Military Heat

Over the skies of North Korea some of the most intense jet dogfights took place between USAF pilots and their F-86 Sabres and North Korean and Russian pilots flying the MiG-15 “Fagot”. This is the story of the first dogfight between the two rival aircraft. See pilot Bruce Hinton claim first blood for the F-86 Sabre. (Read more…)

Another great story from the History Channel’s TV series “Dogfights”. Using state of the art computer generated imagery, the series manages to give the viewer a better perspective of what it is like to partake in aerial combat. This is the story of Art Fiedler and his victories in a low level altitude dogfight. Watch P-51 Mustang pilot Art Fiedler tell his story as he battles German FW-190 down on the deck, where there is no room for error. (Read more…)

The History Channel brings viewers incredible WWII air combat stories in the series “Dogfights”. This is an excerpt from the series, showing the amazing story of Stanley W. “Swede” Vejtasa who, facing long odds, managed to outmaneuver, outsmart and defeat 3 A6M3 Zeros with a SBD Dauntless dive bomber. (Read more…)

On April 7, 1943, James Elms Swett, division flight leader in Marine Fighting Squadron VMF-221 became an ace on his first combat mission. He shot down 8 enemy aircraft and was eventually awarded the Medal of Honor. His amazing achievements and mastery of the Wildcat were recreated using computer graphics for the History Channel series “Dogfights”. James Swett tells the story of that amazing day, when he became ace in just 15 minutes, on his first ever combat mission.

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The American Republic P-47 Thunderbolt was the largest single engine fighter of World War II. Almost 15,000 Thunderbolts, also known as the Jug, were manufactured. Designed as a fighter, the P-47 Thunderbolt was highly effective at high altitudes were it maneuvered very well. The Thunderbolt proved itself in the ground attack role, and in honor of that, the A-10 Thunderbolt II was named after the legendary Jug. This is gun camera footage, showing the P-47 Thunderbolt in dogfights and ground attack runs. (Read more…)

Dissimilar air combat training ( DACT ) was introduced as a formal US air combat training during the Vietnam war, following the 9 to 1 kill ratio of North Korean MiGs over US air assets. Thus Topgun was introduced. The idea of the DACT is to place pilots in simulated aerial combat using different types of aircraft ( rather then have them using the same type ) in order to understand the value of knowing the enemy’s weak points. Here is a video of Topgun DACT featuring the US Navy F-16 Falcon versus the F-14 Tomcat . The instructors, flying the Vipers, play the role of aggressors while the students fly the Tomcats. Seems the students still have something to learn. (Read more…)

Here are two episodes from the History Channel’s Dogfights series: “Dogfights of the Middle East” and “Desert Aces” . Interviews with the pilots are mixed with excellent graphics and analysis that take you closer than ever before to the great air battles of the modern jet age.

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Another dogfight between Turkish Air Force and Hellenic Air Force this time from the TUAF pilot’s perspective. A TUAF F-16 Falcon engages a HAF Mirage over the Aegean Sea. HUD footage is combined with a few outside views. Videos like this are quite common, since both sides often engage in aerial combat over the Aegean.

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HUD image from a Hellenic Air Force (HAF) Mirage 2000 fighter engaged in a dogfight with a Turkish Air Force (TUAF) F-16 Falcon fighter. This happened probably over the Aegean Sea, where pilots from both HAF and TUAF engage in simulated aerial combat. This is an excellent video, because it gives us an idea of what the pilot of the aircraft sees during combat.

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On January 4, 1989, two US F-14 Tomcats downed two Libyan MiG-23 Flogger Es in an engagement that has come to be known as the Gulf of Sidra incident. This was the second Gulf of Sidra incident following the downing of two Libyan Sukhoi Su-22 Fitters in August 19, 1981.

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On April 17, 2002, the Swiss Air Force invited the German Luftwaffe MiG-29 Fulcrums to a two week exercise, where pilots from both sides were to engage in DACT (Dissimilar Air Combat Training). It was not the first time German MiGs were called upon to confront western pilots with the much feared Russian myth, it was however the first time MiGs were deployed over the Alps. This is an edited video of the action that took place over the mountains. (Read more…)

The American F-16 Falcon and the Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum are two amazing planes that have sparked an endless debate as to which one is better. In 1997 USAF’s 457th F-16 squadron trained at Forth Worth alongside German MiG-29s and pilots from both sides engaged in simulated dogfights. This is HUD footage taken from an F-16 combined with a few famous quotes.

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This is the dogfight scene between an F-16 and an F-15 taken from the IMAX movie Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag. Red Flag is the international training exercise for air forces of allied countries where many of the world’s best pilots meet for the most challenging flying of their careers. Red Flag is the final training for pilots and their aircrews before being sent into actual combat.
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