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…)

Soon after World War II, one of the most amazing jet fighters was conceived for the US Air Force: the McDonell XF-85 Goblin, known as the “Flying Egg” because of its very small size ( only 4.5 meters in length ) and rotund appearance. The XF-85 Goblin was designed to be carried inside the bomb bays of giant strategic bombers and deployed in case of enemy attack. The giant Convair B-36 strategic bomber was to play the role of mothership for this little parasite aircraft. (Read more…)

The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a highly successful multirole combat jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation of France. The Mirage 2000 has been in service with the French Air Force ( Armee de l’Air ) since 1984 and eight more countries have Mirage 2000 fighters in service. There is no doubt the Mirage 2000 is an elegant airplane, with the delta wing configuration and lack of tail planes. Among other things the Mirage 2000 was the first aerodynamically unstable fighter jet with full fly-by-wire and a couple of years ago reached movie stardom level in the French production ” Les Chevaliers du Ciel” ( Knights of the Sky ) aka ” Skyfighters”. (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…)

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen is the first new-generation multi-role/swing-role fighter to enter service worldwide and combines high performance, outstanding maneuverability and fully integrated information and weapons systems for all air combat situations.
Offering an unrivaled mix of simplicity and sophistication to defeat all present and future threats, it is the world’s most capable and cost-effective combat aircraft in operation today. (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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The Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is a larger and more advanced variant of the F/A-18C/D Hornet. The Super Hornet is 20% larger, 7,000 lb heavier empty and 15,000 lb heavier at maximum weight than the Hornet. The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet has replaced the F-14 Tomcat in the United States Navy’s primary maritime air superiority fighter role and is 11,000 lb lighter than the Tomcat at empty weight.
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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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On August 17 2007 two Eurofighter Typhoons from the Royal Air Force Number XI Squadron intercepted a Russian Tupolev Tu-95 Bear-H that approached British airspace. On March 29, 2007, Number XI Squadron of the Royal Air Force stood up as a Typhoon Squadron. The two Typhoons were delivered just eight days before the incident, on August 9, 2007.
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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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In 1996 a new advanced jet trainer flew for the first time over the Russian skies. Designed to replace the Let L-29 and L-39, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG AT is part of a new generation of aircraft that will enter service with the Russian Air Force. Mikoyan hopes to receive orders for about 1,200 aircraft but up until now only 20 have been built.

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