SimHQ.com - Air Combat Zone - Feature: Turnabout is Fair Play

Yuri received his clearance and his MiG blasted into the air, joining me high above Cairo. Pointing our noses toward Suez, we began our combat checks. We were each carrying extra fuel by way of one drop-tank. We also carried two R-3S radar-guided missiles, and two R-55 IR missiles, much like the American Sidewinder. Yuri dropped into an easy combat trail, and I activated my RP-22 radar system. Its range was only 20 kilometers. Today, our MiGs can see much farther!

I spoke above of traps, and how to turn the tables on the aggressor. What does this have to do with my tale? Well, we were just crossing the Canal when the air controller vectored us northeast, toward El Arish. Enemy aircraft were approaching. We vectored north to meet the threat.

"Do you think we will meet the Phantoms today, Dmitri?" Yuri sounded eager, at least, as eager as he ever sounded. "In Vietnam, the Americans had them. You know the Jews have them as well."

"DA It is possible, comrade. We have the plane to beat them with. The Phantom is slow, and heavy. It cannot maneuver like we can. We are faster and more agile. I have killed Phantoms before, my friend. As have you."

"DA They need two men for every one of us." A reference to the tandem cockpit of the American F-4.

The Israeli air force would be a powerful foe. They are aggressive, and cunning. We were about to find out that the Jews were also tricky and resourceful. I listened, not without some trepidation, for my Sirena, the radar warning receiver, for the F-4s to lock on. Their range is greater than ours, by far. Their "Sparrow" missile also outranges our R-3 by a considerable margin, though it was known even then to be unreliable in a closing situation.

"Let us advance our speed and deny these Jews a target, Dmitri. We will close with them and eliminate them from the sky."

I contacted the ground controller for a vector to the incoming threat. It was close now, twenty kilometers distance. I watched my scope. We were diving on them, we had the speed and altitude advantage. "Why are they waiting? Why no lock on?"

"They wish to grapple with us. They are foolish."

"Nyet. Be wary, comrade. Something is wrong here. Perhaps these are Mirages, and not Phantoms." The French Mirage has maneuverability to match our own. "Do you see their exhaust?"

Yuri paused, scanning the sky. "There they are. Two aircraft, one o'clock low, ten kilometers. Closing fast, comrade."

"Weapons free, two. Close and destroy." As Yuri dropped toward the Israelis I pulled out my binoculars, the better to see the enemy. As I peered through them, Yuri lined up an R-3 shot. "Missile away."

"Beware, two!" I could see the enemy aircraft now. "Those aren't Phantoms!" They flashed past Yuri, his R-3 missing wide, heading toward me, their sleek arrow shapes much like our own.

"Starfighters! The Americans, here? What —"

"Take the left! I have the leader!" I banked hard to the right, watching my target in its deadly turn, quartering, trying to get Yuri's tail for its AIM-9 Sidewinder. F-104s, in IAF colors! What were they doing here? I had to get this one off Yuri in a hurry. My Sirena was beeping now, the wingman was trying for a solution on me. My time was short, and I could not use my afterburner. Focusing on the target, I heard the buzz of my own R-55s change pitch. I had the Israeli for a long-range shot and I loosed both my IR missiles at him!

Go To Page 4

Click here to go to top of this page.