter. This is where Top Gun style DACT focused on.
If the MIG-21 is employed in a 'tethered' fashion, meaning under the commands of ground controlled intercept (GCI) officers, its agility and small size will matter less. This is where the USAF Fighter Weapons School focused on.
- The US Navy is an expeditionary force, meaning its primary missions are away from home waters and often into foreign waters. The theory is that its air combat opponents would be unknown as to individual fighter capabilities and employment style. Therefore, the focus should be on how to maximize the pilot's knowledge of his own fighter regarding facing an unknown combatant. He may fight a MIG-21 on Monday and an Su-27 on Wednesday.
- The US Air Force is more of a strategic projection force, meaning its primary mission is to use air power to destabilize or even destroy a country's resources to wage war, not just to wage an air war. Therefore, the focus should be on how maximize a squadron's total capabilities to fight at all levels, from individual combatants, aka dogfight, all the way to how to bypass opposition air, if necessary, to strike at strategic targets. This is why the USAF have bomber, air refuelers, and cargo pilots training at the Weapons School.
This is why the Navy's Top Gun program lasted only weeks while the Air Force's Fighter Weapons School lasted months.
That is not to say there are no overlap between the two programs. The USAF had the 'Red Eagles' program where Soviet/Russian fighters were flown to provide DACT engagements at the individual combat level.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4477th_Test_and_Evaluation_Squadron
And for the US Navy, the incorporation of the Top Gun program into the larger Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center (NSAWC) mean that the Navy recognized the need for a more comprehensive naval air power projection doctrine beyond those individual air combat engagements.
For most of the world's air forces, the Top Gun style of DACT is most appropriate considering that their immediate threats are usually just across the border. Air warfare doctrines differs because of different perceptions on who wants what, whose weaknesses are enduring and therefore most exploitable, whose national resources are located where and therefore how difficult or how easy to attack, and who has more air combatants and what types. Differences in air combatants and capabilities do not make the opposition any less dangerous. If the side with the lesser number of aircrafts is more serious about DACT, this side will have the higher odds of wining the air war.