Post–World War II air-to-air combat losses
![Gun camera sequence photo showing a North Vietnamese MiG-17-fighter being hit.](../I/m/MiG-17_shoot_down_sequence_3_June_1967.jpg)
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Air-to-air combat is the engagement of flying machines in warfare in which one or more aircraft tries to destroy one or more other aircraft. The Korean War saw the greatest amount of air-to-air combat since World War II. During the war the United States claimed to have shot down around 700 fighters.[A 1][3] After the war the USAF reviewed its figures in an investigation code-named Sabre Measure Charlie and downgraded the kill ratio of the North American F-86 Sabre against the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 by half from 14:1 to 7:1.[3] One of the factors inflating US numbers was that most dogfights took place over enemy-controlled area. The only way to confirm kills was through gun camera photography. USAF pilots were credited with a kill if the gun camera showed their guns striking the enemy aircraft even if no one actually saw it go down.[4] However, Soviet kill claims were also highly exaggerated, based upon inherent flaws in their film grading procedures. For instance, the S-13 gun camera was not aligned with either the gunsight or either cannons' ballistics. It ran only while the firing buttons were depressed. Film graders commonly included unit commanders and political commisars who would confirm a "kill"—sometimes even if one had not been claimed by a pilot—when the camera's crosshairs touched the target for two movie frames. During the first 16 months of combat Soviet V-VS units claimed 218 F-86s destroyed when only 36 (35 to the two elite IADs and one to the 50th IAD) had been lost. This results in a 600 per cent inflation rate in victory credits over actual Sabres destroyed.
The Vietnam War saw a move away from cannon fire to air-to-air missiles.[5] Although US forces maintained air supremacy throughout the war, there were still occasional dogfights and several US aces. The North Vietnamese side claimed the Vietnam People's Air Force had 17 aces throughout the war, including Nguyen Van Coc, who is also the top ace of Vietnam War with 9 kills: seven acknowledged by the United States Air Force.
During the 1947 conflict over Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Air Force did not engage the Pakistan Air Force in air-to-air combat; however, it did provide effective transport and close air support to the Indian troops.[6] The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 was the first time the Indian Air Force actively engaged an enemy air force.[7] By the time the conflict had ended, India lost between 65 and 75 aircraft and Pakistan lost between 20 and 43.[8][9] The Indian Air Force lost 45 aircraft during the Indo-Pakistani war of 1971 and the Pakistani Air Force lost 75 aircraft.[10]
During the Iran–Iraq War of 1980–88, there were nearly 1,000 air-to-air engagements between Iran and Iraq, including the only known instances of helicopters dogfighting and shooting down other helicopters.[11] The Falklands War of 1982 witnessed air combat between Argentine and British military aircraft. The Falkland Islands' runways were short and thus unable to support fighter jets, forcing Argentina to launch fighters from the mainland, which had an adverse effect on their loiter time. The Argentine forces lost 23 aircraft in air-to-air combat, out of a total of 134 fixed wing aircraft and helicopters lost during the conflict. During the 1990–91 Persian Gulf War 33 of Iraq's 750 fixed wing aircraft were claimed as downed (23 were confirmed), compared to 14 coalition aircraft claimed as downed (the loss of one coalition F/A-18 Hornet is confirmed).[12][13]
Aircraft lost to air-to-air combat
See also
Footnotes
- ↑ During the Korean War experienced Soviet pilots flew against USAF forces.[2]
- ↑ Two US C-47s shoot down by yugoslavian Yak-3 over Northern Yugoslavia.
- ↑ First combat instance of a jet shooting down a jet happened during this war.
- ↑ Differences in numbers is attributed to Soviet vs US claims of planes shot down
- ↑ Soviet claim of planes shot down
- ↑ See the US Soviet air-to-air combat article
- ↑ See the Air-to-air combat losses between the USSR and US article
- ↑ US F-84E Shootdown shoot down by Czech Mig-15 over Merlín.
- ↑ First combat use of guided air-to-air missiles occurred during this war.
- ↑ First combat instance of a manned aircraft shooting down a UAV happened during this war.
- ↑ Numbers include losses of unmanned aircraft and unconfirmed losses
- ↑ Numbers include unconfirmed losses
- ↑ The last war in which piston-engined fighter planes fought each other.
- ↑ In 1978, a Soviet Mig-23 Flogger intercepted 4 Iranian CH-47 Chinook helicopters over Karakum Canal inside Soviet airspace, shooting one of them down and damaging another. The damaged helicopter managed to land inside the Soviet Union and its crew was captured by Soviet forces. Later, the crew was released and the helicopter was allowed to be repaired and return to Iran.
- ↑ In 1988, two Soviet Mig-23 Floggers shot down a pair of Iranian AH-1J SuperCobra attack helicopters over western Afghanistan.
- ↑ The 1994 Black Hawk shootdown incident, sometimes referred to as the Black Hawk Incident, was a friendly fire incident over northern Iraq that occurred on April 14, 1994 during Operation Provide Comfort. The pilots of two United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter aircraft, operating under the control of a USAF airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, misidentified two United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters as Iraqi Mil Mi-24 "Hind" helicopters. The F-15 pilots fired on and destroyed both helicopters, killing all 26 military service members and civilians from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and the Kurdish community. The third loss was a UAV Predator shot down by a Mig-25 in December 2002.
- ↑ An Italian Army Bell 206 helicopter was shot down by a Serb Mig over Novi Marof, near Varaždin, Croatia, on 7 January 1992. One French and four Italian military observers were killed. The incident prompted the resignation of the Yugoslav Minister of Defence. The helicopter was part of a European Community mission in Croatia.
- ↑ On the night of 8th June 2002, a pair of IAI SearcherII UAV of Indian Air Force were detected inside Pakistan by "mobile observation units". Pakistan Air Force scrambled 2 Mirage III's and 4 F-7P fighter jets which failed to detect and intercept the drones. Finally a pair of F-16 B's of Pakistan Air Force succeeded to intercept and shoot down one of the drones using their Aim-9Ls.
- ↑ According to U.S and Iraqi sources, in February 2009 a USAF F-16 intercepted and shot down an Iranian UAV that had violated Iraqi airspace.
- ↑ According to U.S sources, in September 2009 a USAF fighter intercepted and shot down an out of control armed MQ-9 Reaper UAV, near Afghan border.
- ↑ On June 8, 2017, an American F-15E shot down a Shahed-129 UCAV, which the US military said was attacking American-backed forces. The US military said the drone, which appeared to be made by Iran, was being operated by "pro-Syria regime" forces.[105] A second pro-regime Shahed-129 was shot down by an American F-15E on June 19.[106]
References
Notes
- ↑ Bowers, Al; Lednicer, David (17 May 1999). "Fighter Pilot Aces List". The Air University.
- ↑ Brune 1996, p. 215
- 1 2 Dorr & Thompson 2003, p. 186
- ↑ Zhang 2004, p. 153
- ↑ Boyne 2002, p. 2
- ↑ Barua 2005, p. 192
- ↑ Pradhan & Chavan 2007, p. xiv
- ↑ "The Sunday Tribune - Spectrum". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- 1 2 Thomas M. Leonard (2006). Encyclopedia of the Developing World. Taylor & Francis. p. 806. ISBN 978-0-415-97663-3. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
- ↑ Leonard, Thomas M. (18 October 2013). "Encyclopedia of the Developing World". Routledge. Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via Google Books.
- ↑ "Persian Cats | Military Aviation". Air & Space Magazine. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- 1 2 3 Davis 2002, p. 300
- 1 2 3 "The First Night" by Cooper, Sadik (IAPR, Vol.26)
- 1 2 "Intrusions, Overflights, Shootdowns and Defections During the Cold War and Thereafter". myplace.frontier.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 3 http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_303.shtml
- ↑ Aloni 2001, pp. 18, 22
- 1 2 3 Aloni 2001, pp. 6–22
- 1 2 "Egyptian Air-to-Air Victories since 1948". acig.info. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 "Syrian Air-to-Air Victories since 1948". acig.info. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Israeli Air Force Air-to-Air Combat Record".
- 1 2 Walker 1983, pp. 64–68
- ↑ "F-86A-5 Sabre vs MiG-15". rt66.com. 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- ↑ Zhang 2004, p. 152
- ↑ Jackson, A.J. Avro Aircraft since 1908, 2nd edition. London: Putnam Aeronautical Books, 1990, p. 406.
- ↑ "Overseas Operators of the Gloster Meteor". historyofwar.org. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ Herzog, The Arab–Israeli Wars, p. 138
- ↑ Nordeen, Lon Fighters Over Israel London 1991, p. 198
- ↑ "Cold War Museum". coldwar.org. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_145.shtml
- ↑ Boyne 2002, p. 679
- 1 2 "Aviaciya PVO Rossii i nauchno-technicheskii progress. Boevie kompleksi i sistemi vchera, segodnya, zavtra", E.A. Fedosova, Drofa, 2004
- ↑ "US Air-to-Air Losses in the Vietnam War". myplace.frontier.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 "Project Ibex and Project Dark Gene". spyflight.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑
- ↑ Chronological Listing of Iranian Air Force McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II Archived 2015-07-10 at the Wayback Machine.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-07-10. Retrieved 2015-02-07.
- 1 2
- ↑ http://www.acig.info/CMS/?option=com_content&task=view&id=42&Itemid=47
- ↑ "Iraqi Air-to-Air Victories since 1967". acig.info. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 Cordesman 2006, p. 168
- ↑ "Israeli Air-to-Air Victories in 1967". acig.info. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ The Sunday Tribune – Spectrum. Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved on 2011-04-14.
- ↑ http://www.acig.info/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=41&Itemid=47
- ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-13. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
- 1 2 Leonard, Thomas M. (2013-10-18). Encyclopedia of the Developing World. Routledge. ISBN 9781135205089.
- ↑ http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_298.shtml
- 1 2 Gordon, Yefim. MiG-21 (Russian Fighters). Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2008.
- ↑ The Aviation History, Florian Ion Petrescu, Relly Victoria Petrescu, 2012, p. 88
- ↑ http://www.acig.info/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=53&Itemid=47
- ↑ http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_210.shtml
- 1 2 "Pakistan – Pakistan Fiza'ya – Pakistan Air Force – PAF". f-16.net. 2010. Retrieved April 3, 2010.
- ↑ The Aviation History, Florian Ion Petrescu, Relly Victoria Petrescu, 2012, p. 82
- ↑ "Chronological Listing of Afghan Ejections". ejection-history.org.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ http://www.acig.info/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=94&Itemid=47
- ↑ "Iranian Air-to-Air Victories, 1982-Today". Acig.org. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ "Iranian Air-to-Air Victories 1976–1981". Acig.org. 19 May 2006. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ "Iraqi Air-to-Air Victories since 1967". Acig.org. 20 May 2006. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_211.shtml
- ↑ Ivanov, Grigory. "WINGS PALETTE - MiG MiG-25 Foxbat - Iraq". wp.scn.ru. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_404.shtml
- ↑ Cenciotti, David (2012-09-06). "30 years later, Ankara admits Turkish Air Force jet was shot down by Iraq". The Aviationist. Retrieved 2018-05-06.
- 1 2 Lord, Dick (2000). Vlamgat: The Story of the Mirage F1 in the South African Air Force. Covos-Day. ISBN 0-620-24116-0.
- ↑ "Congressional Research Service Issue Brief for Congress: Libya". (2002, April 10). Foreign Press Centers, U.S. Department of State, Retrieved 20 December 2010.
- ↑ http://www.acig.info/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=89&Itemid=47
- ↑ Boyne 2002, p. 215
- ↑ Chant, Christopher (2001). Air War in the Falklands 1982 . Osprey Publishing, p. 67. ISBN 1-84176-293-8
- ↑ Rabinovich, The Yom Kippur War, Schocken Books (2004) p. 510
- ↑ Herzog, The Arab–Israeli Wars, Random House (1982) pp. 347–48
- ↑ Bruce Walker & the editors of Time-Life books, Fighting Jets: The Epic of Flight, Time Life Books (1983) pp. 162–63
- ↑ Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat by David Nicolle and Tom Cooper(2004) p. 77
- ↑ MiG-23 na blijnem vostoke. Vladimir Ilin
- ↑ לבטאון חיל-האוויר הישראלי, July 1984, №141, p. 12
- ↑ Ministry of Defence 2008
- ↑ Richard Halloran. "2 IRANIAN FIGHTERS REPORTED DOWNED BY SAUDI AIR FORCE". nytimes.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ Smith, William E. (18 June 1984). "The Gulf: Pushing the Saudis Too Far". Retrieved 6 May 2018 – via content.time.com.
- 1 2 Aviatsya i Vremya 5/2005, Ahmad Sadik & Diego Fernando Zampini " The third day (and beyond...)"
- ↑ Cooper, Tom. "Operation Samarrah", October 2010
- ↑ One Predator was shot by a Mig-25 on December 27, 2002. Knights, Michael (2005).Cradle of conflict: Iraq and the birth of modern U.S. military power. Naval Institute Press, p. 242. ISBN 1-59114-444-2
- ↑ "Yugoslav defense chief resigns after attack" USA today, Jan 9, 1992
- ↑ Cooper, Tom; Sosa, Juan (1 September 2003). "Venezuela". ACIG. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
- ↑ Lista gubitaka/ostecenja vazduhoplova u Ex-JRV od 1945 godine do danas (in Serbian)
- ↑ Scheina 2003, p. 125
- ↑ "Deadly 1996 Aegean clash is confirmed". F-16.net. Retrieved 2013-08-09.
- ↑ "Flankervs Falcrum in Ethiopia vs. Eritrea. What actually happened?". worldaffairsboard.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ Šafařík, Jan Josef. "Jan J. Safarik: Air Aces Home Page, Eritrea - Ethiopian-Eritrea Conflict 1999-2000". aces.safarikovi.org. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "II Ethiopian Eritrean War, 1998–2000". acig.info. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "Yugoslav & Serbian MiG-29s". acig.org. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "European Air-to-Air Victories". acig.org. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ Military Mi-8 HIP helicopter to fly alongside a Hunter UAV and then have the Door Gunner blast the UAV with his 7.62mm machine gun
- ↑ "India-Pakistan: Tit for Tat". cnn.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_324.shtml
- ↑ "IAF's Searcher-II Loss on June 07, 2002". vayu-sena-aux.tripod.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "IAF shoots down UAV in northern Negev". jpost.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "IAF shoots down drone from Lebanon off Haifa". jpost.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "Tbilisi Claims Russian Jet Downed its Drone in Abkhazia". Civil Georgia. 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ↑ "Russian Diplomat Slams Tbilisi's Rhetoric". Civil Georgia. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-07-06.
- ↑ "Iranian drone 'shot down in Iraq'". BBC. 16 March 2009. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "Air Force Shoots Down Runaway Drone Over Afghanistan". popsci.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ Fahim, Kareem; Arsu, Sebnem (16 September 2013). "Turkey Says It Shot Down Syrian Military Helicopter Flying in Its Airspace". The New York Times. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "Disturbing footage shows Syrian helicopter pilot who was 'shot down by". dailymail.co.uk. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑
- ↑ "UPDATE 4-Turkey says shot down helicopter, while Syrian TV says it..." reuters.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "Navy jet shoots down Syrian warplane that attacked US-backed rebels". foxnews.com. 18 June 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "NATO-Russia Tensions Rise After Turkey Downs Jet". The New York Times. 24 November 2015. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- 1 2 Gordon, Michael (8 June 2017). "U.S. Says It Shot Down Drone That Attacked Fighters in Syria". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
- 1 2 Browne, Ryan; Starr, Barbara (20 June 2017). "First on CNN: US shoots down another pro-regime drone in Syria". CNN. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
- ↑ "Sirens, clashes in north after IDF shoots down infiltrating Iranian drone". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "Russia 'shot down Ukraine jet'". BBC. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ Axe, David (19 July 2016). "How Fighter Jets Almost Killed a President". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- ↑ "Washington Post article". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
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