[ACE-OF-ACES]

When comparing with "real world performance" is there a significant difference between available published performance figures and operational performance figures? -- or is any difference insignificant?

This is not something which I know much about --- just curious.

Well depends on what you mean by operational performace

Some field mods were never tested

Well they were tested by the pilots in the filed, but not official test was done to record the results

Those types of operational things are very hard to come by, and the few that are aval are typicall sparce on details

Thus most of the real world data used is the manufature testing and acceptance testing done by the airforce who recived the product