Volume 6 Issue 6l

Published by
Orbis Publishing Ltd
@ Aerospace Publishing Ltd 1984
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drawings O Pilot Press Ltd

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Keith Fretwell der of British Land Forces during the
Keith Woodcock Falklands campaign.

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The supetsonic iet fighters of the 1960s saw contbat several
times tlvoughoat the decad,e, where the new taclics were
wotked out thoroughJy, These actions spawned, several
classic afuc;raft guch as the MilG-Z I , which can ioin the list of
truhy great frghters, Eere we describe thefu developnent,
thefu actiotts and how their design teans made sutrntronic
Ilight a Wadical proposilion
By the start of the I950s, the fighter designers had their sights firmly set
on supersonic flight and were working rapidly towards true supersonic
fighters (as opposed to transonic aircraft often only able to reach Mach I
in a shallow dive). When the designs reached fruition, the course of air
warfare changed considerably, with aircraft able to intercept each other
at greater distances and in shorter times than had been previously
possible. Dogfights, however, were not fought at supersonic speeds, a
trend that has lasted to this day.
A whole new realm of military aircraft opened up rapidly, with the
North American F-100 and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19 leading to the
classic Dassault Mirage III, McDonnell F-4 Phantom II and MiG-21.
These equipped the air forces of most of the major nations, aiongside the
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, and these types were soon finding them-
seives ever more involved in action, mostly against each other. The two
wars in the Middle East and the long, protracted air war over the
spectacular jungles, deltas and mountains of Vietnam forged the tactics
of air combat between supersonic-capable aircraft, and these tactics
have lasted into the I980s. Of course, many of the aircraft described here
still fly regmlarly as the front-line equipment of many nations, yet their
importance has been largely taken over by types such as the General
Dynamics F-i6 and Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23. Aircraft from the pre-
vious subsonic era are still flying, and of course were used widely
throughout the period covered by this issue,
A fashion set during the later years of Worid War II was that of fighters
being able to carry out ground attack missions as well as their traditional
air-to-air role, This had been developed with the first generations of jet
fighters and, when the supersonic age arrived, these aircraft were often
did n' t m ake it : the N orth Am erican F - I 07. I ndu s trial politics
O ne that
prevented thisvery fine aircraftfrom making it to the frontline.
used more as bombers than as f,ghters. The Vietnam war gnaphically
illustrates the new breed of air war, with only a handflrl of Phantoms
carrying air{o-air missiles whilst the rest of the Phantoms, F- I05 Thun-
derchiefs and F-100 Super Sabres carried almost entirely bombs and
other airto-gnound ioads. Even the Lockheed P-104 Starfigrhter was
employed for a while in Vietnam as a 'mud-mover', There must have
been many fighters which never even saw a Sidewinder in Vietnam, Iet
alone carried one,
The air combats that took place over Vietnam and especially the Sinai
Desert during the 1967 and 1973 warswere different from those of Korea,
as the air{o-air missiie, especially short-range missiles such as Sidewin-
der and its Soviet copy 'Atoll', replaced cannon as the main armament for
flghting. Cannon were still used for extreme close-in work, and several
ofthe experienced Israeli pilots used only cannon as a show ofbravado,
Together with the McDonnell F-4 Phantom il, these aircraft have
shaped the modern fighter scene more than any other group, and their
inlluence will last for many years more. The lessons learned in all their
actions, not only Vietnam and the Middle East, but those over the
hdo-Pakistan border and over Cyprus, have provided the current milit-
ary strategists with all the experience of air combat needed to plan
future defence.
Supersonic fighters were eagerly awaited by politicians, air forces,
schoolboys and Hollwood alike. A series of exciting desigms were unveiled,
especially from America, where the'Century Series' caught the imagination of
the world. F irst came the N or th Anerican F - I 00 S uper S abre, s how n here, but
other classics were soon tofollow.
 >K iinc Li\t*ir,s
-r-:=nmg operational service {uring
-.--: r:Lrse of 1960, the BAC Ligh(ning
::;:s ihe distiriction of being the first
l:--sh airgraft to exceed Mach 2 in
-=;ei fught, and has been an integtral
p::: c: the UK's aerial defences lor the
;esr 24 years.
Development of what eventLrally be-
:::::e the Lightnlng can be traced
;a:k io 1947 when the English Electric
J::i.pany was awarded a study cqn-
::: rcr a supersonic research aircraft.
i'::c'r.n as the P. I, thrs made its matden
r'::r il early August 1954 and subse-
;:eTJy demonstrated Mach l+ per-
::::i.iance, semng as a startlnq point A,bove: Lightnings tlew for many
::: -.le P.lB wluch far more closely years with the RAF in natural metal
apprcached the requrrements needed finish and vivid paint schemes. This
:_.- a:r operational aucraft. Flight trials F.Mk3 servedwithNo. 56 Sqn at
,r.= ihe P.1B began in April 1957 and Wattisham in 1965, when the type
::-:',', ed srrfficient promise to wafiant a was the UK's main air defence
:::-tact for 20 pre-production test fighter.
spe::rnens ofthe Lightning, as the type
:ad cy then been named. a few of the latter mark are also still
lire ffst squadron to equrp was No, airwofihy,
-i ar Coltishall, this receiving the Modest success was also achieved
I variant which also
tightrdng F.IvIk on the export front, Saudi Arabia and
s::-red with Nos 56 and I I i Squadrons, Kuwart purchasing close to 50 aucraft
P:;duction then swrtched to the Light- between them, These are now be-
nrnq F.Mk 2, whrch offered better per- lieved to have been retired, beingr re-
::::lalce and was armed wrth Red placed by the McDonnell Douglas
l:p missiles in place of the Lightning F-15 and Dassault-Bregmet Mirage F, 1

: Nft l's Frestreaks, TWo squadrons respectively.

:::erved this model, both berng quick-
--.- noved to West Germany, whilst the
:::::h rmproved lrightning F.Mk 3
3;entually equrpped five home-based
:quadrons from mid-1964 onwards,
lie final sinqle-seat Lightning to see
-n'ice wrth the RAFwasthe Lightning
F.Mk 6 with a Ereatly modiied wing
much Lmproved fuel capacity, and
=d model remains active today with
-::s
:,r: squadrons at RAF Binbrook,
in addition to slngle-seaters, two
:r,-3-seat variants were also built for
:a-nag duty, these being the Light-
ning T.lvlk 4 and lightning T.Mk 5, and
Specification
BAC Lightning F.Mk 6
Type: single-seat all-weather
interceptor
Powerplant: two Rolls-Royce Avon Mk
302 turbojets, each rated at 71 i2-kg
( I 5, 680-lb) afterburning thrust
Performance: maximum speed
2414 kn/h (1,500 mph) at 12190 m
(40,000 ft); initial climb rate 15240 m
(50,000 ft) per mrnute; sewrce ceiling
16765 m (55,000 ft); range 1287 krrr (800
miles) on internal fuel
Weights: emptyabout 1270I kg
(28,000 1b); norma.l loaded 19047 ks
(42, 000 lb); ma:omum take-off about
22680 ks (50,000 ]b)
Dimensions: span 10,62 m (34 ft 10 in);
length 16.84 m (55 ft 3 in) including
probe; heighJ 5.97 m (19 ft 7 in); wing
area 35,3I mz (380. I sq ft)
Armament:two 30-mm Aden cannon,
plus two Frestreak or Red Top infra-
red homing air-to-air missrles
The export derivative of the
Lightning F.M k 6 was the F.Mk 53,
supplied to Kuwait and Saudi Arabia: I
one ofthe latter's aircraft is seen
here. Two-seat trainers were also
supplied with the designation T.Mk 55.
A Lightning F.M k 3 of No. 74 Sqn
displays thecarriage of the
Fr'resfreakmissi/es and the original
straightwing.

,lr ,.

i:
i,
l:'
t:-
l .::::
i'r a:r-
=:
l
I '" '::
fl ijXtu",rrt Super Mystdre
Unique in being the first Western
European aircraft capable of super-
sonic speed in level flight, the Dassault
Super Mystdre has virtually dis.
appeared from the scene although a
few are understood still to be active
with the Honduran air force,
A logrcal development of the earlier
Mystdre, the Super Mystere flrst flew
in prototype form on 2 March 1955,
although this aircraft was powered by
a Rolls-Royce Avon rather than the
SNECMA Atar 101G which was fitted
to production-configured machines.
Five pre-production test specimens
followed the prototype down the
assembly line, the first of these getting
airborne on 15 May 1956, whllst pro-
duction Super Mystdre B-2 aircraft be-
gan to enter service with the 10"
Escadre de Chasse during 1957, other
operatronal unrs being the 5'Escadre
at Oranoe and the 122 Escadre at Cam-
brai, Pioduction terminated during
1959, by which time some 180 Super
Mystdres had been built, this total in-
cluding 24 for sewice with the Israeli
air force, with which they saw combat
action on several occasrons.
Development of the type did not
cease with the Super Mystdre B-2
model, for Dassault also completed
hvo prototypes of the Super Mystdre
B-4. Powered by a single SNECMA
Atar 09C engrne, this flew for the first
time on 9 February 1958 and evenhrai-
1y achieved a top speed of Mach 1,4 in
level flight at i 1000 m (36,090 ft). In the
event, however, the even more prom-
rsing Dassault Mirage III was coming
along and the Super Mystdre B-4 even-
tually slipped quietly into obscurity,
The only Super Mystdres now flying
are those ofthe Honduran arr force, thrs
Il ijXs"ort Mirase III and Mirase
By far the most successful post-war
European fighter aircraft, the Dassault
Mirage III and Mirage 5 remained in
production in late 1984, albeit in a very
small way.
Developed rn response to a French
arr force requirement of the early
1950s, the Mirage was one of three
submissions put forward, all of which
were intended to use dual turbojeV
rocket power in order to gain altitude
rapidly in fulfllling the primary task of
interceptron. Subsequently, it became
clear that this unusual concept signi-
ficantly imparred endurance and Das-
sault returned to the drawing board,
comrng up with the now familiar tail-
less delta which relied on a single
SNECMA Atar 10lG twbojet for prop-
ulsion, plus an optional boost rocket.
Construction of a private-venture
prototype forged ahead rapidly, this
eventually taking to the air for the flrst
time during November 1956 and very
qutckly vindicatrng Dassault's theories,
whilst at the same time providing valu-
able data whrch could be rncorporated
in any future production variant.
Official interest, initially lukewarm,
was quickly confirmed by an order for
10 pre-production specimens just su
months after the maiden flight. Testing
and evaluation of these began in May
1958 and qulckly led to the first major
production order for a variant known
as the Mirage IIIC, this duly entering
sewice at Dijon durlnq 1961,
From then on, the Mirage never
looked back, successive develop-
Above: Israelwas a major operator
of the Super Mystdre and her aircraft
saw much action, especially in the Six
Day War of 1 967, where it was
employed in the ground-attack role
usingironhombs.
air arm having received 12 from lsrael
during the 1970s. These aircraft pro-
vide further evidence of Israeli in-
genuity, for they were all modifled to
take a non-afterburning Pratt & Whil
ney J52 turbojet,
Specification
Dassault Super Mystere B-2
Type: single-seat fi ghter-bomber
Powerplant: one SNECMA Atar 101G-
2 or Atar l0lG-3 turbojet rated at 3400-
ks (7,495-lb) dry thrust and 4460-kg
(9, 833-lb) afterburning thrmt Dimensions: span 10.52 m (34 ft 6 in); The Super Mystdre was employed by
Performance: maximum speed lengith 14. 13 m(46ft4Vq in); height Francefrom 1957 until the late 1970s.
I 195 km/h (743 mph) at altitude; initial 4.55 m (14 ft 11 in); wingarea 35,00 m2 This Arm6e de l'Air example shows
climb rate 5335 m (17,500 ft) per (376.75 sq ft) the dogtaoth in the leading edge,
minute; service ceiling 17000 m Armarnent:two 30-mm DEFA cannon w h ich im p r ov e d high - a ltitu d e
(55,775 ft); range (clean) 870 kn (540 and 35 68-mm (2,68-in) ungmided m an o e uvr a bi li ty. Ar m am e n t
miles) rockets (the latter in a belly pack), plus consk ted of two 30 - mm c annon and
Weights:empty 6930 kq (15,278 lb); up to 1000 ks (2,205 lb) ofexternal internal rockets, with pylons for
normal loaded 9000 kq ( 19,842 1b); ordnance includinq bombs and external stores. Most aircraft carried
maximum take-off 10000 kg (22,046 lb) rockets Iong-range fuel tanks under the wings,
5
*
Above: The major aircraftof Israel's
lightning victory over its Arab
neighbours in I 967 was the Mirage
IIL This was used for both air-to-air
and air - to- ground mr'ssrbns.
ments including the Mirage IIIB two-
seat pilot training version, the Mirage
IIIE for tactical nuclear strike and con-
ventional attack, and the Mirage IIIR
for reconnaissance, In additton to the
Iarge numbers built for sewice with
the French air force, versions ofall four
basic types have been exported
throughout the worid.
Specification
Dassault Mirage IIIE
Type: single-seat al1-weather fighter- rocket) 17000 m (55,775 ft); combat Dassault's remarkable Mirage III has
bomber radius 1200 km (746 miles) on a servedwith theArm6e de I'Air since
Powerplant:one SNECMA Atar 9C grround-attack mission 1961 , and still flies in large numbers.
turbojet rated at 6205-kg ( 13, 680-lb) Weights: empty 7200 kq ( 15,875 1b); These early Mirage IIICs are
afterburmng thrust, plus one optional normal loaded (clean) 9800 kg receiving pre-flight preparations.
SEPR 844 rocket rated at 1500-kg (21,605 lb); maximum take-off 13500 kg
(3,307-lb) thrust (29 762 lb) Armament:two 30,mm DEFA cannon,
Performance: maximum speed Dimensions: span1.ZZ m(26 ft I I 7z in); plus up to 2270 kg (5,004 Ib) ofexternal
2350 kr'/h (1,460 mph) at 12200 m lenglh I 5.03 m (49 ft 37: in); height ordnance includrnq air{o-air missiles,
(40,025 ft); climb to I 1000 m (36,090 ft) 4 50 m (14 ft 9 in): wing area 35.00 mz air-to-surface missiles, bombs, rockets
in 3 minutes; service ceiling (without (376,75 sq ft) andnapalm
t203

Air Wcrr in the Middle Easf
The aircraft developed by France and
the Soviet Union clashed spectacularly
over the Suez region in 1967, testing out
all the developments of the previous
decade. The next few years saw these
aircraft, and newcamers from America,
Iocked in battle time and time again.
Srnce its creation in May 1948, the state of lsrael
has spent much of the trme in a state of near-
war with its Arab neighbours, the uneasy
peace that prevails in this troubled part of the
world being shattered on numerous occasrons
by fuil-blooded conflict, In most of these
periods of hostility the lsraeli Defence Force/
Arr Force has been at the very heart of the
action, usualiy demonstrating superior ability
to that of its adversaries and gaining a well-
deserved reputation as being amongst the
best-trained air arms in the world. This ele-
vated status is perhaps best illustrated by
examining the IDF/AF's part in the so-called
Sx-Day War'of June 1967 when, in a matter of
just a few hours, it all but wiped out aerial
opposition by a series of well-planned and brii-
hantly executed pre-emptive strikes,
The build-up to open warfare in 1967 took
place over a period of months, but appears to
nave been largely prompted by Egypt's Presi-
Cent Nasser, who directed Egryptian troops to
cccupy the Sinai peninsula during May of that
year, Srnce this inhospitable tract of iand
served as a 'buffer' between the two nations it
was hardly surprising that israel responded
with a partlal mobilization, but the situation
worsened almost immediately when Nasser
or.rsted troops of the United Nations Organiza-
tron undertaking the peace-keeping function in
Slnal, At the same time Syria and Jordan each
mobilized, which meant that Israel was now
threatened from virtually ali sides, A further
factor rn the worsenrng situation was the clos-
ure of the Straits of Tiran to sea-going traffic
bound for Israel. Thus, by the end of May 1967 it
\244
was evident that it was just a matter ol time
before the rapidly-increasing tension erupted
into full-scale warfare, and the only real ques-
tion being asked at the time was concerned
wlth who would strike first,
At this time Israel stood totally alone, facing
the armed forces ol Egiypt, Jordan and Syria
which were backed up by air and gror:nd ele-
ments from Algeria, Iraq, Kuwait and Lebanon,
In terms of air power, the Arab nations could
muster about 650 fighters whilst Israel posses-
sed only 196, many of which were of urierior
performance when compared with the
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19s and MiG-21s,
Sukhoi Su-7s and Hawker Fiunters of their hos-
tile neighbours,
In a war of attrition, it was evident that lsrael
would almost certainly be overwhelmed, and
the Israelis were thus left with little alternative
but to opt for a pre-emptive strrke: ilthey could
thus succeed in eliminating the threat posed by
enemy air power and so gain control of the
skies, they could then turn their attention to
ground forces secure in the knowledge that the
opposing armies could not call for aerial pro-
tection. Such a course of action did at least hold
out the prospect of averting eventual defeat,
although it was quite clearly a gamble for the
very highest stakes, namely the matter of sur-
vival of Israel as a sovereign nation.
On the morninq of 5 June 1967 the IDF/AF
swung into action, rts onsiaught being directed
initially against Egypt's large and weil-
equipped air force, Within an hour of the
attacks beginning, air bases at Beni Suei{ Blr
Tamada, Fayid, Gabel Libni, Inchas and Kabrit
had been rendered inoperative, whilst Egypt's
fleet of30 Tupolev Tu-16'Badger'bombers at
Cairo West had been wiped out, thus removing
at a stroke one ofthe greatest threats to Israel.
In the initial phases of the aerial assault, which
was accomplished mainly by Dassault Mirage
IIiCJs, Dassauit Super Mystdre B-2s, Dassault
Mystdre IVAs and Sud-Ouest Vautour IlAs, vir-
tually the entire IDF/AF inventory was commit-
,,,r+.!i:-iii*r;
ted to action, just eigrht fighters being held back
for defensive pwposes. But the flawless execu-
tion of the plan meant that within three hours c:
hostilities beginning, the Egyptian air force hac
virtully ceased to exist as an effective figrhtinq
force, close to 300 aircraft at 17 airfields berng
destroyed on the opening day.
Flard work for the pilots
With only a limited number of combat au-
craft available, intenslve flying was demandec
of ali, and many Israeli pilots completed up ic
eight sorties per day, using conventlonal 25C-
kq (5511b) and 500-ks (1,102-1b) bombs or-
their initlal pass before returning to strafe
ground targets with cannon armament. Witi
ammunition expended, the Israeli aircraft ther.
headed back to home base in order to refue.
and rearm, the efforts of the pilots being more
than matched by those of the ground crews
who routinely accomplished turn-round in jr.rs:
seven or eight minutes, permitting the fighters
to return to the fray within the hour.
With the Egyptian air force eflectively out oi
commission for the duration, attention then
switched to the airfields of Iraq, Jordan and
Syria and within another hour eight of these had
also been reduced to a state of inoperability,
approximately 50 aircraft and helicopters also
being destroyed. Thus, in just four hours, the
IDF/AF had scored a crushing victory over the
numericaily superior forces of its adversaries
and, far more importantly, had paved the way
for the ground battle to be won, Once again, the
Arab nations possessed far larger forces, up to
500,000 troops being supported by nearly 2,000
armoured vehicles; lsrael, on the other hand,
could muster just 50,000 troops plus 200 000
reservists and approximately 850 armoured
vehicles, many of which were of World War II
vintage.
Happily for Israel, the availability of air pow-
er did more than just balance the equation, and
for much of the remainder of the 'Six-Day War'
IDF/AF aircraft were concerned mainly with

ciose air support oi the army, flying repeated
missions against enemy armour, strongpoints
and troop concentrations with rockets, napalm,
bombs and gun fire as they helped soldiers of
the Israeli army in the advance across Srnai, In
addition to the principal types already de-
tailed, other types used in the support were the
Dassault Ouragan and the Fouga Magister, the
latter type being piloted mostly by reservists
and proving quite effective in this, its first expo-
sure to combat.
The success of the pre-emptive strikes of the
morning of 5 June was such that encounters
between oppositing fighters were relatively
few, but in the small number of engagements
which did occur, Israeli pilots again demons-
trated superior qualities, claiming victories
over Egyptian MiG-2Is and Su-7s and Jorda-
nian Hunters amongst others, most of these
falling victim to the Mirage IIiCJ's twln 30-mm
DEFA cannon installation.
By the end of the brief but bloody conllict,
Israel had decimated Arab air power, des-
troying more than 350 aircraft and helicopters,
Thrs remarkable achievement was not accom-
plished without loss, however, for some 40 IDF /
AF aircraft feli foul of the enemy, Included in
this taliy of attrition were three Ouragans, eight
Mystdre IVAs, three Super Mystdre B-2s, six
Mirages, five Vautours and six Magisters, all of
which represented a great blow; bui more se-
rious still was the loss of 20 invaluable pilots,
Not surprisingly, losses were heaviest during
the first couple of days of the war, when the
IDF/AF was concemed principally with attack-
ing alr bases and other ground targets within
the territory of its neighbours, Most of the
casualties were carised by ground-based antl-
aircraft artillery, the Egryptian bases being par-
ticularly well-defended in this respect,
In the event the stunning success of the 'Six-
Day War' did succeed in bringing back an
uneasy state of peace in this part of the Middle
East for several years. However, the IDF/AF's
brilliant strategry was soon rendered more or
less void by the Soviet Union, whrch very
The First Supersonic Fighters
During the Yom Kippur War of I 973 the Egptians
did not suffer as badly as they had in I 967, and
scenes sucft as this M iG - 2 I dispa tching an I s r aeli
Phantom were not uncommon, despite the overall
air superiority held by the Israelis. These two
aircraft types have seen many combats against
eachother.
quickly set about the task of making good the
losses suffered by the Arab nations, Within 1ln:
a few weeks of the initial strilce, Egiypt's au
force had been rearmed on a quite massive
scale, the 90 MiG-2ls that were lost being re-
placed on a one-for-one basis by new aircrar
Further, the number of MiG-19s on hand hai
virtually doubled to I20 whilst the originat flee:
of 30 T\r- 16s (all destroyed on 5 June) had beer:
largely made good with the arrival of 24 mcre
aircraft of this type.
In subsequent years, modernization further
improved Egypt's capability with regard tc
aerial warfare, and when war broke out agat^
during October 1973 the Egryptian arr force
gave a far better account of itself althouqh
once again, Israel did eventually emerle
victorious.
The death of an Egyptian MiG-2 I at the hands o{ an
Israeli Phantom is dramatically caught in a
camera- gun tilm sequence over the Suez C anal
battlefield.
t,
a,a
-_t-

L A ivrirl[v"n-Gurevich MiG-I9/Shenyang J-6

Europe's first truly supersomc produc-
tron jet fighter traces its lineage back
to the late 1940s and was initially con-
ceived around the newly-developed
Lyulka AL-S axial-flow jet engine,
However, slow progress with this
powerplant prompted a change to a
twin-engine design wrth a pair of
Mrkulin AM-Ss. In its earliest form, as
the I-350, the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG- Carrying four AA-l 'Alkali' missiles and featuringlztmrudradar, the
19 featured a Ttail layout but this was MiG- 1 lPM was one of the Warsaw Pact's first missile fighters' This example
quickly revised following the Ioss of served with Poland, who retained these fighters until about I 970.
the prototype as a result of flutter, a
low-set taiiplane being adopted and
successfi;lly flown on the I-350(M) dur-
ing late i952,
Production-configured MiG- 19F
fighters began to appear soon after-
wards, but these were destined to -en-
joy only short servtce careers, high
attiltion rates bringnng about the mod-
el's forced retirement.
The second version to make its de- TheStateAircraftFactory atShenyang beganproducing copies of theMiG-I9 for theChineseairforceunder the
but was the slabtailplane MiG-I9S designationJ-6.These appearedmainlyinnaturalmetalbutafewwerecamouflagedinthe 1960s.
which began to enter servicejn 1955,
and this proved to be much more relt- years. The MrG-I9 has the NATO re- 9 Sidewinder air-to-ar mrssile, 9145 m (30,000 ft) per minute; service
able although it was quickly sup- porting name'Farmer'. Although now rather dated, the ceiling 17900 m (58,725 ft); tactical
planted by the MiG-lgPF, which intro- Soviet manufachre of the MiG-19 is MiG-19/l-6 is still a most potent war- radius 685 lcn (425 miles) wlth two
duced lzumrud radar and whtch ultt- understood to have ceased during plane if flown by an experienced pilot, drop tanks; ferryrange 2200 larl (1,365
mately provided the basis for the flrst 1958 but the type remained in produc- possessing gEeat agiility and devastat- miles) with maximum internal and
supersonic Soviet missile-armed tion in Czechoslovakia until at least Ing quns. externalfuel
fighter, the MiG-lgPM, backbone of 196I, whilst a copy, known as the J-6, Weights: empty 5670 kg ( 12,700 1b);
Soviet air delences for a number of has been butlt by Qhina's Shenyang Specification normal loaded 7545 kg (16,634 Ib);
factory for many years, Mikoyan-Gwevich MiG I 9/Shenyang maximum take-off 8965 kq ( 19, 764 ib)
Examples of the J-6 have also been J-6C Dimensions:span9.20 m (30 ftZVq in);
Pakktan has been a maior recipient supplied to a number of friendly na- Type: single-seat fighter length 12.60 m (41 ft 4 in) excluding
of the S heny ang J - 6 and this country tions including Albama, Pakistan, Tan- Powerplant: two Wopen-6 (T\rmarsky probe; height 3,BB m (12 ft 83/q in); wirq
has appreciated the type's zania and Vretnam, the Pakistani R-9BF-8I l) hnbojets, each rated at area 25,00 mz (269. I sq ft)
tougfiness and agility. The Pakistani machines berng particularly unusual in 3250-kq (7, 165-1b) afterburning thrust Armament: two orthree 30-mm NR-30
J -6 s are fi tted with M artin- B aker that they are fitted wrth British Martin- Performance: maximum speed cannon, plus up to 500 kg ( 1, 102 lb) of
ejection seats and are Sidewinder- Baker ejection seats and have provt- 1540 knh (957 mph) at I i000 m external ordnance includrnq fow air-
capable. sion for carriage of the American AIM- (36,090 ft); initial chmb rate more than to-au missiles, rockets and bombs
l{iG-21 in Action
Built in greater numbers than any other
post-war fighter, the MiG-Z1 has seen
actionin aII quarters of the globe,where
its agility and basic structure have stood
up well to the more capable fighters it
hasmet.

Having now completed a quarier cenhrry of

service, the MiG-21 is assured of a place in
aviation history as one of the most successfirl
fighters of the period after World War II, and in
its final production form as the MIG-2 ibis 'Fish-
bed-N' it is clearly far superior to the rather
unsophisticated aircraftwhich began to join the
Soviet air force in 1959. Currently in service
with a host of air arms ranging from Afghanistan
to Zambia, the MiG-z1 is also a combatveteran
of some note, having seen plenty of action in
Vietnam, the Middle East and over the Indian
sub-continent.
ln the course of combat action the fortunes of
the MiG-21 have been mixed, with aircraft of
the Egryptian and Syrian air forces taking a real
battering at the hands of the Israelis, whilst
those of the Indian air force are generally re-
garded to have performed well in the l97l
Indo-Pakistan War. A similar story also
emerges from South East Asia, where MiG-Zls
of the North Vietnamese air force scored a
number of successes, although in combat with
McDonneli Dougias F-4 Phantoms they almost
invariably seemed to come off worse. But this
may well have been related to levels of pilot
skill rather than to shortcomings on the part of
the Soviet-built fighter.
In Augnrst 1964 just a few days after the so-
called Tonkin Gulf incident which sparked off
massive US involvement in South East Asia, a
batch of 30 MiG-17 fighters arrived at the Phuc
Yen air base in North Vietnam, but it was not
until the summer of 1966 that the MiG-ZI was
first encouitered in combat and thereafter the
number available to the North Vietnamese
rose fairly rapidly, reaching a peak ofabout 50
when the US air campaign against North Viet-
nam ceased in late 1968. By I972,when the USA
resumed raids on North Vietnam, the number
of MiG-Z ls had risen yet again to just under I00,
and these did succeed in disrupting US bomb-
ing missions to some extent although they were
often withdrawn to the sanctuary of China, a
'no-qo'area for US pilots.
One of severalcountries to have takenits MiG'ZI s
towar is India, whose aircraft took partin the
conflict with P a kis tan in I 9 7 1 . T he I ndians licence-
produced the MiG-2I for their own air force in a
variety ofversions.
During the 1966-8 timeframe, MiG armament
generally comprised an integral cannon back-
ed up by a pair of 'Atoll' air-to-air missiles, a
weapon which possessed similar perflrrmance
Oneof theearliestMiG-Z1s, this MiG-21F was
supplied to Finland in I 963 . The aircraft is fairly
primitive compared to later models, carrying Ettle
in the way of all-weather sensors and extremely
limited in range and weapons.
 MiG-2I inAction

il ifrtov"n-Gurevich MiG-21
Continuing in production and develop-
ment more than 25 years after its
maiden fliqht, the Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-21 looks set fair to establish a
longevity record which rs uniikely to
be equalled and provides perhaps the
classic example of how an aircraft can
'grrow' in service,
Development of the MiG-21 began
dwing the mid-1950s and was in large
part predlcated upon the experience The first version in sewice with the
gained rn the Korean War, which indr- ance to strike and close alr support in the hands ofa skilled pilot it rs still a enlargednose cone, necessitated by
cated a need for an uncompromised and in its most recent €nrise, as the most capable opponent. the larger R L radar, was the MiG-
1

air superiority fighter. A series ofpro-
totypes was constructed and flown rn
1955-6, and after detailed study rt was
decided to adopt the tailed-delta Ye-s
as the basis for a new frghter, a few
examples of the pre-series Ye-6 enter-
ing service with a trials unit in 1957, but
it was not until 1959 that the first defini-
tive vanant became available, This
was the MiG-2IF, essentially a flne-
weather interceptor possessing'short
legs'and only marginal payload capa-
bility.
Subsequent redesign has seen the
MiG-21 assume a muliitude of functions
from interception throuqh reconnarss-
MiG-2lbis, it is corsidered to possess
genuine multi-role capability although
range and payload potential are still
somewhat hmited. Nevertheless, the
MrG-2lbrs is now the pilncipal expod
variant and could concelably be en-
countered anyvrhere where Soviet in-
fluence is strong. The NATO reporting
name for the series is'Fishbed'.
Currently in service with more than
30 air arms throughout the world,
variantsof the MiG-21 have engagedin
combat on numerous occasions, from
Israel to Indra and from Afghanistan to
Vietnam, with varying degEee of suc-
cess, but there can be httle doubt that
Specification
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG2 lbis
Type: single-seat mr:1ti-role fighter
PowerpLuxt: one T\rmansky R-25
turbojet rated at 5800-kg ( 12, ?90tb)
dry thrust and 7500-kg (16,535-1b)
afterbuming thrust
Performance: maximum speed
2,230 lam/h ( I,386 mph) at altitude;
initial climb rate I 7675 m (57, 990 ft) per
minute; service ceiling about i7500 m
(57,415 ft); ferryrange about 1590l<n
(988 miles)
Weights: empty6200 kg(13,670 Ib);
normal loaded 7960 ks(17,550 Ib);
2 I PF, built in vast numbers rh fie
J 960s fo eguip the air defence
regiiments of the S ouiet U nion.
maximum take-off about 10000 kq
(22,046 rb)
Dimensions: span 7. 15 m (23 ft 572 in);
lengthabout 17,56 m(51 ftB7z in)
includrngprobe; height4.50 m(14 ft
9 in): wingarea 23.00 m'z (247.6 sq ft)
Armament:one 23-mm GSh-23L twin-
barrel cannon plus up to I 500 kg
(3,307 ib) of external ordnance
including air-to-air missiles, auto-
surface missiles, bombs and rockets

to the Sidewinder which it closely resembled. Mikoya n-G u revich MiG-21 M F cutaway drawing key
Improving capability meant that in 1972 the 1 Pitot-staticboom 42 Avionicsbay 75 Oiltank l0'1 Rudderconstruction
MiGs usually carried four of these missiles as 2 Pitchvanes 43 Controlrods 76 Avionicspack 102 Rudderhinge
3 Yawvanes zl4 Airconditioning plant
well as a single 23-mm cannon, 4 Conical three-position 45 Suctionreliefdoor
77 Engineaccessories
78 Tumansky R-'13 turboiet
'l
03 Braking parachute hinged
bulletfairing
In practice, the MiG-21 pilots were given intake centrebody 46 lntaketrunking (rated at 6600-kg/'l 4,5501b 104 Brakingparachute
little opportunity to use their initiative, remain- 5 'Spin Scan' search-and- 47 Wingroot attachment thrustwith full reheat) stowage
track radarantenna fairing 79 Fuselage breaUtransport 105 Tailpipe(variable
ing under strir:t GCi control throughout an in- 6 Boundarylayerslot 48 Wing/fuselage spatrlug joint converoent nozzle)
terception, However, the North Vietnamese 7 Engineairintake attachment points (four) 80 lntake 1 06 Af terbu-rner installition
I 'SpinScan'radar 49 Fuselage ring f rames 81 Tail surface control linkage 'I
07 Af terburner bay cooling
radar net was most comprehensive, and it was 9 Lowerboundary layerexit 50 lntermediaryframes 82 Artificialfeelunit intake
'10 Antennae 51 lV!ainfuselagefueltank
rare for the US forces to take it by surprise. So 1 Nosewheeldoors 52 RSlUradiobay
83 Tailplanejack 108 TailDlane linkaoefairino
1 84 Hydraulicaccumulator '1
09 Nozzle actuatiig cylindiers
the MiGs could often be vectored into an ideal 12 Nosewheellegandshock 53 Auxiliaryintake 85 Tailplanetrim motor 1'10 Tailplanetorquetube
posltion from which to initiate an attack on absorbers 54 Leading-edge lntegral fuel 86 Finsparattachmentplate 1 'l 1 All-movinq tailptane
13 Castoringnosewheel tank 87 Rudderjack 'I12 Anti-flutterweiqht
strike forces, which were often forced to jetti- 14 Anti-shimmydamper
'15 Avionicsbayaccess
55 Starboard outerweaoons 88 Ruddercontrollinkage 113 lntake
pVlon 89
son ordnance when faced with such a threat. 16 Attitudesensor 56 Outboardwing
Finstructure 1 14 Alterburnermountino
90 Leading-edgepanel 1 15 Fixedtailplane rootfairinq
Those combats which did occur seldom lasted 17 Nosewheelwell conslruction 91 Radiocableaccess 1 16 Lonqitudrnal lap joint
for more than 30 seconds, MiG-2ls generally 18 Spilldoor 57 Starboard navigation light 92 Magneticdetector 117 Externalduct{nozzle
19 Nosewheel retraction pivot 58 Leadingedge suppressed 93 Finmainspar hydraulics)
operating 1n groups oifour to six aircraft during 20 Bifurcated intaketrunking aenal 94 nSlU (radiTstantsiya 1 '18 Ventralfin
the summer of 1966. By the end of that year the 21 Avionicsbay
22 Electronics equipment
59 Wingfence
60 Aileroncontroljack
istrcbitelnaya e
North Vietnamese were beginning to learn 23 lntaketrunkinq 61 Starboardaileron
u lt rako rotkykh vol
shortwavefighter radio)
n -v ery - a
tr-
lrom earlier fights, and the increasing availabil- 24 Upperboundarylayerexit 62 Flapactuatorfairing antenna plate
25 Dynamic pressure probe 63 Starboard blown flao-SPS 95 VHF/UHF aerials
ity olthe 'Atoll' missile meant that many attacks forq-feel (soluva pogranichn6vo 96 lFFantennae
26 Semielliptical armoutr
took the form of 'hit-and-run' passes at very glasswindscreen
sloya)
64 Multi-sparwing structure
97 Formation light
98 Tailwarningradar ir
high speed (above Mach I.4), after which the 27 Gunsightmounting 65 Main integralwing fuel 99 Rearnavigation
MiGs zoomed to a position of relative safety. 28 Fixedquarterlight tank light100 Fuelvent
29 Radarscope 66 Undercarriage mounting/
This mode of operation was particularly effec- 30 Controlcolumn {with pivotpoint
tive in that it exposed the MiG-21 to little risk tailplanetrim switch and 67 Starboard mainwheel leg
twofiring buttons) 68 Auxiliaries companment
whilst at the same time offerrng every chance of 31 Rudderpedals 69 FuselagefueltanksNos2
disrupting US strike elements. 32 Underfloorcontrol runs and 3
7,
33 KM-'1 two-position zero- 70 Mainwheelwell external

MiGs fooled by the 8th

level e,ection seat
34 Portinstrumentconsole 7'l
fairing
lvlainwheel {retracted)
)
35 Undercarriage handle 72 Trunkingcontours
On 2 January 1967, however, the MiG-2ls 36 Seatharness 73 Control rodsindorsalspine
recerved a rude awakening when attacking 37 Canopyrelease/lock 74 Compressorface
38 Starboard wall switch $
what they thought were bomb-laden Republic panel
F-105s but which were in reality missile-armed 39 Rearviewmirrorfairing
F-4Cs of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, and in
jnst 12 minutes of hectic combat no less than
seven MiG-2ls fell victim to AIM-7 Sparrow
40 Starboard-hinged canopy
41 Ejectionseatheadrest
I{.
and AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles launched by
the Phantoms. This setback led io a period of
relative quiet whilst the North Vletnamese lick-
ed their wounds, and it was not untii eariy in
March that battie was rejoined, the 'hit-and-run'
mode of attack eventually forcing the US Air
Force to adopt different tactics for its strike
echelons and to aliocate special fligrhts of F-4
Phantoms to escort duty,

I 208
 The First Supersonic Fighters
The Warsaw Pact countries were amply equipped
with. the MiG-Z I F, and these have beei stdaciit'y
replaced by later MiG-21 models. This MilG-ZiF of
the EastGerman air force typifies hundreds flying
in Eastern Europe during the t g 60s.

. Whel the 'Rolling Thunder' campaign en-

ded in November 1968 a total of 25 MiG-Zls had
been claimed by the USAF, several more fall-
ing victim to US Navy fighters operating from
aircraft-carriers at 'Yankee Station', lut tire
casualties had not all been one-way, MiGs
racking up victories against F-l0Ss anci F-4s on
several occasions. By 1972, US efforts to im-
prove the killloss ratio paid handsome di
yiQelds, and although some American fighters
did fall victim to the MiG-21, no less tiran +3 oi
the Soviet-built fighters were claimed as des-
troyed in iittie more than I I months. Clearly,
the balance had shifted significantly in favour of
the American aircrews.
Several thousand miles away, in the hot-bed
of conllict which is the Middte East, Israeli
pilots repeatedly emerge as victors in combat
with the MiG-21, although even here the MiG
did achieve some success. However, this was
at best limited and it should be noted that of the
i02 aircraft lost by the Israel Defence Force/
Air Force during the 1973 'Yom Kippur War'
only three per cent were directly attiibutable

119 Enqrnequrderarl
120 ATOas4emblvcanrpd
nozzle
121 ATOassemblythruslillate
forks (rear mountinq)
1 22 ATO assembly pacli
I 23 Ventral atrbrdke (retracted)
124 Trestlepoint
125 ATOassembiy release
so enoid {front mounttno)
126 Underurnq lan.jinq tiqhl-
1 27 Ventral stores 0v on
-
128 Marnwheel inbodrcl cloor
1 29 Splayed link chute
130 Twrn23,mmcsh-231
cannon installation

t
w
r-
:

F
)
EI
'l31 Cannonmuzzlefairino
132 Debr s deflectorplate-
133 Au{lliaryventra {lroplank
a 134 Port fomard arr hr:kc
fr lextended)
135 Ledding edgerntegra fuel
a3
'/- tank
136 Undercatriage retractjon
strut
'137 Aileron
control rods in
lead ng edoe
138 Ponrnboardweapons
,= pvtoo
1 39 UV 1 6-57 rockel Dod
p 140 Poftmainwheel
141 Mainwheeioutboarddoor
sectron
142 Mainwheel leq
143 Aileron control linkaoe
7 144 Mainwheel leg pivoipoint
145 Main integralwinq f uel
tank
146 FlapactuatorLlnnq
147 Portaileron
'i48 Aiieron control iack
149 Outboardwing'
constructton
'I
50 Port navigation lrqht
O Pilot Press Limrted 1 51 PortoutboardweaDons
pyton
152 K-l34'Atolt' lB homino
AAM
153 Wing fence
I 54 Radio altimeterantenn:

I 20:
I
I

This MiG-Z 1 bis ('Fishbed-N') is typical of many

hundreds of similar fighters in service as thehasic
day air-combat fighters of the V-VS. Features ot
this late model are awider and deeper full-lengrth
dorsal spine, internal cannon pack enabling a
centreline fuel tank to be carried as well, improvd
avionics and an uprated engine. Missile armatnent
is infra-red homing (inboard) and semi-active
radar homing (outboard) versions of ffieiRussian
S idewinder copy, the AA- 2' Atoll'.

::=:-...T
p::;:-"'./'
MiG-21inAction
The Chinese have produced a copy
of the M iG -2 F with the de signation
1

Sheny ang J -7. The copy w as made

without any drawings or Soviet
assr'sfance and m any local
modifications havebeer
incor por ated, C hina is seeJang
Western equipment to fit out its J-Zs,
as well as other fighters.

An early MiG-Z I PF 'Fishbed-D' as

supplied to the air force of the Arab :
republic of EqWL These airctaft
have been widely used by Egrwt in
il actions against the Israeli air
where the M iG olten fought
with its old rival, the F-4 Phantom.

The MiG-2 t has been the subi ect of

the biggest aviationprogramme in
Asia since that of the J apanese in*
World War I L At least seven versions
have been manufactured under
Ecence by Hindustan Aerospace with
Indian designations. This is an FL,
btown to the Indians as the MiG
TYpe77.

to enemy aircraft, Perhaps the most startling
proof of Israeli superiority is provlded by the
kilLloss ratio, claimed better than 100:i, no less
than 334 Arab aircraft being shot dovm in aerial
combat. Even the diminutive Douglas Skyhawk
(hardty a dogrfighter in the truest sense of the
term) found itself on the scorecard, one A-4
pilot ciaiming two MiGs in a single combat only
to be prevented from gettinq a third by a pair of
over-eager IDF/AF Dassault Mirages which
stepped in just as he was lining up for the kill.
lndiansuccesses
In Indian service, the pichre is rather diffe-
rent, probably because the disparity in pilot
skill between the Indians and the Pakistanis is
by no means so grreat. In conllict against Pakis-
tan during 1971, the MiG-z1 performed well in
both ground-attack and air-superiority tasks,
gaining a number oi kilis of which perhaps the
most significant was that of a Lockheed F-104
Starfighter. Designed with pretty much the
same purpose in mind and largely to the same
criteria, these two types are true contempor-
aries and both were, in the cowse of their
sewice lives, developed into far more capable
aircraft than was originally the case.
The variant responsible for downing the
F-104A on 12 December 197i was a MiG-2IFL
(Icnovm as the Tlpe 77 in Indian sewice), and
the encounter took place in the vlctnity of Sik-
ka, the victim being part of a force of maraud-
ing Pakistani aircraft. After a brief chase in
afterburner at low level, the No. 47 Squadron
MiG was able to bring its giuns to bear and the
ensuing burst of cannon fire resulted in the
Starfighter crashing into the Gulf of Kutch after
its pilot had ejected. A second F-104A also
succumbed to the MiG-21 at a later date.
Honourseven
As far as can be ascertained, honours seem
to have been about even in the I97I war, one
MiG-21 being shot down by a North American
F-86 Sabre and another losing out in an encoun-
ter with a Shenyang J-6, the Chinese-built ver-
sionof the MiG-19. Several more MiG-Zls were
claimed by ground defences dwing the brief
hvo-week conilict, but perhaps the most intri-
gming casualty was the MiG-zI which was shot
down by an 'Atoll' missile fired by the section
leader in another MiG-21; this tragic mishap
apparently occurred during an attempted
night interception of a Mirage IIIRP engaged
on a reconnaissance sortie, the latter duly mak-
ing good its escape at high speed dwing the
ensuing confusion.
Although it has generally come off worse in
Photographed from a USAF jet, this MiG-2I is in the
air-to-air combat, the MiG-z1 is nevertheless a service of the North Vietnamese, who flew the
most icrmidable opponent when flown skilfirl- aircraft alongside the MiG- I 7 and MiG- I 9 under
ly, but perhaps its greatest contribution to the tight ground-control against US strike aircraft
saga oiair power is that it made genuine Mach attacking the North. They achieved many
2 capability available at modest cost to many of successes buf were far from immune to attack
the less sigmificant air arms in the world today. themselves.

India received MiG- 2 I s direct from

theSovietUnion aswell as licence-
building others. This MiG - 2 I PE*
'F ishbed-D' carries a GS h- 23L gun
pod and a pak of K- I 3A air-to- air.
missiles. The camouflage scheme
was haphazardly applied during the
I 97 I I ndo-P akistan war.

)12
U H"trtoi Su-9/lI The First Supersonic Fighters
Never as widely used or as well knovrn
as the contemporary Mtkoyan-
3urevrch MrG-21 'Fishbed'or Su-7 'Fit-
ter-A', the Sukhoi bureau's delta-wing
prototype of 1955-6 nevertheless 1ed to
ihe Su-9 'Fishpot-B', the most numerous
supersonic interceptor in the PVO (Alr
Defence Forces) fleet for many years.
The type was supplanted by the Su-15
Flagon'on the production lines in the
late I960s, but some 600 remained in
service throughout the 1970s,
The Su-9 was designed as an all-
weather flghter based on the same
tarled-deita configuration as the MIG-
21, Entering service in 1958-59, it
t1pified Sovret practice in that it com-
bined a new engrne and arframe with
an existing weapon, the K-5M 'Atkall'
atr-to-air mssile already in servtce on
the MiG-I9PFM 'Farmer'. The small
radar fitted quite simply into the nose
of the Su-9, which was closely similar to
that of the Su-7, However, the ail- name 'Fishpot-C'; it appears to be been more successful, and has re- Frrsl supersonic interceptor in the
weather capability of the Su-9 was fair- Soviet practice to apply new designa- marned in service and under develop- Soviet inventory with limited all-
Iy limited, as this radar lacks search tions to reflect relatively minor ment for many years, weather capability, the Sukhoi Su-S
range, In practice, the type certainly changes, the Su-Il beinq no more Like most Soviet interceptors, the served rn /argre numbers. It is now
operated in close co-operation with different from its predecessor than Su-9/11 serres has never been ex- outolseruice, alongwith tfteSu-J J
ground control, some MiG-21 versions differ from ported, even to the Warsaw Pact. improvedmodel.
The 196i Tushino air disPlaY, others,
howevel, saw the appearance of a new A measure of the comparative worth Specification Weights: empty 9000 kg ( 19,842 lb),
derivative ofthe basic type, featuring a of the 'Alkali' and later 'Anab' mtssiles Type: all-weather interceptor maximumloaded 13500 kg(29,873 lb)
Ionger and less tapered nose. The inlet is the fact that the Soviet air force was Powerplant: one 10000-kg (22,046ib) Dimensions: span 8.43 m (27 ft B ta);
diameter was considerably larger, prepared to accept tvvo of the more ai'terburning Lyulka AL-?F turbojet lengrth (includrng instrument boom)
and there was a proportionate in- potent later weapons on the Su-ll in Performance: maximum (clean) 18.3 m (60 ft); height 4.9 m (15 ft): wtns
crease in the size of the centre-body place of four Alkalis' on the Su-9, it ts 2250 kn/h (i,398 mph), or Mach 2. I; area 26.2 mz (282 sq ft)
radome to accommodate a new and probable that, like many first- maximum speed with hvo AAMs and Armament: (Su-g) four K-SM (AA- 1
more powerfirl radar known to NATO generation missile systems, the per- external fuel tanks I 600 lcn/it 'Alkali') beam-ridrng au-to-air missiles
as 'Skip Spin', The new type replaced formance of the K-SM leumrud system (994 mph) or Mach l,5; servrce ceiling on wing pylons; (Su-l l) two AA-3
the Su-9 on the production [nes, and was barely Erood enough for operation- 20000 m (65,615 ft); ranse about 'Anab' semi-active homing (almost
was desigrnated Su-]1, with the code- al clearance, The Anab'has clearly I125 l<rn (699 miles) certainly) AAItds

re V"tout"v Yak-28P
Yakovlev Yak-2&P'Fkebar' of the IA-PVO Strany.Possessrhgrlon g range, the
Aiexander Yakovlev's Yak-28 famiiy of
combat aircraft, srmilar in concept and Yak-h&P was used for fiong-distance interceptrbn, and sfilJ survives in small
performance to the French Sud-Ouest numbers jn tir's roletoday.
Vautour series, continue to filI an im-
portant role in the Soviet air arm,
alhough the numbers in service are
declimng. The last to be retired will be
the 'Brewer-E' ECM aircralt, with so!0e ::,.:.....:.., E-"q*e*u@**'-. "

Yak-28P 'Firebar-Es' carrying on in

less strategically important areas of the
Soviet periphery,
The current Yak-28s are dtrect de-
scendants of the original Yak-25, de-
veloped from i950 as the Soviet Un-
ron's first ali-weather jet fighter, The
layout of the Yak-25, with engines
'.:nder the swept wings, was most un-
usual and followed wartime German
studres; it was one of the first aircraft to
ieahne a 'zero-track tricycle' under-
:arriage, with a single twin-wheei
marn unit on the centre of gnavtty and
single nose and outrrgger wheels, l,ike
the Mikoyan-Gurevtch MiG-19, the
Yak-25 was powered by Mikulln AM-S
engines, which eventuaiiy were manu-
factured by Tumansky and became
the RD-9, Developments of the Yak-25
rnciuded the Yak-2SRD 'Mandrake',
Yak-26 and Yak-27 'Manerrove'.
The Yak-28 series bears little rela-
tionship to these earlier aircraft,
m1 'tF''*L.1.::i: !ru
beyond a generai similarity in con-
fign.uation. Initially, the Yak-28 seems
to have been developed as a transonic
all-weather fighter using hvo of the
Tumansky R-lI turbojets developed
for the MiG-21, The Yak-28's wing is
more sharply swept than that of its pre-
decessors and is raised from the mid to
the shoulder position. The landing
gear has a true bicycie layout, leaving
space for a large weapons bay be-
h\reen the main units. On the Yak-28F
interceptor this space is used for fue-
B elow : D is playing its futuris tic
layout, thisYak-29P prepares to land.
The bicycle main under carriage with
w ingtip outriggers was a no tab Ie
feature of the Upe. Tie ml'ssiles are
AA-3'Anabs'.

;:/:t:.1t?tir:rrjii:iii.:1 |.:i,r:
Yakovlev Yak-28P (continued)
the strike version carnes stores in the
rntemal bay, and drop tanks on under-
'wlng stations,
Deliveries of the Yak-2BP 'Firebar'
started in 1962, and the type is still
widely used by the PVO air-defence
force. It offers slightly better endur-
ance than the Sukhoi Su-15, which has
srmrlar engrines but is lighter and much
faster, Later Yak-2BPs, seen ftom 1967,
have sharper and much longer nose
radomes and provision for AA-2'Atoll'
short-range missiles on additional
Saab 35 Draken
One of several classlc fighters which
originated in Europe at around the
same tme, the highly distinctive dou-
bie-delta Saab 35 Draken (dragon) is
still extensively used by the Swedsh
air force (FlyWapen) and also serves
with Finland and Denmark in some
numbers.
fuising in response to a 1949 spe.:--* - - -
ciication calling irr a single-seat all-
weather interceptor capable of opera-
tion from relatively short and austere
airstrips, the Draken prototype flew for
the first time on 25 October 1955, thts
event havrng preceded by a series of
trlals with the much smaller Saab-210
in order to explore handllng charac-
tenstics of what was then a unique
wing planform.
Several pre-production aircraft also
took part in the fliqht test progrramme
ftom early 1958 but by this time the
Draken was well establnhed in pro-
duction, an inttial order for the J35A
being placed during the summer of
1956. Deliveries to the Flygvapen got
under way on B March 1960, Flygflottilj
13 at Norrkdping being the first unit to
underwing pylons.
Developed rn parallel with the Yak
2BP was a glazed-nose slrike version
with a second crew member seated
ahead of the pilot and a bombing-
navigation radar aft ofthe nose landing
gear. Originally codenamed'Firebar'
by NATO, the type was re-christened
'Brassard' when its bomber role be-
came obvious, and the reportinet name
was then changed to 'Brewer'to avoid
confusion with the French Holste
Broussard. Because the desrgnations
The tirstproductionversion of the Drakenwas theJ35A, shown here in the
markings of F 1 3 wing based at Norrk6ping. I t features the early Swedish
striped camouflage.
convert from the J29, and this was
gurckly followed by Fl6 at Uppsala.
Refinement ofthe fire control system
resulted in the appearance of the J35B
(many of the oriqinal J3SAS being pro-
gressively modified to this standard),
deliveries taking place from 1961, The
next single-seat vanant was the J35D
which was essentlally smilar to the
J35B apart ftom incorporating a rather
more powerful version of the licence-
buik Rolis-Royce Avon engine, and
this was foiiowed by the S35E for re-
connaissance duties. Fitted with a bat-
tery of cameras in an extensively rede-
signed nose, the S35E first flew on 27
lune 1963 but has now been replaced
'Firebar-A' and'Firebar-B' had already
been allotted, the 'Brewer' series
appears to have started as'Brewer-C'.
Specification
Type: Yak-2BP'Frrebar' all-weather
lnterceptor; Yak-2BU'Maestro' two-
seat conversion trainer
Powerplant: two 6000-kg ( 13, 228tb)
Tlmarsky R- I 1 afterburning turbojets
Performance: maxrmum speed at
mediumaltitude 1200 kmlh (746 mph)
or Mach 1, 13; maxrmum speed at sea
by the SF37 and SH 37 Viggen.
The most capable variant of the
Draken, and incidentally the most
nurnerous, was the J35F which entered
servrce during 1965-6, relying on 1i-
cence-built radar and infra-red hom-
ing versions of the Hughes Palcon.
In addition to the single-seaters
already described, one two-seat mod-
ei also attained quantrty production for
the Flygvapen, this being the Sk35C
used for operational training,
Althouqh Saab made repeated
strenuous attempts to find export cus-
tomers, it was not until shortly before
production was due to cease that the
company succeeded in securing over-
level Mach 0.85; sewice ceiling
17000 m (55,775) ft
Weishts: empty 13600 ks (29,982 ib);
maximum loaded 20000-22000 kq
(44,092-48,502 ib)
Dimensions: span i2.95 m (42 ft 6 in);
lenErth (except late 'Firebar') 21,65 m
(7i ft); length (iate 'Firebar') 23. 17 m
(76 ft); height3.95 m(i3 ft)
Armament: ('Firebar C') tvvo AA-3
'Anab' air{o-air missiles and, on some
aucraft, two AA-2'Atoll' air{o-air
misslles
seas orders, Denmark purchasingt
fighter-bomber, reconnaissance and
trainer versions ofthe Saab-35X export
variant. Finland also opted to buy the
Draken, acquiring 12 J35Xs intercep-
tors which it presentiy operates alonq-
side a number of former Swedish air
force J35Bs, J35Fs and Sk3SCs,
A pair ofJ 35Ds from F I 3 wing display
the distinctive lines of thk frne
aircraft. The dark smudges on the
leading edges of the wings mark the
position of the twointernal cannon.
The missiles carried are licence-built
Sidewinders"
Saab 35 Draken (continued)

Specification
SaabJ3SFDraken
Type: single-seat all-weather
rnterceptor
Powerplant: one Svenska Plygrmotor
RMOC turbojet rated at 8000-kg
(17, 637tb) afterbwning thrust
Performance: maximum speed
2I25Wn/h(1,320 mph)at 12200 m
(40,025 ft); initial climb rate 10500 m
(34,450 ft) per minute; service ceilingr
about i9800 m(64,960 ft); ferryrange
3250 lan (2,020 miles) with maximum lenqth 15.35 m (50 ft 4 in) includins auto-air missrles plustwo RB28 Falcon The finalinterceptor version of the
extemalfuel ' probe; heisht 3.89 m (12 ft 9 in); wing infta-red homing au-to-air missiles, or Draken is the J 35F, which features
Weights: empty 8245 ks (tB, I77 lb); area 49,20 m2 (529,6 sq ft) a combination of these missile type much improved avionics.It is easily
maxrmum take-off 12270 kg (27,050 ib) Armament: one 30-mm Aden cannon wtth the RB24 Sldewinder rnfra-red distingaished from earlier marks by
Dimensions: span 9,40 m (30 ft I0 in); and two RB27 Falcon radar-homing homing air-to-air missile the infra-red seeker under the nose.
USA

North American F-100 Super Sabre

The first example of the classic 'Cen- Assigmed to the 127th TFS, Kansas ANG at McConnellAFB, this F-100C was
tury-sedes' of fighters to attain oper- one of the oldestSuperSabres left in service at the end of the I970s.The rear
atlonal status, the North American fusdlagewas left unpainted due to the high temperatures.
F-I00 Super Sabre is perhaps most
noteworthy for being the first fighter in
the world after the MiG-lG to possess
genuine supersonic performance. Pro-
viding the backbone of US tactical air
power for several years during the late
1950s and early 1960s, rt is now r.rsed by
the US Air Force only as the QF-100
target drone, although a number.of.f:..-.,..
l00s remain operational wrth the a[
arms of Tarwan and Turkey,
Begmn as a development of North 1951, and the first YF-1004 made a suc- Thus far, development had progrres- extended wingtips; thrs and other
American's highly successful F-86, the cessful maiden flight on 25 May 1953. sed smoothly, but then a series of changes were retrospectively applied
F-100 was inltiaily known by that com- Production-confign:red F- l00A aircraJt mysterious crashes occurred during to the first 70 F-100As,
pany as theSabre-4s, thrs appellation began to join the test programme in 1954, these eventually leading to the
referring to the degree of wing sweep, mrd-October of the same year, and the F-100 being gnounded during Novem-
and development of the type began in Super Sabre subsequently entered ber whilst investigations were made An F- I 00D drops a bomb on a Viet
early February 1949, North American's servrce less than a year later, on 27 into the cause of the accidents. It later Cong target in SouthVietnam. As
enterprise was rewarded with a con- September 1954, when the 479th Fight- became clear that under certain con- well as South EastAsia, the'Hun' also
tract for a pair of prototypes and Il0 er Day Wing at George AFB, Califor- ditions ro1l-coupling was taking place, saw combat with the Turkish forces
production specimens in November nia, received its first aircraft. and the marn cwe was the fittinq of overCyprus.
Nodh American F- I00 Super Sabre (continued)
Production then switched to the
F-I00C model, which made its first
flrght in January 1955 and which had
qEeater payload capability, Entering
sen'rce fkst with the 450th Fighter Day
Wing in july 1955, 476 F-100Cs were
completed, these being followed bY
the definitive F-100D whieh featured a
number of detail design improve-
ments, including inboard landing flaps
and modified vertical tail surfaces, No
less than 1,274 F-l00Ds were burlt be-
hveen 1955 and 1959, and this modei
E itr"oonnell F-10I Voodoo
Aithough its desigmation indicates that
the McDorurell F-I0l Voodoo was the
second of the 'Century-series' fighters
to make an appearance, development
of this type in fact predated that of the
F-100 and can be traced back to the
srmrner of 1946, when McDonnell be-
gan work on a strateEnc penetration
fighter to escort bomber aircraft of the
Strategic Air Command. Initially
known as the )G-88 and first flown in
prototype form during October 1948,
McDonnell's original proposal was
cancelled in Augn:st 1950 only to be
reborn in the following year as the
F-101,
Again, it was intended to sewe as a
strategic fighter, a batch of 29 pre-
production machines being ordered in
May 1953, but SAC soon lost interest in
the requirement and subsequently
cancelled it at the end of September
1954. By then, however, Tactical Atr
Command had begn:n to show interest
and development was allowed to con-
tinue, the first pre-production F-l0IA
flying on 29 September 1954,
At this time, the type was intended
as a fighter-bomber, but early flight
trials revealed numerous deficiencies
including a serious tendency to 'pitch
up' and enter an uncontrollable spin.
Work on eradicating these failings
eventually achieved the desired re-
sult, but it was not until May 1957 that
the F-101A entered sewice with the
27th Fighter-Bomber Wing at Berg-
strom AFB, Ultrmately, the F-101A and
the basically similar F-I0lC joined
USAFE's Blst Tactical Fighter Wing,
remaining in use until about 1965 when
the suwivors were modtfled to recon-
naissance configuration as the RF-
t0lG and RF-l0lH respectrvely and
rssued to the Arr National Guard.
In addition to fighter-bomber mod-
els, a substantial number of Voodoos
were built from the outset for recon-
naissance tasks, 35 RF-IOIA aircraft
beins followed by 166 RF-101C
:
USA
Convair F-I02 Delta Dagger
Capitaluing to a gneat degrree on war-
time German research and early post-
'rrrar experience gained with the ex-
perimental XF-92A, the Convair F-I02
Delta Dagger was unique rn being the
f,rst supersonic delta-winged aircraft
to enter operational service,
This was an ambitiorx project from
the outset, and development which
began in eamest in 1950 was plaQnred
by numerous problems, not least of
which was the fact that in its original
iorm it was clear that the type would
never exceed Mach 1, one of the
pnme featwes of the requirement,
subsequently saw extensive servtce as
a fighter-bomber in Vietnam,
The only other sigmflcant variant to
appear was the two-seat F-I00F com-
bat proficiency trainer, first flown on 7
March 1957 and of which no less than
339 hdd been built by the time produc-
tion ceased in 1959. A small number
Iater served as 'Wild Weasel' SAM-a
suppression aircraft in South East Asia
although they were soon replaced by
Repubiic F-I05F Thunderchiefs,
Originallyplannedasan escortfighterforStrategicAirCommand, theF-l0lAsoonpassed
Eur-ope, where this aircraft r's seen rh the colours of the 81st TFW hased at Bentwaters and Woodbridge in England.
machines, and these two variants en-
joyed a lengthy operational career,
seeing extensive combat duty in Viet-
nam. The RF-101 airframe was basical-
1y similar to that of the earlier fiqhter-
bomber apart from the modified nose
section which housed a batterY of
carneras,
The most numerous variant of the
Voodoo was the two-seat F-1018 inter-
ceptor, which made its maiden flight
on 27 March i957, a total of 480 even-
tually being built for service wrth Air
Defense Command although 66 of
these were transferred in 1961 to what
was then the Royal Canadian Air
Force, Retired from the operational
USAF inventory in the earlY 1970s,
some F-IOlBs remained active with
the Air National Guard until 1982,
whilst the Canadian fumed Forces are
replacing their CF-I0IBs by CF-18s.
Specification
McDonnell F- I0IB Voodoo
Type: hvo-seat all-weather interceptor
Powerplant: two Pratt & Whitney i57-P-
55 turbojets, each rated at 5439-kg
( I I,990{b) dry thrust and 6799-ks
( 14, 990{b) a.fterburning thrust
Performance: maximum speed
1963 km/h (1,220 mph) at 12190 m
(40,000 ft); initialclimb rate 5lB0 m
(]7,000 ft) per minute; servtce ceiling
15545 m (51,000 ft); maximumrange
The type was first flown on 24 Octo-
ber 1953 in prototype form as the YF-
102, but early trials were marred bY
the loss of the inltial machine and by
the realization that drastic redesign
would be necessary, the Parent com-
pany eventually having no option but to
retum to the drawing board and in-
corporate the then-new concePt of
area rule which seemed to offer the
best chance of reducinq unacceptably
hrgh transonic drag. In the event,
adoption of the so-called 'coke bottle'
fuselage lines sattsfactorily resolved
the performance questton although
Specification
North American F- I00D Super Sabre
Type: singie-seat fighter bomber
Powerplant: one Pratt & Whitney J57-
P-2 IA turbojet rated at 5307-kg
( I 1,700-1b) dry thrust and 7689-kg
( 16, 950tb) afterburning thrust
Performance: maximum speed
1390 kn/tt (864 mph) at 10970 m
(36,000 ft): initial climb rate 4875 m
(16,000 ft) per minute; service ceiling
13715 m(45,000 ft); combatradius
(clean) BB5 lcr (550 miles); ferry range
2495 l<rn(i,55Omiles)
Weights: empty 1314I kq (28,970 1b);
normalloaded 18099 ks (39,900 Ib);
maximum take- oft 23462 kg (5 I, 724 lb)
on an area interceprion mission
Dimensions:span 12.09 m (39 ft B in)i
length20,55 m(67 ft4e/q in); height ^
5,49 m (18 ft 0 in); winsarea 34.19 m'
(368 sq ft)
A.rmament: two AIR-24 nuclear-
further major redesign was necessary
with regard to the vertical tail and air
inlet ducting, so it was not until April
1956 that the type entered service with
Air Defense Command,
Subsequently, the F-1024 enjoyed a
lengrthy operational career, servtng as
an interceptor with ADC, Paciflc Air
Forces and United States Atr Forces in
Europe, 875 of the BB9 single-seaters
bullt eventually joining the active in-
ventory, In addition, 111 examples of
the two-seat TF-1024 combat pro-
ficiency trainer were also completed,
this rather unusually adopting side-by-
2415 krn (1,500 miles) with drop tanks
Weights: empty 9526 kq (21,000 lb);
normalloaded 13500 kq(29,762 1b);
maximum take-off 15800 kg (34,832 lb)
Dimensions: span 11,81 m (38 ft 9 in);
length 16,54 m (54 ft 3 in) rncluding
probe; heigh-t 4.96 m (16 ft 23l+ in); wing
area 35.77 mz (385 sq ft)
Armament: four 20-mm Pontiac M39E
cannon, plus up to 3193 kq (7,040 lb) of
external ordnance includinq bombs,
rockets and napalm
to TAC andthento
One of the firstUS jet aircraft togo to
Vietnam was the RF- I 0 I C, the only
Voodoo model to sewe in that
theatre. These were the prime
reconnar'ssance platforms for the
USAF in the early years.
tipped unenrided air-to-air rockets and
two AIM-4C infra-red homing air{o-air
mrssrles
side seating afiangement m a com-
pletely new forward fr:selage section,
Retired from servtce as an intercep-
tor with the Air National Guard during
the latter half of the 1970s, the Delta
Dagger gained a new lease of life as
the PQM-102 target drone, severai
hundred being converted for use in
weapons training and trials pro€Eam-
mes.
Specification
Convair F- 1024 Delta Dagger
Tlpe: single-seat all-weather
interceptor
F
Convair F- 102 Delta Dagger (continued) The First Supersonic Fighters

Powerplant: one Pratt & Whitney J57-

P-23 twbojet rated at 5307-kg ( I 1,700-
lb) dry thrust and 7802-kg ( i7 200-lb)
afterburning thrust
Performance: maxmum speed (clean)
1328 lsn/h (825 mph) at 12i90 m
(40,000 ft); initial climb rate 5305 m
(17,400 ft) perminute; service ceiiing
16460 m (54,000 ft) tactical radlus
805 krn (500 miles) wrth external fuel
andfirllarmament
Weights: empty 864I kg (19,050 ib);
normal loaded i2565 kg (27,700 1b);
maximum take-off 14288 kq (31,500 lb)
Dimensions:span Ii.62 m(38 ft 1/z in);
Ienqth 20. 84 m (68 ft 47s in) including
probe; heighJ 6,46 m (21 ft 2/z in); wtng
area6l.45 ma(661,5 sq ft)
Armament: various combinattons of
AIM-4C Falcon infra-red homing air-
to-air missiles, AIM-44/AIM-4E Falcon
radar homing air-to-air missiles, and
AiM-26A Falcon nuclear-tipped airto-
air mrssiles in an internal weapors bay

These two F - 1 0 2As are Wical of the

aircraft which defended the
continental United States for several
years. Later thesewere converted to
drones.

€ i,fctr,eed F-I04 Starfishter

The most widely used, and possibly
best-Iqrovrrn, member of the 'Century
series', the drminutive Lockheed F-104
Starfighter is still in service today with
several at arms throughout the worid,
although its days as an operationai
flghter are now cleariy numbered.
Intended rnitially to sewe purely as
a day superiority fighter, the type first
flew in prototlpe form on 7 February
1954 and like most of its contempor-
aries it suffered ftom numerous teeth-
ing troubles, no less than 52 Starfight-
ers belng involved in the test program-
me at one time, In the event, most of
these drfficulties were overcome and
the F-1044 entered service vnth the
USAF's 83rd Fighter Interceptor
Squadron shortly before the end of
January 1958, only to be grrounded in
April following a sertes of engine-
related accidents, Re-engining with
the J79-GE-38 went some way towards
resolving these problems, but the
type's generally poor safety record
and short range resulted in it dis-
appearing from the US front-line in-
ventory in 1960, most surviving
F-104As being rssued to the Air Nation-
al Guard.
The first multi-mission model was
the F- 104C, which served with Tactical
Air Command for several years and
which incorporated inliighlrefuelling
equipment as well as the ability to car-
ry a ranqe of stores on two underwing
stations. In the event only 77 F-IO4Cs
were built, these being the last
Starfighters to be used operationally
by the USAF; some undertook combat
in South East Asia, although their con-
kibution was smail. TWo-seat equiva-
lents of the F-I04A and F-104C were
the F-1048 and F-104D respectively, a
combined total of 47 being produced,
The definitive Starflethter was the
F-104G, which is a true multt-mission
machine with sophisticated radar opti
mized for air-to-arr and air-to-grround
modes. Development of this variant
began in 1958 and it subsequently se-
cwed substantial orders from Euro-
pean members of the NATO alliance
Assignedprimarilytothetacticalreconnaissancerole,theF-l?4GStarfighters €f'tT**
of the Netherlands'JVo. 306 Sgn carry optical cameras and Qude Delft infra-red linescan systems.
as well as from Canada (as the CF- 104)
and Japan (as the F-1041), eventually
becominq one of the most important
fighters of the 1960s and the centre-
piece of a bribery scandai which
emerged in the 1970s, A tvvo-seat de-
rivative intended for training duties is
known as the TF-I04G (CF-104D for
Canada), this retaining parttai
weapons capability, Two other trainer
variations, both based essentially on
the earlier F-104D, are the F-104DJ for
Japan and the F-104F for West Ger- In order to train pilots for this tricky This retains the NASARR radar and
manv, The RF-104G rs the dedicated fighter, Lockheed developed a two- weapon delivery boxes but the
reconnaissance version of the F- 104G, sea t trainer version, the TF - I 04G. internal rotary cannon was deletd
Specification
tockheed F- l04G Starfighter
Type: single-seat multi-roie fighter
Powerplant: one General Electric J79-
GE- I 1A turbojet rated at 4536-kg
( 10, 000-lb) dry thrust and 7 167-kg
( I 5, 800{b) aft erburning thrust
Performance: maximum speed
2092 lffj/h (1,300 mph) at I2i90 m
(40,000 ft); initral climb rate 12495 m
(41,000 ft) permtnute; sewice ceiling
16765 m (55,000 ft); tactical radius
I I I0 lsn (690 miles); ferry range
3200 kn (1,988 miles) with maxrmum
externalfuel
Weights: empty 6388 kg (14,082 1b);
maximum take-off 13054 kg (28, 779 lb)
Dimensions:span6.68m(21 ft II in);
length 16,69 m (54 ft 9 in); height 4, I I m
(13 ft6 in); vnng areaI8.ZZmo
(196. I sq ft)
Armament: one 20-mm M6 lAI Vulcan
rotary-barfel cannon and two tip-
mounted AIM-9 Sidewinder infra-red On patrol over Vietnam : the F- I 04 lowJevel, high-speed stri&es. /t ras
homing air-to-air missiles, plus up to served in a minor role inSouthEast nof foo successfuJ at either and w*
IB 14 kg (4,000 lb) of extemal ordnance Asia on both air-to-air sorties and on quicklyreplaced.
Fighters inVietncrm
Nowhere was the 1960s fighter tested out more thoroughly
than over the steamy jungles of South East Asia. The IISAF flew
several types which became legendary into the fiercest
concentrations of anti-aircraft fire ever encountered.. The
attentions of the Vietnamese MiGs made life doubly difficult.
As far as the United States armed forces are concerned, the war in Vietnam
provided a splendid opportunity to evaluate a variety of weapons under oper-
ational conditions, and the experience gained in battle dunng the 'l O years of war
undoubtedly played a significant partin formulating futurj requirements.
ln the case of the US Air Force. and indeed all of the service3. such benefits
were tempered by the losses in hUman resources which inevitably occur in any
conflict, but there can be no denial of the fact that the current generation o?
combat jet aircraft capitalizes on the lessons learned at that tim6.
Although the United States had maintained a small military presence in
Vietnam, in the form of advisers, f or several years, it was not until ih6 summer of
1964 that the scale o{ involvement was stepped up. Tactical lighters lrom the
USAF formed part of the initial response to'the 'ionkin Grrlf incide;t;, No;th
American F-100 Super Sabres and Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs being commit
tedtoactionatanearlydate,butitwasnotuntilthestartof the'RollindThunder'
campaign in March 1965 that heavy and sustained application ofiir power
occurred.
In the event, the 372-year 'Rolling Thunder' campaiqn cost the US Air Force
dear in terms of both man and macnine, the brunt of tlie losses beinq borne bv
the F-105 which was responsible for the lion's share of tne,out-coirntrV,wai
over North Vietnam, operating as a fighter-bomber continuously from 196b to
1 968
Escort duties_were primarily entrusted to the McDonnell Douglas phantom,
rnrtrally in its.F-4C guiselhough later, as the war dragged on, thie succeeding
F-4D and F-4E variants also saw extensive actjon Ot66r types which played 5
signrf icant.ro]e in prosecution of the air war included the F-i b0 Super Sanre, the
McDonnell RF-l01 Voodoo and the RF-4C phantom, whilst eximples of the
Convair F-102A Delta Dagger and the Lockheed F-104C Starfightei wer" also

Though obsolescent as a tirst-line

USAF interceptor, theF-t00was to
play an important part in the war in
Vietnam. Operating in both air-to-air
and ground attack roles, the airciaft
impressed all with its load-carrying
ability and sturdiness. Most of its
fighting was' in-country', in the
Mekong Delta and around the
Central area otVietnam close to the
D M Z ( demilitari zed zone ). The
mrbsjons qrere usually against Viet
Cong guerrillas rather than the North
Vietnamese army.In the course of
this counter- insurgency, ffi e Super
Sabre racked up over 300,000
missjons, more than were flown by
the 16,000 P-S I Mustangs of World
War I I. The amount of armament
fired and bombs droppedwas
colossal and the rewards limited,
although the'Hun' did not suffer
inordinale /osse3.

12 1B
present for a whrle although their involvement was of a farrly limited nature.
For the most part, the F-l00 was confined to operations in the more permis-
sive environment of South Vietnam, single-seat F-1 00Ds being employed in
close-air support tasks and two-seat F-100Fs engaglng in the 'Misty' high-speed
forward air control role in which they co-ordinated air strikes with forces operat-
ng on the ground. Wrth regard to the RF-101 and RF-4C, their work encompas-
sed reconnaissance missions over the entire operating area and, like the F-105,
they were particularly hard hit, especially rn North Vietnam which, as the war
progressed, gained ever more fearsome defences. F-1 02A Delta Daggers had,
by all accounts, a fairly peacef ultime, being entrusted with air defence of South
Vietnam, hardiy an onerous task slnce North Vietnam never once attempted to
raid the numerous bases by air, whilst the F-104C Starfighter's exposui'e to
combat was fa rly bref, although the type was used over both North and South
.1967
Vretnam between 1965 and and did suf{er some losses to enemy fire.
Ultimately. in July 1967, the Starfighter gave way to the far more capable F-4D.
One American type which did not fare too weil in its initial experence of
conrbat was the General Dynamics F-1 1 1A, the 'Combar Lancer' depioyment of
six aircraft during March 1968 beinE marred by the loss of three machines in littie
more than a month of operations from Takhlr in Thailand. Although the losses Above and below: The Republic the NorthVietnamese in the early
were made good, combat operations ceased and the F-1 11As saw little more F- 105 Thunderchief, in its'D'version, days.They suftered heavy losses bu:
action brefore they returned to the USA in November 1968. The'Aardvark' was the aircraftwhich took thewar to their strikes were devastating,
eventually returned to the combat zone in September 1972 when two squad-
rons were despatched to Takhli, and on this occasion they fared rather better
although there were still problems.
ln dlstinct contrast, the 1965-6 'SkoshiTiger' combat evaluation of the dim nu-
trve Northrop F-5A was successful although it did not result in large-scale orders
for service with the USAF. Nevertheless, in the course of the evaluation, the F-5
was exposed to combat in both South and North Vietnam as a close support,
lnterdrction, air to air and armed reconnaissance tool.
ln additron to the USAF, both the LJS Navy and US Marine Corps each piayed a
major part in the conduct of the air war, usrng such fighters as the Vought F-8
Crusader and F-4 Phantom for vrrtually the duration of this conflict. US Navy
fighters operating from aircraft-carriers at'Yankee Station'in the Tonkin Gulf
helped carry the war to North Vretnam, whllst their US Marine counterparts for
the most part f lew f rom bases in South Vietnam and were concerned principally
with their traditional role of supporting US Marine ground forces.
Although the projection of air power in South East Asia was predominantly an
Amencan affair, North Vietnam did possess a fairly small air force of its own.
Examples of the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17, MiG-19 and MiG-2'1 formed the
combat elements of this air arm, and during the '1 0 years of war these were
responsible for the destruction of a fair number of American f ighters in air-to-air
combat. Employed essentially in a purely def ensive capacity, they operated only
over North Vietnam, and on numerous occasions were able significantly to
disrupt the US bombing campaign by causing strike alrcraft to jettison ordnance
well away from the planned target area.

€ iLpublic F-I05 Thunderchief
fuguably the gneatest of the 'Century
series' by vrtue of its exploits in com-
bat over South East Asia, the Republic
F-I05 Thunderchief also suffered its
fair share of development headaches
and teething troubles during its early
sewrce career, Lrke the F-102, it was
largely redesigrned in detail to take
advantage ofthe benefits bestowed by
area rule, and this resulted rn perform-
ance figures which handsomeiy ex-
ceeded those originally envisaged
and which were to prove of inestim-
able value to the pilots who later flew it
in combat,
The F-I05 ori$nated as a private-
venture successor to the highly suc-
cessfirl Republic F-84 Thunderstreak,
and was rewarded with a develop-
ment contract in 1954, the type being
intended at that time to fu]fll the nuc-
lear strike role, Non-availability of the
planned J75 engine meant that the pro-
totype YF-1054 entered flight test on
22 October 1955 with the J57-P-25
powerplant, and it was not until May
1956 that the definitive engrne/air-
frame pairing took to the air for the first
time, this ending in near drsaster when
the landrng gear failed to lower satis-
factorily, test pilot Hank Beaird ex-
periencing the ignominy of a wheels-
up landing on the dry lake bed at Ed-
wards AFB, California.
t'ollowing the completion of flight
trials, the F-1058 variant began to enter
service with the 335th Tactical Fighter
Squadron rn Augrust i958, but its early
career was marred by poor ser-
viceability rates, most of the probiems
encountered being ailied to the highly
sophisticated fire-control system, In
the event, only 75 F-105Bs were built,
production switchinq to the even more
H ionu"i, F-106 Delta Dart
A substantially improved develop-
ment of the F-102A Delta Dagger, the
Convair F-I06 Delta Dart began life as
the F-1028 and was intended to fulfrl
the 1954'Ultimate Interceptor' require-
ment, Work on the F-1028 got under
way dunnq the early 1950s, the first
formal contract being awarded in
November 1955 and calling for an ini-
tial batch of 17 aircraft, But by
1956 it was fast becominq
that the proposed F-102B would drffer
significantly from its predecessor and
it was therefore decrded to redesigr-
nate it F-106,
Flight testing of the new interceptor
began on 26 December 1956, and
while early USAF trials revealed gneat
promise subsequent evaluation re-
vealed deflciencies in the areas of
acceleratlon and maximum speed;
Convair therefore incorporated a few
modificatrons to achieve the desired
objectives. Inevitably thrs resulted in
delay which, coupled with the USAF
decision also to purchase the McDon-
nell F-1018, almost brought about can-
cellatron in 1957, Finally, it was de-
cided to continue with both types but
this in turn greatly reduced planned
acqursition, total production of the De-
Ita Dart being just 340 instead of the
1,000 orignnally envisaged.
Of this figrure, 277 emerged as singl
Ie-seat F-I064 interceptors, this
variant entedng service wrth the 498th
Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Ger-
qer AFB, Washingrton, in 1959, whilst
the remaining 63 were tandem two-
I22A
.:%
The originalF-105 productionversionwas theF-1058, seenhereinthemarkings of the
335thTFS,4thTFW atSeymour-JohnsonAFB.Thiswas theonlyfront-linewing tooperate
thismodel.
advanced F-I05D in 1958, and this
eventually became the definitive
variant, 610 berng completed by Janu-
ary 1964, just a few months before the
type began to fly combat missions in
Vietnam.
Although attempts to produce a two-
seat model for training duties had
been made in the 1950s it was not until
the advent ofthe F- l05F that these suc-
ceeded, the 143 aircraft ofthis subtype
that were manufactured havrng been
ordered originally as F-105D single-
seaters. Retainrng full operational
capability, the F-105F also saw exten- Powerplant: one Pratt & Whitney j75- Bombed-up and headed forVietnam,
sive combat action and provided the P- 19W turbojet rated at 7802-kg this F - I 0 5D carries conventional
basis for the 'Wild Weasel'surface-to- ( 17,200{b) dry thrust and I I I l3-ks bombs, some fitted with fuse
arr missile suppression modification, (24, 500tb) afterburning thrust; thrust extenders which ensured the bomb
specrally confignued F-IOSFs under- could be increased to 12020 kg exploded hefore it buried itself in the
taking this hazardous duty for much of (26,500 ]b) for 60 seconds by the use of mud. These were commonly
the Vietnam War, At a later date, water injectlon referred to as' d aisy- cu tters'.
approxrmately 60 were fitted out mth Performance: maximum speed
an intemally mounted jamming system 2237 lan/h (1,390 mph) at 10970 m Dimensions:span 10,65 m (34 ft
and other mission-related equipment, (36,000 ft); initial clrmb rate (clean) lIla in); length 19.51 m(64 ft0 in);
these being known as F-I05G aucraft. I0485 m (34,400 ft) perminute; service height 5.99 m ( l9 ft B in): wing area
After a service career spanning ceilins 15850 m (52,000 ft); tactical 35.77 mz (3BS sq ft)
some 25 years, the last airworthy Thun- radius I4B0 lcn (920 miles) with two Armament: one 20-mm M6 lAl Vulcan
derchiefs were retired by the Air Bullpup mrssiles and three drop tanks; rotary-barrel cannon, plus up to
Force Resewe during February 1984, ferry range 3845 kn (2,390 miles) 5443 ks ( 12,000 Ib) of external
Weights: empty 12701 ks (28,000 1b); ordnance including AIM-9 Sidewinder
Specification normal loaded (clean) 17252 kg air-to-air missiles, AGM- 12 Bullpup
Republic F- I05D Thunderchief (38,034 lb); maximum take-off 23835 ks air-to-surface mrssiles, conventional
Type: single-seat strrke fl ghter (52,546 ]b) bombs, napalmandrockets
D elta D arts flew in coburtul m ar kings, and this F - I 0 6A of the 49 th F ighter
Interceptor Squadron is no exception. This unitwas based atGriftiss AFB,
nearRome, iVewYork.
UkS.AlR,,EE'RFA
seat F-I06B arrcraft for training tasks
with effect from July 1960,
Despite the numerous problems en-
countered in development and early
service, the Delta Dart proved to be a
flne interceptor and progressive mod-
ification enabled it to keep pace with
improvements being made in the field
of air defence. Today, it still equips
three front{ine units as well as four Air
National Guard squadrons, but the
phase-out process has begnrn and it
now seems lkely that the Delta Dart
will disappear from the active inven-
tory in about 1987-8, (40,000 ft); initial climb rate l2i30 m The Delta Dart soldiered on in the
(39,800 ft) perminute; sewice cetling defence of the United States, slowly
Specification 17375 m (57,000 ft); combat radius beingreplaced by theF-15 Eagle.
Convair F- 106A Delta Dart 925 kn (575 miles) on internal tuel Several others.serve on tesf unjfs,
Tlpe: singrle-seat all-weather Weights:empty 10726 kq (23,646 lb); such as this Weapons Development
interceptor maximum take-off 17554 kg (38,700 lb) F-106A.
Powerplant: one Pratt & Whitney]T5- Dimensions: span I 1,67 m (38 ft 1tlz in);
P-I7 turbojetrated at 7802-kg (17,200- lengrth 21.56 m (70 ft83/4 rn); height AIM-4F Falconand AIM-4G Falcon
lb) dry thrust and I I I13-kg (24,5001b) 6. 18 m (20 ft 37q rn); rrrng area 58.65 m' air-to-air weapons carried internally;
afterburmng thrust (631,3 sq ft) aircraft with the 'Srxshooter'
Performance: maxrmum speed Armament: variom combinations of modification can carry one 20-mm
2454 l<rrl/h (1,525 mph) at 12190 m AIR-2A Genie, AIR-28 Super Genie, M6 IAI Vulcan rotary-barel cannon
 i
r4
c
tr
& Armed Forces of the World
ff
r
US ArrrUPa*,
From its home base in the continental USA, this
army garrisons large f orces in West Germany, South
Korea, ltaly, Japan and the Panama Canal Zone, lt
stands behind seven major defence treaties, the
most crucial belng the North Atlantic Treaty Organ-
ization (NATO) and the US-Republic of Korea Mutual
Defense Treaty. Additionally, the US Army operates
Foreign Military Sales (FMS), International Military
Education and Training (IMET) and Military Assist-
ance Groups (MAG) in 53 nations. Army attaches,
who are on detail to the Defense lntelligence
Agency for their diplomatic postings abroad, serve
at embassies in 76 capitals.
The US Army has 781,648 soldiers on active duty,
of whom 74,360 are women. A further 901,153
soldiers can be called to active duty from the ranks
of the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard.
This vast force naturally influences many areas of
American society (veteran Dwight D. Eisenhower
warned Americans of the impact of a 'military-
industrial complex'), but throughout its history the
US Army has remained faithfulto the civilian leader-
ship it serves. A military coup would be unimagin-
able. The US constitution and American tradition
place command of the military in the hands of
elected civilians or their civilian appointees. In
wartime, the National Command Authority passes
'rom President to Vice President to Secretary of
Defense.
Pre-dating the formation of the United States
itself , the US Army had its nucleus in the rebel force
which ousted the British in the Revolutionary War
(1776-1783). The US Armywas formally established
in 1783 and defeated British forces again in the War
of 1812. Thereafter, at times neglected and down to
a few companies while state militias predominated,
the US Army throughout the 1800s fought)t-s series
of lndian wars far f rom the centres of population and
power. Torn asunder by the Civll War (1861-5),
where West Point officers commanded on
opposing sides and casualties were staggering, the
US Army then became an insular body, separate
from the rest of the natlon: a professional fighting
force which took men, trained them, and sent them
off to war on the western plains, in the Caribbean
and as far as the Philippines. With the entry of the
United States into World War l, a newly-expanded
US Army backed by the nation's industrial might
helped determine the outcome. Then the US Army
settled down to garrison duties until 1941 , when it
again went to war and helped assure Allied victory
over Germany and Japan.
The years since VJ-Day have seen the conflict in
Korea (1950-3), and the longest war ever fought by
Americans, in Vietnam. The built-up US Army in
Vietnam suffered from eroded discipline, drug
abuse and racial strife, but on the battlefield the
American soldier acquitted himself well. Low
morale resulting from failure in Vietnam followed by
lean budgets during the Carter years is now begin-
ning to pack up. Under a conservative administrat oa
generous in seeking funds from the Congress, tne
US Army has managed to bring itself back to ts
traditional sense of purpose.
Failure, of course, must be blamed on tr'a
decision-maker and the diplomat while success, a
too often, must be wrought by brave young men r
battle. The American soldier is, in the end, no rro!'s
than the f inal resort on the cutting edge of Amer;can
policy. Whether a private or a general, his equ c-
ment, training, doctrine and valour must come iro-
what he is given and what he is told'io do. ln F sca
Year 1984, he will be given an unprecedente3
$274.1 billion in the US defence budget. He witi oe
given AH-64 helicopters, M1 tanks, and an .--
popular new-style helmet. And he will be tcld to ta<-.
on challenges equallywithout precedent in a nuciea.
world which is a nightmare for the Pentagorr's
planners.
Policy and pragmatism in the 1980s requre a
rapid deployment force able to fight and win n tre
heat and sands of Middle East oilfield country. n tn:
raging cold of the Arctic, or wherever Washingt:-
The 82nd Airborne Division is the prime US Atmy
component of America's Rapid Deployment J oint
Task Force. Celebrating after the brief Grenadan
operation, the 82nd demonstrate a new-found
willingmess in the US government to intervene
militarily overseas.
!
f
Armed Forces of the World

American troops starterecting a tentin EWpt

during Exercise 'Bright Star' , held in I 982 . As there
were no pre-positioned stockpiles of weapons and
other essential equipment, the Americans had to
sea, which
bring everything they required by air or
is time-consuming and expensive.

decides. Some of the troopers who saw their
equipment snarled by sand on manoeuvres in
Egypt, and who lost mates in the daring but f ruitless
April 1980 rescue raid in lran, found themselves
under fire recently on the little-known Caribbean
island of Grenada.
Current manpower of the US Army is 781 ,648 ot
whom 218,913 serve in Europe, 31,000 in the Far
East (mostly in Korea) and 7,900 in the Canal Zone.
The US Army's enlisted men and women
volunteer from all walks of life for an initial three-
year tour of duty. The draft was eliminated with the
creation of the 'all-volunteerArmy' in 1974 (although
registration for the draft for 18-year-olds was
relnstated in 1 981 ) and a return to general conscrip-
tion is probably a political impossibility today. Critics
charge that this means that the USA no longer has a
'citizen army', and for the first time since 1940 a
generation of young Americans includes many who
have never donned a uniform. For a time. the 'all-
volunteer' concept attracted disproportionate
numbers of racial minorities and new immigrants,
creating a low educational level and a mentality
where 'comic books' were needed to teach a man
how to drive an armoured personnel carrier. lt
remains true that blacks, 13 per cent o{ the US
population, make up 29.3 per cent of the US Army.
But the economic recession and better pay benefits
have recently attracted better-qualified recruits of all
backgrounds. A private can reach non-commis-
sioned officer (NCO) status in three years and retire
with a pension after 20 years, a strong inducement
for men and women who can receive a pension
beginning as early as age 37. Retention of skilled
NCOs, especially those with technical credentlals
needed by industry, remains the US Army's critical
personnel problem.
The US Army long ago eliminated its segregated
Women's Army Corps (WAC) and opened up most
career ladders to the fair sex, with encouraging
results. Slnce 1978 the number of women in the US
Army has rocketed from about 1 2,000 to the current
14,360. Although women are precluded by law f rom
assuming combat dutres, nearly all military occupa-
tion speciallties (MOS) are open to them, and the US
Army recently re-opened 13 out of 26 speclalities
which had earlier been defined as 'combat' duties.
The bulk of the off icer corps now comes to the US
Army from the 303 colleges and universities which
offer Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) pro-
grammes. ROTC training is only incidental to a four-
year university education, and is voluntary. lt leads
to a reserve commission as a second lieutenant who
then, on entering active duty, proceeds to his branch
Service school. A few US Army officers in the
Medical Corps, the Army Nurse Corps, and the
Chaplains' ranks come directly f rom civilian life, and
recruiting of these highly-qualified people, especi-
ally doctors, remains difficult.
The elite US Army of{icer comes from the 'long
gray line' (for the uniform coloud of the United
States Military Academy at West Point, the ivy-
covered institute in upstate New York which has
bred the nation's lieutenants, generals and heroes
since the 1 800s, Competition to enter West Point is
fierce, and its four-year mix of military and university
education is gruelling. Cadets may take Airborne
and Ranger training during their course and, on
graduation, must serve five years. Entering cadets
are college students; upon entering, they become
members of the armed forces in the special
category of cadet. not fully 'officer' or 'enlisted'.
During their senior year, each selects the branch of
service (lnfantry, Artillery, Corps of Engineers, etc.)
in which he or she will receive a regular commission
as a second lieutenant. The sense of tradition in the
halls and on the parade grounds at West Point is
chllling: West Pointers have fought in all the nation's
wars except the first, and 21 per cent of the Class of
1964 died in Vietnam. ln his final public appearance
tn 1962, an ageing General of the Army Douglas
MacArthur (Class of 1904) talked to the Point's
cadets about his own days there and concluded with
an impromptu speech which has become one of the
most famous in American history, centring on the
three words essential to a West Point officer's life:
duty, honour and country.
Once accepted for active duty. whether recruited
as a private or commissioned at the Point, the US
Army soldier is trained in one of over 400 military
occupation specialities at one of several dozen train-
ing establishments. Enlisted recruits begin with an
Troopers of the IstCavalrytake awell-earned
break during the I 9 I 3' R etorger' ex ercise s, which
are desigmed to test the rapid reinforcement of
Europe by air andsea. Some units come complete
with their equipment, while others use weapons
and s tor e s stockpile d in Europe.
eight-week 'boot camp' indoctrination at one of
three locations and then proceed, as do new
off icers, to their Army Service Schools. Some of the
most important of these are listed on the accom-
panying chart.
For officers, further leadership and military
technical training comes at each stage in a career.
For those at field grade (major or above). the most
important is the Command and General Staff
College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The course at
this institute runs for one year, and without it no
officer is likely to ever wear a general's star on his
shoulder. Other key institutes are the Armed Forces
Staff College, an inter-service establishment at
Norfolk, Virginia; the lndustrialCollege of theArmed
Forces (ICAF) and the National War College, both
located at Fort McNair, Washington, DC. Army
officers are also eligible for courses given for senior
managers by other branches of the government.
such as the Department of State and the Central
lntelligence Agency. A successful course, like a
combat decoration, is seen as a 'ticket'to promotion
and to an important command slot.
7th Cavalry troopers board an Air National Guard
Lockheed C-130 of the l79thTAG at Diisseldorf.
Flown from theUSA, they are abouttopickuptheir
heavy equipment which has been pre-positioned
on the NATO Centtal Front.