The interwar period was a time of revolutionary change in military aviation, the great advances in engines, materials and engineering lead many air forces to test out just what fighters and bombers could and couldn’t do. They might be able to render battleships vulnerable to land- and carrier-based aircraft, but they couldn’t tame volcanoes – as the US Army Air Corps found out in 1935.

The largest island in the Hawaiian chain, Hawai’i, has three active volcanoes, two of which erupted in the 20th century. In 1935 Mauna Loa became active, with its flows threatening the Hilo area, the largest city on the island and agricultural centre of the islands at that time.

While explosives had been tried on Italian lava flows going back to the 1660s, the US Army Air Corps, Hawaii Volcano Observatory and Corps of Engineers thought massed explosives on the ground might make the eruption worse, so they decided to bomb it from the air to divert the lava’s path. The director of the Hawai’i Volcano Observatory, Thomas A. Jaggar had long considered well placed high explosives to be a potential “solution” to lava flows and gas vents endangering populated and economically important areas. So when the 1935 flows started moving towards Hilo, he was the primary advocate for using Army assets in an experiment. His boss didn’t think it’d work, the Army crews didn’t think it would work and the bombs would just bounce off the ground. But the mission went ahead. On December 27, 1935, ten Keystone B-3 and B-4 bombers from Luke Field on Ford Island in the middle of Pearl Harbor flew the 200-odd miles to bomb the Humu‘ula lava flow. The bombers dropped 40 bombs, half were high explosive and the rest were WP smoke bombs to mark the impact points. Of the twenty high explosive bombs dropped, sixteen hit the target area and twelve hit the lava tunnel in question. For bombing during this era, that is quite accurate, hitting the broadside of a mountain and all that.

The mission was considered a success at the time, since the lava flow stopped six days later, with the Director Jagger saying “The Army in one day’s work has stopped a lava flow, which might have continued indefinitely, and have caused incalculable damage to forest, water resources, and city.” A survey of the lava field four years later reinforced this idea and so when there was another eruption on Hawai’i in 1942, bombers were used to attack the lava flow with similar results, the flow ended a few days after the bombing.

Research done in the 1970s by the USAF bombing volcanic tunnels with a variety of bombs from fighter-bombers (having to get rid of the Vietnam War stockpile somehow), showed that delayed fuze bombs might be able to collapse lava tunnels, but the effectiveness against active lava flows is questionable according to engineers and geologists.

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From the cocaine, blood and flying scarves of World War One dogfighting to the dark arts of modern air combat, here is an enthralling ode to these brutally exciting killing machines.

The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes is a beautifully designed, highly visual, collection of the best articles from the fascinating world of military aviation –hand-picked from the highly acclaimed Hush-kit online magazine (and mixed with a heavy punch of new exclusive material).

“the thinking-man’s Top Gear… but for planes”.

The solid well-researched information about aeroplanes is brilliantly combined with an irreverent attitude and real insight into the dangerous romantic world of combat aircraft.

Sadly, this site will pause operations if it does not hit its funding targets. If you’ve enjoyed an article you can donate here and keep this aviation site going. Many thanks

This great mission showing the power of man over nature has been memorialised in the unit insignia for the 23rd Bomb Squadron, now a B-52H squadron in chilly Minot North Dakota. And the bombings aren’t forgotten in Hawai’i as the empty casings from the smoke bombs are still being found, most recently in late February 2020. And the commander who decided that bombing a volcano was a good idea in 1935? Lt Colonel George S. Patton.

––– Mark Brueschke is an Aviation fan and geology hobbyist who grew up watching B-52s and B-1s constantly flying over while living by Minuteman silos

A lot of explosive and incendiary devices have been dropped on a lot people’s heads. We climb through the limb-littered wreckage to bring you 10 bombing raids & mishaps you probably haven’t heard of.

Venice 1849

Austrian forces besieged the wettest city in the world in 1849 and tried to burn it down. They launched over 200 paper hot air balloons, each carrying a 26-pound bomb with a time-fuse. Most were launched from land, but some from the steamer ship SMS Volcano.. named for Vulcan, the Roman god of fire. In the first historical example of a Vulcan raid only hitting the target once, only one bomb got through. The rest turned back when the wind changed and some even landed back on the Volcano causing some fire damage.

Italy hits Britain

Ask a typical British person about the aerial bombing of Britain in the early 1940s and they’ll tell it was carried out by the German air force. What they are unlikely to know is that the Italian air force also had a go. The Corpo Aereo Italiano (Italian Air Corps), or CAI, was an expeditionary force from the Italian Regia Aeronautica (Italian Royal Air Force). Equipped with inferior aircraft to the RAF and Luftwaffe, it took part in the Battle of Britain and the Blitz during the final months of 1940.

On the last day of the Battle of Britain, 29 October 1940, fifteen BR.20s were sent to bomb England as revenge for British attacks on Northern Italy. The aircraft, painted in an inappropriately bright camouflage scheme for the South of England approached at low level in a very tight formation, escorted by CR.42s. The CR.42 Falco biplane fighter faced far faster and better-armed Hurricanes and Spitfires. On paper it looked totally outclassed but had two aces up its sleeve: the ability to soak up British .303 rounds and fly on, and arguably the smallest turning circle of any fighter of World War II. But generally it was hopeless against the more modern British machines, in fact so much so, that at least one pilot ‘mistakenly’ landed his FIAT in Suffolk rather than trust his life in the chubby machine against Fighter Command (and no one could truly blame him). In the October 29 raid five aircraft were damaged by British anti-aircraft guns. A Royal Marines depot in Deal, Kent, was hit with high explosive bombs six. The CAI was moderately successful but it was ultimately just a symbolic contribution to a failed campaign.

Torrey Canyon

The greatest achievement of Britains’s Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm in the 1960s was failing to adequately dispose of a leaking oil tanker and the subsequent oil slick. The supertanker, Torrey Canyon, had run into trouble and was vomiting 30 million gallons of oil off the south west coast of England. Something needed to be done to stop the oil killing vast swathes of ocean life and poisoning the sea. The obvious solution was to ignite and burn the oil, and sink the ship. So, on 28 March 1967, the Britain’s Fleet Air Arm sent Buccaneer strike-bombers from RNAS Lossiemouth to drop forty-two 1,000-lb bombs in an attempt to destroy the ship. At least 25% of the bombs missed. Then, the Royal Air Force sent Hawker Hunter jets from RAF Chivenor to drop cans of aviation fuel to set the oil ablaze. However, exceptionally high tides put the fires out. Further attacks were required. Sea Vixens were dispatched from RNAS Yeovilton, along with Buccaneers from the Royal Navy Air Station Brawdy, and yet more RAF Hunters, this time armed with napalm* to ignite the oil. Bombing continued into the next day before Torrey Canyon finally sank. The result was an environmental catastrophe. Still, at least it made David Bellamy famous.

*As an aside, pilots Hush-Kit have spoken to say that napalm remained in the RAF inventory far longer than is publicly acknowledged. 

Chinese frozen river bombing

In 2014 the Yellow River froze in Inner Mongolia. The ice was blocking the flow of water and causing freakishly high water levels risking mass floods. Though bombing a river may sound like metaphor for a futile act, in this case it was an actual, and successful, solution. At least three Xian H-6 (a Chinese-built Tu-16) strategic bombers took part dropping 24 unguided bombs. They all hit the target and broke the ice. 

(Speaking of rivers and bombing, in World War II Britain did all it could to deprive Luftwaffe intruders of navigational references. In an experimental effort some rivers were covered in coal dust to minimise how much moonlight they reflected.)

Want to see more stories like this: Follow my vapour trail on Twitter: @Hush_kit

Preorder your copy today here. 

From the cocaine, blood and flying scarves of World War One dogfighting to the dark arts of modern air combat, here is an enthralling ode to these brutally exciting killing machines.

The Hush-Kit Book of Warplanes is a beautifully designed, highly visual, collection of the best articles from the fascinating world of military aviation –hand-picked from the highly acclaimed Hush-kit online magazine (and mixed with a heavy punch of new exclusive material).

“the thinking-man’s Top Gear… but for planes”.

The solid well-researched information about aeroplanes is brilliantly combined with an irreverent attitude and real insight into the dangerous romantic world of combat aircraft.

Sadly, this site will pause operations if it does not hit its funding targets. If you’ve enjoyed an article you can donate here and keep this aviation site going. Many thanks

French bomb Berlin

The first Allied bombing of Berlin was utterly audacious. It involved a single airliner converted into a makeshift bomber manned by a former airline crew. The solitary French navy NC 223.4 (named ‘Jules Verne’) painted matt black and with only a light machine-gun for self defence took off in the afternoon of the 7 June 1940. Its perilous route took it across the North Sea, Denmark, the Baltic sea, and changed course at Stettin in Poland (note the similarities to the Soviet raid described below). It reached Berlin in the dark of night. In an attempt to disguise itself as a friendly aircraft it faked an approach path to Tempelhof airfield. It then launched its attack on its target: the Siemens factory in Berlin’s suburbs (a company with a distinctly shady wartime history). Approaching at rooftop level the sole intruder rained down high explosive and incendiary devices. It is said that when they ran out of bombs, the bombardier threw down his shoe. Dodging anti-aircraft fire, the Jules Verne fled the scene. It safely landed at Orly airfield, near Paris, on the morning of the 8 June morning, after a gruelling eleven hour and forty minutes of flight.

Soviets bomb Berlin

In July 1941 the Soviet Union was on its knees. The German bombing of Moscow was a painful humiliation to this already battered nation. They could not be shown to be impotent in the face of an assault on their own capital – the attack needed to be avenged. This was easier said than done. The air force had taken a pummelling during the German assault and was severely mauled. That month, German Luftwaffe commander Hermann Göring told Hitler with some pride that the Soviet air force was no more. The situation was dreadful: the Wehrmacht dominated the Baltic region, half of Ukraine, the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic and was now approaching Moscow itself. A revenge attack would show the world the USSR could still bite back. It would be a much-needed shot in the arm for the beleaguered Soviet people. And they would need all the morale boosts they could in the face of history’s most formidable invaders. But there were no bomber air bases still in Soviet hands that were in range of Berlin. 

A plan was hatched of incredible audacity.  They would use rough and ready airstrips on the Moonsund archipelago, which was located in the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. This was a bold move – German troops were very close to the main Baltic Sea base of Tallinn, and were approaching the Gulf of Finland. The area was also patrolled by Finnish fighter aircraft. The airfield had none of the infrastructure to support a bomber force, no arsenal of bombs or mass supply of aviation fuel. Even if, against all odds, the raids were mounted – it was still a 900-km round against an extremely heavily defended city.

First must come the base preparation, a daring feat in itself. Admiral Nikolay Gerasimovich Kuznetsov noted in his book “Under heavy protection, small barges loaded with gasoline and ammunition traversed the mined waters of the Gulf of Finland to Tallinn, and then on to the island of Osel. Danger lay in wait for them at every turn. It should be noted that Tallinn was already being besieged by the enemy.” If the Luftwaffe spotted the activity the plan would be over. The aircraft, Ilyushin DB-3s, arrived and were quickly dispersed around the island next to homes and gardens – and hidden under artful camouflage netting. 

On August 6, five DB-3s aircraft took off to reconnoitre Berlin. They succeeded and returned to the island unharmed. A larger raid would be more conspicuous and more vulnerable. Whereas the state-of-the-art British Lancaster bomber weighed over 30 tons fully loaded, had four engines and eight or ten defensive machine-guns, the DB-3, a long-range bomber from 1935 weighed a mere ten tons fully loaded, had two engines and only three or four defensive guns. Even the incredibly tough Lancasters would suffer over Berlin – the Soviet bombers were far more fragile and the crews less experienced. Also, if the German defenders had observed the recce mission – which came from the North – they would prepare for other raids from this unlikely direction.

Two days later, 15 fully loaded DB-3 bombers departed in the middle of the night. They traversed the Baltic Sea before turning towards Berlin from Stettin over occupied Poland. The Berlin defenders were initially baffled by the unfamiliar two-engined aircraft approaching from the north. Thinking they must be friendly aircraft the German defences even radioed the Soviet raiders inviting them to land! Against all odds, the raid was a complete success for the Soviets. Berlin paid with the blood of civilians. A further nine raids were mounted. By the end of 1941, the Soviet air force and navy had dropped 36,000 kilograms of bombs on Berlin. They lost 17 aircraft and 70 crewmen were killed.

Ireland (1940-41)

Ireland was neutral in World War II, so it is surprising to learn that it was attacked eight times in 1940-41 by the German Luftwaffe. On the 26 August 1940 five bombs were dropped next to a creamery in County Wexford. Five bombs were dropped and three women were killed. According to an eye witness quoted in the Irish Times, “When we had the fire under control we called the roll, and found that everybody had been accounted for except three girls…One of these we found slumped over a table, with her head blown off, and another had apparently tried to get down some stairs. We were only able to identify them by their clothing.” The one bomb that failed to detonate had Luftwaffe markings. 

The worst attack came on 31 May 1941 when four German bombs fell on North Dublin in the North Strand area, killing at least 28 (some reports say 34) people.

But why? Opinions are divided. Some of the bombers may have had their navigation aids misguided by British countermeasures, some may just been lost but it is likely that at least some of the raids were intentional. It may have been that the Germany leadership was angry at the Republic for providing emergency support to civilians injured in North Irish locations close to the border. Reparations were paid to Ireland.

America nukes itself

Nothing makes more sense than nuclear weapons. Simply have some machines that can instantly kill cities, incinerate millions, irradiate the planet and cause problems that will last for hundreds of years – and nobody wants to fight you. Thanks to these miraculous devices there have been no wars since 1945. Obviously these doomsday bombs are treated with great reverence and no mistakes can happen. This is why the United States has never accidentally sent an atomic bombs crashing around in the wrong place..except they have, and not just once, but at least 32 times.

One of the worst was the 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash, that occurred near Goldsboro, North Carolina on 23 January 1961. A Boeing B-52 Stratofortress  disintegrated in mid-air, dropping its two 3–4-megaton Mark 39 nuclear bombs in the process. Five crewmen successfully escaped from the aircraft and landed safely. One ejected, but did not survive the landing. Two were killed in the crash. Information only declassified in 2013 showed that one of the bombs came very close to detonating.

Fortunately this kind of thing took place in some far off idiotic ‘Mad Men’ time and wouldn’t happen in our world, except it does: On 29 August 2007, six AGM-129 cruise missiles with W80-1 variable yield nuclear warheads, were mistakenly loaded onto a B-52H at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and flown to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The nuclear warheads should have been removed from the missiles before they were taken from their storage bunker. The nuclear warheads were not reported missing, and remained AWOL for 36 hours. During this period, which could have gone very wrong indeed, the warheads were not protected by the security precautions necessary for nuclear weapons. It was also a reassuring lesson to ambitious terrorist that such weapons could go missing for almost two days without anyone noticing. 

On December 5, 1965, an A-4E Skyhawk attack aircraft carrying a 1-megaton bomb rolled off the deck of its aircraft carrier 80 miles from Japan’s Ryuku island chain. The bomb, which was illegally in Japanese territory, has yet to be found. 

The Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty, is the first legally binding international agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons with the ultimate goal being their total elimination. It will enter into force on 22 January 2021. As of 25 October 2020, 84 states had signed the Treaty.

Switzerland

Switzerland was a neutral country during World War II, but it was in an Axis neighbourhood. Considered the vagaries of wartime navigation and the huge scale of the Allied bombing campaign it is perhaps unsurprising that the odd accidental bombing would happen. It is the scale of these tragic mistakes that might surprise: Switzerland was bombed over seventy times – and 84 people were killed. 

The Formiga Raid

The Formiga Raid On April 2, 1987, the Mayor of Formiga, Brazil, was contacted by telephone to receive the alarming message, “‘Hey, mayor. Run over to the park, the Government is attacking us with a plane.”. There had been public demonstrations against the high interest rates imposed by the President – was this a message from the Government? Two bombs were dropped on a residential area causing seven metre deep holes. The impact had been heard across the city. After dropping the bombs the aircraft turned back and circled the area they had struck. The residents of Formiga were terrified and look skyward expecting further attacks, panic spread. What had happened? Earlier, two Brazilian air force F-5s took off from the Santa Cruz Air Base, in Rio de Janeiro, for a routine training mission. The aircraft were supposed to fly to Formiga and make a simulated attack on a bridge. The aircraft carried inert concrete-filled 230-kg training bombs. The bombs were not to leave the aircraft, they were just there to give the pilots a realistic experience of flying a laden bomber. They were dropped by accident and the pilots had flown back to assess the situation. According to defence journalist Roberto Caiafa, quoted in Globo.com, “the pilot of the plane that lost the bombs received an alert on the control panel…He and the pilot of the other fighter went crazy. They went back and started flying over the city centre at low altitude, looking for the crash site.” A furious response from the traumatised people resulted in a government pay-out. This was used to create a pretty new park area in the shape of a target with one of the bombs mounted as a statue. Hopefully the target-shaped development will not attract further aerial attacks.

(Thanks to @Cardoso for flagging up the Formiga story)

Stephen Caulfield (with support from Jane Morton, Paul E Eden, Sean Kelly and Joe Coles) goes in search of the 15 most noteworthy aeroplanes of oceanic mercy.

15. Curtiss Model F

Lake Michigan is a cold mass of fresh water in the United States. At around two-thirds the size of Scotland it will conjure up dramatic weather at very short notice. It seems fitting that history (sketchily) records the first known air-sea rescue as having taken place there in 1910. 

Two Curtiss F-series seaplanes were involved. One of their pilots was compelled to make an emergency landing. The other, knowing imminent harm when he saw it, splashed down and recovered his colleague. 

Haphazard rescues of opportunity like this would typify air-sea rescue for most of the next three decades, including the four years of the Great War. This lack of a truly organised search and rescue force was in spite of how dangerous the world was in this tumultuous period. Seaplanes were the obvious choice for saving those in peril on the waves but the land-planes would be there, too.

In an emergency could be mistaken for: Blanchard Brd.1      

14. Republic P-47D Thunderbolt

Just when you thought the mighty ‘Jug’ couldn’t be any more amazing, you discover the eight-gun bruiser had a side-gig saving lives. A roaring surplus of horsepower got them to the scene pretty damn quick too, which was of vital importance for those requiring its services. Thrown around by a gloomy North Sea, most likely with hypothermia and injuries, bomber crews wouldn’t last long. Lacking the well organised British rescue system, the USAAF set up their own – allotting older, war-weary ‘razorback’s (earlier variants that lacked the bubble canopy) to an improvised unit called the 5^th Emergency Rescue Squadron based at Boxted Airfield near Colchester. Whenever a bomber mission was launched, two P-47 Thunderbolts of the Air Sea Rescue.

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Their war weary mounts had the usual pylon loads replaced with smoke floats and flares, but kept their .50 calibre heavy machine-guns just in case they were needed.  A canister with an air-drop capable raft was attached to the centreline rack.  Some rescue Thunderbolts are recognisable thanks to a rare sliding ‘bubble’ canopy with reduced framing to improve the pilot’s view.  The unit saved 938 lives. Somebody buy this fighter a beer.  Right now.

In an emergency could be mistaken for: the Mitsubishi A7M Reppu.

13. Dornier Do 24

Look at the long graceful lines on the Do 24’s fuselage. It’s the prettiest plane here. Of course, all rescue planes probably look extremely beautiful to a man who has spent a week in a leaky rubber dinghy with no water, food, sunblock, or much company beyond the circling hammerheads. But the tri-motor Dornier is eye-pleasing to even the less desperate observer, and carried out an enormous number of maritime rescues; around 12,000 souls were saved.

Fascist Spain was supplied with Do 24s in order to boost recovery of Axis personnel from the Mediterranean and kept them for a long time. Air Enthusiast’s January 1972 issue features photos of such a Do 24 landing on Lake Constance at Freidrichshafen the previous August. Still in Spanish SAR markings it had only just been retired, and was returning to the Dornier plant for restoration and museum display.

In an emergency could be mistaken for a Blackburn R.B.2 Sydney.

12. Boeing SB-29

The B-29 has a ghoulish legacy for mass destruction, but it had its more caring moments, too. This SAR adaptation of the Superfortress carried a new type of lifeboat. The EDO Corporation and naval architect Henry Higgins felt that the previous Mark I and II Airborne Lifeboats were good, but could be improved upon. They feared the much greater distances involved with campaigns in Asia would overcome the capacity of the then current British design (created by English boat designer and sailing enthusiast Uffa Fox). The Americans had self-righting vessels and favoured metal over wooden hulls. The resultant machines were the A-1 and A-3, deployed on modified B-17s and B-29s respectively. As the bomber war ramped up in the Pacific, so too did the quality of the equipment and the size of the infrastructure, to save servicemen downed at sea. With an emphasis on organised teamwork, air-sea rescue came of age in World War II. Over-water routes to Japan necessitated a serious array of assets for aircrew recovery. Thousands of personnel at a time might be involved in a post-raid SAR operation. They could be found at the hard-won island bases, in surface ships, submarines, seaplanes, and crewing the SB-29s. Radio communication, radar and electronic navigation guides formed the vital brain of this vast, dangerous operation.

In an emergency could be mistaken for the Bell X-1’s mother ship or a B-50.

11. Vickers Warwick ASR
    Tool of choice for the Warwick was the Airborne Lifeboat Mks I and II. Designed by the champion yachtsman Uffa Fox, the lifeboats were packed full of useful goodies to aid survival at sea: a Webley & Scott flare signal pistol with lots of rounds and a flashlight with spare filaments for starters; storm suits for seven men, later ten; rations, rope, cigarettes, signal rockets, 28 tins of sugared condensed milk… and a pint of massage oil (presumably for conjugal distractions).

Buoyancy chambers, sails, paddles and a pair of two-stroke inboard engines made the Mk I a substantial craft. A Vincent motorcycle engine powered the slightly larger Mk II. Though one wonders how much small-boat handling skill the average flyer had at the time, thousands of lives were saved by these boats. Lockheed Hudsons were first with the Mk I, but the Warwick replaced them as the primary RAF lifeboat bomber of the war. The Warwick was a larger cousin to the Vickers Wellington. Not quite big enough to go bombing with the four-engine heavies, it was not really needed in roles given to the more numerous Wellington either – it was assigned transport, weather-reconnaissance and SAR work instead.

10. Boeing PB-1G/SB-17

Once in the vicinity of a crash, the crew of a lifeboat bomber like the SB-17 (a converted B-17) had a challenging mission. First they would scan the water for flotsam, smoke, flares, marker dyes or lights. Often the conspicuous glimpse of a yellow dinghy on blue water revealed the presence of survivors.

The rescue aircraft then roared by (on an upwind course) to one side of the ‘target’. It would then use its standard issue bombsight to aim the air-launched lifeboat. 

After release, big parachutes slowed the lifeboat’s descent enough to minimise the possibility of damage when it hit the sea. On impact, CO2 cylinders would automatically inflate buoyancy tubes, which also triggered half a dozen rockets. The rockets would trail ropes with floats in multiple directions around the lifeboat to help the downed airmen secure it.

If you don’t find any of this massively exciting, you are dead inside.

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In an emergency could be mistaken for a Piaggio P.108.

9. Avro Lancaster

The UK’s formal air sea rescue (ASR) capability was just five years old when the Lancaster became its primary airborne asset. Established in February 1941, the Directorate of Air Sea Rescue Services morphed into the Royal Air Force Air Sea Rescue Service by year-end.

While the Supermarine Walrus is forever associated with RAF ASR, the need to reach beyond the seaplane’s limited capabilities saw landplanes locating stricken crew and dropping essential supplies. Fortunate crews thus had a reasonable chance of surviving until a boat or Walrus arrived; sometimes a Catalina of Sunderland flying-boat was available, but these were needed urgently on the front line and could not be relied upon to provide succour.

In May 1943, a Lockheed Hudson deployed an airborne lifeboat operationally for the first time. Now, long-range landplanes could deliver the means to survive until rescue came, and the means to sail towards it. The recalcitrant Vickers Warwick had been intended as the lifeboat carrier and finally came on strength in October 1943, but was never particularly serviceable.

An obviously more suitable aircraft for ASR conversion had entered combat in March 1942. Thereafter, the Avro Lancaster’s brilliance at bomb dropping meant none could be spared for lifeboat dropping. Nonetheless, the type’s capacious bomb bay, range and reliability lent it to ASR, and conversion work began almost as soon as the war in Europe ended.

In February 1946, the RAF’s grateful ASR units began receiving the Lancaster ASR Mk III and discarding their Warwicks. The mid-upper gun turret of the modified ‘Lancs’ was removed, plus they had provision for a lifeboat, and observation windows installed in the rear fuselage.

With a change in military aircraft designations, the ASR Mk III became the ASR Mk 3. Under this title, the Lancaster accomplished its first successful lifeboat drop, in May 1947. The aircraft involved belonged to 120 Sqn, today the RAF’s premier Poseidon operator.

Yet the operational landscape was changing. Search and rescue trials with the Sikorsky Hoverfly helicopter had begun in 1946. Meanwhile, the Catalinas and Liberators delivered under wartime Lend Lease were returned to the US, leaving the UK short in maritime patrol provision.

The Lancaster ASR Mk 3 was ideally positioned as a stop gap – a change in designation to MR Mk 3 (MR for maritime reconnaissance) signalling that, from 1950, MR rather than ASR was the type’s primary mission. Later, this broadened to GR (general reconnaissance) before the Lancaster naturally gave way to the Shackleton.

The Lancaster served as a dedicated ASR platform for only four years, but bridged a decisive period in which ASR became SAR. Through the Lancaster, the skills learned in wartime were passed on to a new generation of personnel flying modern maritime aeroplanes, which evolved to support the helicopter as the primary means of rescue.

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In an emergency could be mistaken for a Handley-Page Halifax.

Paul E Eden is the author of The Official History of RAF Search & Rescue

8. Beriev Be-12PS ‘Chaika’

Designed just as seaplane development was cresting, the gull-winged Chaika (‘seagull’) amphibian is a remarkable machine that only entered service in the early 1960s. With typically tough Soviet engineering, this powerful turboprop was created for the serious business of maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare. But it was in the role of search-and-rescue that the Be-12 lasted well into the post-Soviet era, saving the unfortunate from death in the world’s coldest bodies of water. Chaikas also grabbed 42 in-class world records in their spare time – several for climb and speed still stand, and may well stand forever. The two Ivchenko Progress engines generate a total of 10,632 horsepower, equivalent to six of the ultimate Rolls-Royce Merlins. Still in service with the Black Sea Fleet sixty years later, the Be-12 is assured a place in a notional Commie Warplane Hall of Fame for Longevity. Whatever else you care to say about the USSR, some of its military-industrial artefacts are simply excellent… generally ugly, but excellent. Beriev is still in the emergency flying-boat business in 2020 with the uniquely jet-powered Beriev Be-200 Altair.

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7. Grumman HU-16 Albatross

The design of the Albatross benefitted from the wealth of experience of seaplane operations during the wartime years. Grumman’s expertise in creating extremely robust aircraft that could withstand operations near or in water resulted in a superlative aeroplane, which took its first flight ten days after Yeager went supersonic on 24 October 1947. The doughty Albatross proved extremely survivable, and could safely manage ten-foot waves. It was sent to places that no other aircraft could reach, and in the Vietnam War proved carried out some utterly hair-raising missions American military HU-16s often resorted to RATO bottles in order to return to the air from a churning sea with the extra weight of survivors aboard.

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6. ShinMaywa US-2

After Japan’s defeat, the Kawanishi Aircraft Company which had been responsible for Imperial Japan’s finest flying-boats and floatplanes, stopped work on manned suicide missiles and was reborn as Shin Meiwa Industries (later ShinMaywa). They built upon their legacy of superb wartime aircraft with results culminating in one of the most impressive aircraft in the world today. There is nothing like the US-2, it is the best prop-driven flying boat design ever made. This amphibian is a radical update of the 1960s US-1 introducing the best of early 21st century technology. The secret of its remarkable short take-off, which can be as small as 280 metres, is the ‘blown’ control surfaces; compressed air (from an engine developed for the Comanche stealth helicopter) blows down the control surfaces adding thrust – as well as steering the air flow from the main propellers. This dramatically reduces take-off distance and improves controllability. Controllability and flight efficiency is also enhanced by the presence of a modern fly-by-wire system. Seaworthiness needs to be impressive, and it is. Combined with features already mentioned, the well designed hull and spray suppressor (a gutter that re-routes spray) mean the aircraft is happy taking off in waters swelling with three metre waves.

The US-2 is in the same size category as the biggest flying boats of the Second World War, but they have far more power thanks to modern turboprop engines. With 18,000 shift horsepower it has four and half times more grunt than a Short Sunderland.

The unique qualities and general impressiveness of this aircraft aside, the US-2 project is a small programme – almost a boutique effort – capable of completing only two aircraft at a time.  This means the cost per aircraft is likely around the £120 million mark.  More export orders would help defray that issue but they don’t seem to be appearing in a hurry. Regardless, the sailors and airmen rescued at speed from the merciless Pacific never complain of the aircraft’s price tag.

5. Heinkel He 59
   Military aircraft developed in interwar Germany were dishonestly presented as civilian or mailplanes. The He 59 of 1930 was such a devious creation. Its true role (as a naval maritime patrol aircraft capable of torpedo bombing, minelaying and reconnaissance) was concealed. The type fought in the Spanish Civil War and at the beginning of World War II.

Painted white with red crosses like a flying hospital ship, this aircraft was deployed unarmed to French bases for the Battle of Britain. The idea was to work below the big summer dogfights, rescuing valuable airmen from the English Channel and North Sea. Shorter range designs hampered the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. especially as its main fighter, the Messerschmitt Bf 109E, could barely manage a mission of 90 minutes. The Luftwaffe was the first combatant air force of the Second World War to create an air-sea rescue service, the seenotdienst. This formation was initially successful, but it wasn’t long until the Hurricanes and Spitfires came for them with gun buttons dialled to ‘FIRE’ rather than ‘SAFE’.

Controversy erupted in public on both sides over whether or not the Geneva Convention covered the civil-registered Heinkels. Rescue work has a moral as well as a utilitarian dimension, which can be subject to manipulation. The Third Reich’s propaganda machine turned its attention to this matter. Neither Churchill nor the RAF ended up wasting much sympathy on the German floatplanes, pointing out that the He 59s were fair game since they flew in clear and direct support of Luftwaffe aggression. In reality, it was a hard judgement call to make. One He 59 crew proved that even an underpowered biplane can get lucky once in a while by shooting down an attacking Hurricane.

In an emergency could be mistaken for the Gotha UWD.

4. Lockheed HC-130

Any description of an airframe as ‘the finest ever built’ is bound to be met with accusations of hyperbole, but the Lockheed C-130 Hercules has a very strong case for that title.  Excelling in most noncombat roles, and even some combat ones, it was inevitable that the Herc would be adapted for search and rescue.  Its combination of range—a USAF HC-130H set a turboprop distance record flying 8,372.09 miles (14,052.94 km) from Taiwan to Illinois in 1972—and robust build make it an ideal platform for numerous SAR duties, including C5ISR (command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), refuelling of SAR helicopters, and air-dropping supplies to survivors.

The U.S. Coast Guard was the first to order the HC-130, doing so in 1958 as a replacement for the HU-16 Albatross and HC-123 Provider. Since then, the aircraft has proven its mettle repeatedly; a notable example took place in October 1980, when USAF and USCG HC-130s assisted in a joint US-Canadian operation to rescue the 519 passengers and crew of the cruise liner MS Prinsendam after the ship suffered a fire in the engine room off Alaska in the midst of a nearby Arctic typhoon.  The Hercs, together with a Canadian Forces CP-107 Argus, coordinated the helicopter assets and acted as long-distance communications platforms.  For years, USAF HC-130Ps were fitted with the Fulton surface-to-air recovery system; if you’ve seen Thunderball or The Dark Knight, you’ve got an idea of how this system, developed by the CIA, worked.  In addition, HC-130s and their associate HH-60 helicopters from Patrick Air Force Base were on standby for every launch of the Space Shuttle.

And the HC-130 is only getting better.  Both the USAF and USCG are acquiring SAR/CSAR variants of the C-130J Super Hercules, offering higher speeds and service ceilings as well as a 40% increase in range.  The Air Force’s HC-130J Combat King II can provide aerial refueling for both rotary and tiltrotor aircraft, and can be refueled itself by any of the USAF’s turbofan tankers.  The USCG’s Super Hercs feature the Minotaur integrated mission system architecture, offering superior information processing ability and significantly reduced upgrade and maintenance costs.

As a testament to the aircraft’s versatility and overall value, many of the USCG’s retired HC-130Hs, in the process of being replaced by a combination of the HC-130J and HC-27J Spartan, have been transferred to the U.S. Forest Service for use as aerial firefighters.

In an emergency could be mistaken for Shaanxi Y-9.

— Sean Kelly

3. Supermarine Walrus

The Walrus doesn’t look like air is its natural element. It’s an amphibian, but even the wheels look like an afterthought. No, it’s all about water; its star sign is Aquarius.

Is that surprising? It has a bilge pump; it carries an anchor. From its looks, you’d say Reginald Mitchell spent his holidays on the Norfolk Broads and was inspired to graft bi-plane wings and a pusher engine onto a cabin cruiser. It was intended for catapult launch from battleships, so he built it like one. You can loop a Walrus, but first check there’s no seawater in the bilges.

The small bomb load proved enough to sink a U-boat. But just as the Walrus was not quite an airplane, it was not quite a warrior. When the better, faster and meaner came along, it was given over to air-sea rescue. It found its true calling in saving, not killing.

For the half-drowned, who know hypothermia isn’t far off, a Shagbat was a blanket, a thermos of hot tea laced with rum, it was life. And when the weight of ten Americans from a ditched B-17 couldn’t be lifted, the pilot just pointed the bow towards England, and taxied home.

Jane Morton is a coder involved in an East-Anglian start-up technology company, and a sometime snowboard instructor. She likes flying boats and airships, especially British ones

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From the cocaine, blood and flying scarves of World War One dogfighting to the dark arts of modern air combat, here is an enthralling ode to these brutally exciting killing machines.

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2. Airbus CC-295 Kingfisher

The CC-295 embodies the diffusion into commonplace service of things that seemed cutting edge just a few years ago. Everything from advanced sensors, digital communications gear and glass cockpits to composite materials, winglets, and scimitar propellers have found their way onto this Spanish design assembled by Airbus in Seville. The Kingfisher is a recent SAR version for the Royal Canadian Air Force. Entering service this autumn, it replaces elderly examples of the C-130 Hercules and DHC-5 Buffalo. With a coastline five times longer than any other country, Canadians are well aware they need a capable search and rescue aircraft. Though late and expensive, the Kingfisher is just the plane they need.

In an emergency could be mistaken for either of the Alenia C-27 Spartan, EADS HC-144 Ocean Sentry or a Transall C-160.      

1. Consolidated PBY Catalina/Canso/GST

What a thing a PBY is. This aircraft is perfectly situated between the handsome and the pretty. It’s big, too: as long as two F-16s parked nose to tail, and with the same wingspan as a B-17G. That parasol wing was the first on a production aircraft to contain fuel. Small wonder the PBYs could do 10-, 20- and 30-hour flights across oceans and continents. No small feat in the 1930s and 1940s, but almost routine even for prototype PBYs. Size and range make all the difference in this job, and the PBY was a welcome sight to the lost, time and again. During the war at sea, many would have died without the work of the PBY. Not just as an exterminator of the hated U-boat, but also as the machine that rescued those put into the water by enemy action and wartime accidents.

In an emergency could be mistaken for no other aircraft.

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In an emergency could be mistaken for no other aircraft.  

Throughout the Cold War, Britain’s Royal Air Force had military aircraft based in West Germany. For the airmen of RAF Germany the thought that the vast forces of the Warsaw Pact may one day be met in battle was an extremely sobering prospect, not least as it likely meant guaranteed death within a matter of days, if not minutes. We spoke to Ian Black about life in a RAF Germany F-4 Phantom squadron.

What was the Phantom’s role in RAF Germany?

“Well initially the Phantom FGR2 was introduced into RAF Germany as nuclear strike aircraft with 3 Squadrons based At RAF Brüggen,. There was a dedicated Squadron for reconnaissance at RAF Laarbruch who also had a secondary strike role. This lasted til 1976 when the Jaguar replaced the Phantom (rather ironic as it could carry half the weapons over a shorter range but that was the way the RAF worked). Some reorganisation on aircraft types and bases saw the Lightnings at RAF Gütersloh withdrawn and replaced by the F-4s. Moving further back was controversial but it was deemed better the Harriers left Wildenrath and were located on the border and the F-4 Phantoms took over ‘Battle Flight’ (the RAF Germany name for QRA”

“How did local civilians view us? Probably not great…one of our aircraft was shot by a local in the circuit and landed with a bullet hole in the stabilator!”

What was your biggest fear if war had broken out?

“Well… dying! But as I posted on Twitter: a blue-on-blue or being shot down by the NATO short range air defence Hawk/Rapier missile operators who were known to be trigger-happy. I mentioned that the MiG-23/27 was very hard to distinguish from our own Jaguars head-on. In the early 80s the only way we identify a hostile target was visually. To add to the complexity, 75% of the time the weather we flew around in gave us visibility of 5kms or less. You had around 5-10 seconds to get a visual acquisition and decide to squeeze the trigger.The Sparrow had a pretty small window of minimum and maximum range at low level on a head-on target.”

“How did we compare to other Phantoms of the time? At low level we were superior in every respect.”

How long would the Phantom force have likely survived in World War 3? “Good question. Hard to say. We were in the middle of the central region but we only had 22 FGR2 phantoms – two were always on major servicing, that’s 20. I’d say 25% were unserviceable most of the time, so realistically if we had 15 fully serviceable jets on the base that was good going. I guess the UK would have sent out aircraft but to be honest they were stretched as well. So, perhaps two-three days if the Warsaw Pact kept marching forward. You can see the nuclear option might have happened very quickly just to stop the surge.”

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“We were like a pack of marauding wolves hunting our quarry without mercy.”

What was the nastiest threat aircraft you expected to face? “In the Warsaw Pact the MiG-29 which was just coming into service. The MiG-21 would have eaten an F-4 alive in a visual fight but realistically we wouldn’t be seeing a MiG-21 at 250 feet near the Dutch border as it didn’t have the range. Likewise, I don’t think the MiG-23 would have been a big threat to the FGR2.

What was your most memorable flight?

“I loosened my straps and checked our 6 ‘o’ clock . Sidewinders growling, we locked up a German F-104 and took out first shot.”

“Any flight in an FGR2 is memorable but if one sticks in my mind, it would be the ‘Battle of Pehiem Mast’. We had got airborne as a four-ship of FGR2s with the simple code of @ ATAF SOPS in the authorisation sheets. This meant 2 ATAF (2nd Tactical Air Force ) and standard operating procedures. That meant we could intercept and try to engage any aircraft at low level and be legally allowed to perform two 360 degree turns and one reversal. In reality we were cleared for full-up low-level air combat! We would get airborne from Wildenrath, hard turn south away from the Dutch border, and pitch back east and work our way north. All silently. No radio comms. Transiting at 420 knots in Card 4 (in a diamond formation of four like a 4 playing card ) we were like a pack of marauding wolves hunting our quarry without mercy. “

“We flew through LFA 2 and headed to the twin power stations that marked the start of LFA (low flying area 1). LFA was very flat with no hills or high terrain except one 730-foot radio mast in the middle of the area. No, LFA 1 was south of GAF Jever and home to the TLP courses that ran a couple of times a year often with up to 60 aircraft. On this day as we turned north my radar started to show 2 then 4 then 8 then 20 then multiple contacts! I guessed around 40 aircraft all at low level. It was like a Space Invaders game as we put the targets on the nose. My pilot could see the mast and then the mêlée that was going on. It was like some huge Cold War wagon-wheel. We joined in to this mega fight. I loosened my straps and checked our 6 ‘o’ clock . Sidewinders growling, we locked up a German F-104 and took out first shot. I saw F-104s , G91, F-16s F-15s and F-111s all just in one huge daisy chain all trying to get shots on each other. We arrived in the fight in full reheat and started picking people off whilst making some token effort to ensure we didn’t get shot. It probably lasted 10 minutes and we were out of gas – and headed for home. We take nine simulated shots.. 8 missile shots plus some gun film of a lone F-104 trying to turn with the rest. Thats a memory I won’t forget for a long time.”

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How was life in Germany different to life in a UK squadron?
“Clearly we were better as we were on the front line – it was certainly more operational but then we didn’t do live QRA intercepts on the Russians so it wasn’t all kudos. 90% of our flying was low level over land and we didn’t fly at night much . In one three letter word it was more FUN.”

How did local civilians view you?
“Probably not great as one of our aircraft was shot by a local in the circuit and landed with a bullet hole in the stabilator! I guess they tolerated us but not with welcome arms particularly. There was though some pretty passionate enthusiast who kept a good record of our movements.”

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Did war with the Soviets seem likely?
Very. We literally went shopping with our full NBC kit and gas masks in the boot of the car so yes 24/7 we were ready to go – it certainly wasn’t a game.”

Was the Phantom a good aircraft for the role – did it have all the desired equipment?
“Brilliant (though the Tornado F3 would have been as good if not better). We had the best radar in NATO – 30 mile pick-ups on low level targets 8 missiles , two crew and a pretty good RWR as well as an Inertial Navigation system which was jam-proof.”

What was your social life like?
“Tough, as we lived and breathed squadron life 24-7.”

Did any pilot consider themselves the best, if so who – and were they right? “Not at all. Some were average but no one was the best. It was actually quite strange doing a job where there was no real pecking order.”

What was 19 Sqn’s culture like – who did you consider your rivals?
“92 were our rivals in a friendly way – we didn’t mess with the West German Air Force F-4s, but worked closely with the BAF and Dutch F-16s as well as USAFE and CAF guys.”

What did you think of German and US fighter units in Germany?
“The USAFE were good as were the Belgians at the time. When I was there the F-4FGs had pulse-only radar and old missiles so they were not as capable as they ended up”

Tell me something I don’t know about RAFG Phantom life
“I spent three months of my life out of three years on 24 hour alert – and I got four live scrambles. “

How did British Phantoms compare to US and German Phantoms of the time? “At low level we were superior in every respect.”

What should I have asked you?
“Why did I want to be a pilot having flown in the back for three years? Because that’s what I should have done from day one but at the time they wanted back-seaters – but I have no regrets. I loved the ‘luxury’ of being a back-seater and the relative lack of pressure. “

Is it true German pilots had cooler uniforms and clothing?
“Not at all! They wore orange flying suits and looked ridiculous 🙂 The USAF though had cool flight gear and it was always our aim to try and swap flight gear at beer calls but we were only allowed to wear non-standard stuff away from home base like Deci and Cyprus .. quite comical seeing everyone arrive then get their “ party” gear out ! We all stuck to wearing RAF helmets apart from one guy who had a modified US Navy bone-dome but it wasn’t encouraged.”

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The superb French Dassault Mirage F1 was one of the most prolific killers of teen series fighters in the skies of the Middle East. The often over-looked French jet even racked up kills against the best-armed fighter in the world, the seemingly invincible F-14 Tomcat. Kash Ryan shares the story of the F1’s ferocious part in the Iran-Iraq War.

Failing to secure any major contract with top European air forces and failing in their fierce competition against the F-16 in the same decade, the French reached out to, and secured various deals with non-European countries including Libya, Iraq and Morocco.

Iraq had been fighting with Iran since September 1980. Iranian armed forces that had been supplemented with various western arms up until 1979, were head and shoulders above the Iraqis in terms of the quality of their equipment and training. The Iranian Air Force had more than 450 fighter aircraft (F-14, F-4 and F-5) at its disposal and almost all of its aircrew had received their training in the United States or from US advisers and were familiar with western doctrine of war. Whereas the Iraqi side had received mainly Russian or Warsaw pact arms accompanied by poorly trained aircrew and staff who followed the Soviet doctrine of war.

In qualitative edge, Iran was ahead. But all that advantage began to erode when France began supplying Iraq with fighter planes, air defense systems and air warfare doctrine.

Iran’s technological edge in quality of air warfare, and to an extent their edge in air combat was severely eroded with the introduction of the formidable Mirage F1EQ fighter aircraft in Summer of 1981. The Iranian side also suffered from indiscriminate purges of its ranks depriving it of skilled aircrew and mission planners as the war continued.

Moreover the French trained Iraqi pilots showed their mettle against US trained Iranian aviators as the war dragged on in an ever increasingly aggressive manner. Gone were the days that Iraqi pilots relied extensively on GCI commands to engage and fire at Iranian intruders. The French trained fighter pilots of the Iraqi Air Force now confident in their superb training began engaging the Iranian fighters ever more viciously.

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While there are records of prior engagements between Iranian F-14s and Iraqi F1EQ jets circulating among online diaries and books written by veterans of the war, the most known first engagement of the two types occurred 39 years ago this week in the skies over south western Iran.

Based on interviews, books and diaries of the participants, the first huge blow to the Iranian F-14 fleet came on November 24th, 1981 when a pair of F-14 Tomcats were caught by surprise and shot down by Iraqi Mirages in one of the deadliest days for the F-14 fighter fleet. In a pincer attack with a MiG acting as a decoy, the two Mirages downed the two F-14s using hit and run tactics and R.530 medium-ranged missiles. As detailed in our interview with an Iranian Tomcat pilot these losses severely dented the morale of the F-14 force. Something had to be done.

Within 24 hours, the planners at 8th tactical air base in Isfahan AB, Iran got together to plan for their own personal vendetta against the nimble Mirages. A brilliant F-14A instructor pilot Captain F. Javidnia comes up with a plan to teach the Iraqi Mirage fliers a lesson, and to take revenge for the huge losses incurred the previous days.

Captain Javidnia recalls “I spoke with the deputy commander of the air force Colonel Babaei who himself was a capable F-14 pilot. And told him in no uncertain terms that in order to shoot down Mirages on that day, we’d have to clear the skies south west of Iran of any traffic, civil or military. And there has to be absolute radio silence all over the net, and to reduce further risks we will be flying in a single ship F-14 to lure Mirages to our own air space.” Javidnia, now a retied Brigadier General with more than 11 confirmed kills continued: “I was going to engage, and shoot at any object that flew from Iraq into the Iranian air space on that day.” He says: “We set up an oval track at 20,000 feet and just waited. Our radar operators were briefed to click the mic three times to alert us if they saw an approaching intruder at our six o’clock while we were flying west to east.”

Javidnia and his RIO 1st Lt. Khorshidi (later KIA) began their CAP track near Ahvaz in southwestern Iran. The plan was to not get any closer than 20 miles to the intruder, and fire within BVR (beyond visual range) parameters from 20 miles. Two Mirage F1s were vectored from Shiabah air base near Basrah city to intercept what appeared to be a lone clueless F-14 flying aimlessly.

As the two Mirages and the lone F-14 got closer, Javidnia snapped his jet into a quick Split S, and asked Lt. Khorshidi to keep tracking the bogeys on his radar screen. Instead of running back towards an easterly heading at the bottom of the split, Javidnia brought the jet out of dive and rolled back, got a radar lock and immediately fired an AIM-54A Phoenix missile at one of the bogeys hitting it and causing a massive fireball which was seen by troops and observers on the ground.

“The debris from the first Mirage hit the second Mirage forcing him to RTB while trailing smoke and fire in the skies”, Javidnia recalled in a TV interview. The duel between Tomcats and Mirages continued to the very last days of the war.

Mirage F1 fighter-bombers had been purchased to act as long range strike aircraft, and at this role they excelled against Iranian infrastructure, shipping, oil facilities and military installations. Of note, were devastating Iraqi air strikes against Neka thermal power plant in northern Iran at the latter stages of the war, and their long range strikes against Iranian oil platforms across the Persian Gulf in Kharg and Siri islands.

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As Iraqis matured in operating this marvellous aircraft and their confidence grew, their strikes became more lethal. As mentioned above, the Iraqi air force orchestrated two very long-range strike missions. One of these long-range bombing missions was the IRQAF attacking Siri island oil tanker facilities more than 600 miles from Iraqi shores near the Strait of Hormuz on August 12th, 1986. Iraqi Mirage pilots were showing the type of flexibility and aggressiveness that had not been seen before.

The raid against ‘Neka’ thermal power plant on Sept 29th, 1987 was perhaps the longest sortie for the Iraqi fliers in that they had to overfly the enemy territory for more than two hours in complete radio silence while evading Iranian air patrols and air defences, navigating the mountainous terrain and the Caspian Sea to reach their target from the north. This deep penetration strike mimicked the earlier Iranian Phantoms’ long-range strike against H-3 air bases in western Iraq in April 1981 in which 8 F-4E Phantom II jets led by Maj. Baratpour (the mission planner was Col. Fred Izadseta) struck H3 facilities as they refuelled midair in and out of Syrian air space to accomplish their mission.

Mirage F1 fighter-bombers and their French trained pilots performed flawlessly during the war and as ‘USAF Gen. Chuck Horner’ once put it in a TV interview after the first Gulf War “..the Iraqi pilots were no slouches. They pulled off some fantastic missions in the Iran-Iraq war.”

It is however with supreme irony that the very Mirages that hunted Iran’s fighter jets and struck her infrastructure mercilessly would end up taking refuge in Iran in the aftermath of the first Gulf War, and then be put into service with their new host country’s air arm a few years later.

– Kash Ryan

The technology and status of African air forces is underreported in Western media, so in an effort to redress this we will look at the continent’s most deadly combat aircraft. The cliche of African air arms being universally equipped with antiquated, badly maintained fighters is now a myth. 

 African air power is a subject full of surprises and contradictions. In a dramatic reversal of the world of the past, today many of the continent’s air forces are equipped with some of the most potent machines in the world, including the extraordinary Dassault Rafale and updated variants of the Russian heavyweight ‘Flanker’. Though as elsewhere, the air-to-air mission has become rarer, it remains a more pressing consideration than it is for Europe and the US.

What is the best fighter aircraft in Africa?

There are several candidates for this title. In judging this, it is important to look at pilot quality, training and the aircraft’s weapon systems. In determining which warplanes are the most effective in the air-to-air mission we must (for the sake of brevity) put several significant factors aside, but be aware of them. Fighter aircraft operate as part of a system, and require a network of surveillance, C3I and infrastructure. For example the Sudanese MiG-29SEh is a well armed, well-equipped fighter, but Sudan has next to no radar surveillance. A fighter in the defensive role, without the benefits of decent ground radar or AWACS, is severely limited in its effectiveness.

Fighters are complicated machines that require exhaustive overhauls, something very few African nations can do without foreign support (we shall see that there is one very significant example of independent ‘deep overhauls’). This means, that most countries must maintain a good relationship with the nation/s providing spares and technical support, this is something that can be very restrictive, considering the high incidence of wars and sanctions in the region.

One important element in a fighter’s effectiveness is the quality of its electronic warfare (EW) suite. Though most details of this aspect are kept secret, some information is in the public domain. The Swiss air force’s 2008 evaluation report of the Gripen, Rafale and Typhoon was leaked, revealing that the Saab aircraft has ‘strong’ electronic warfare capabilities.

The Block 52 F-16s of the Royal Moroccan Air Force (RMAF) and Egyptian Air Force (EAF) contain very modern equipment, though they are not the highest specification F-16s. Whereas the most advanced F-16s, the Block 60s of the UAE, are fitted with an AESA (the AN/APG-80) radar, RMAF and EAF make do with the capable, but inferior, mechanically scanning APG-68v9. But this will change with the likely advent of the F-16V. Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars are now an entry level technology for a modern air force. Egypt was the first African nation to get membership to the AESA club  with the arrival of its French Rafale fighter-bombers. 

One of the biggest game-changers in African air power has been the appearance of the ‘Flanker’ heavy fighter series on the export market. This has been followed by the appearance of sophisticated Western aircraft. Let’s take a look at the most formidable fighter aircraft in Africa.

 Egyptian Air Force: Lockheed Martin Block 52 F-16/Early F-16/ Dassault Mirage 2000/Dassault Rafale/Sukhoi Su-35/RAC MiG-29M/M2

That the decision to supply Morsi’s new Egypt with advanced F-16s has been the subject of such fierce debate, gives an idea of the capabilities late Block ‘Vipers’ have.

The bulk of Egypt’s fast-jet force is made up of around 200 early F-16s. These aircraft, from Blocks 15/32/40, are excellent dogfighters (and have been subject to upgrades) but are limited in the BVR arena by both weapons and radar types. They are usually employed in the air-to-ground role. Egypt is a very experienced operator of the F-16, having received its first aircraft in the 1980s.

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The F-16s are not armed with AIM-120 AMRAAM (nor will even the Block 52s) but AIM-7P Sparrows (assuming they have not exceeded their shelf lives). This is due to Israeli insistence that Egypt should receive the weapon. Sparrow is a virtually obsolete weapon and puts the aircraft at a large disadvantage against potential threat aircraft like Israel’s AMRAAM armed F-15s and F-16s (RAF Tornado F.Mk 3s, armed with semi-active Skyflash missiles learnt this harsh lesson in exercises against AMRAAM-equipped F-4Fs of the Luftwaffe in the early 1990s, although the RAF did devise some good ’anti-AMRAAM’ tactics) . Another disadvantage is the EAF’s F-16s Within-Visual-Range weapon, the AIM-9M-2, inferior in many respects to both the R-73 and AIM-9X. Egypt’s pilots are highly rated but political upheaval and the shifting new regimes complicated relationship with the US may affect this.

Egypt’s has around twenty active Mirage 2000s (sixteen 2000EMs and four 2000BM two-seat trainers) which have received some upgrades, notably to their ECM suite. They are capable fighters, superior to the F-16s in agility at higher altitudes, and are armed with the modern MICA medium-range missile. 

The EAF has 46 MiG-29M/M2s which are close in standard to the RuAF MiG-35s. It is likely that the US refusal to sell Egypt AMRAAMs may have aided this programme as the MiG-29 is armed with a modern active BVR weapon in the form of the R-77. 

In a move which infuriated the US, Egypt has ordered around 24 Su-35s, the first of which arrived in July or August 2020. This is the most potent heavy fighter ‘Flanker’ in Africa. Egypt’s Su-35s will be a force to be reckoned with. 

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Block 52 Equipment
The EAF’s Block 52s have a decent radar, in the form of the Northrop Grumman APG-68v9, a very capable mechanically-steered radar. Unlike the F-16s of Turkey, Pakistan and Oman which are fitted with the ITT AN/ALQ-211 Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare Systems (AIDEWS), EAF F-16s carry Raytheon’s Advanced Countermeasures Electronic Systems.

Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 52
Radar: APG-68v9 (mechanically scanned)
Armament 20-mm M61 rotary cannon, AIM-9M Sidewinder (WVR), AIM-7P Sparrow (BVR- status unknown)

Mikoyan MiG-29M/M2

Radar: Zhuk-ME

Air-to-air weapons: Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 30-mm cannon, R-73/R-74 WVR missiles. R-27 and R-77 BVR missiles

Sukhoi Su-35

Radar: IRBIS-E

Air-to-air weapons: Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 30-mm cannon, R-73/R-74 WVR missiles. R-27 and R-77 BVR missiles

Mirage 2000EM

Radar: RDM+ (mechanically scanned)
Armament: DEFA 554 30-mm cannon, Magic 550 (WVR), Super 530 (BVR). MICA (BVR)

Egyptian air force: Dassault Rafale 

The first Egyptian Rafale squadron (34 ‘Wild Wolves’) has been fully operational since October 2018. Rafale offers the most potent fighter on the continent in overall capabilities. When Egypt’s Rafales receive their Meteor missiles in the future, they will be able to utterly dominate the African skies (though in the Middle East may not enjoy the same advantages over Israeli F-35s).

Radar: RBE 2 AESA
Air-to-air weapons: 30-mm GIAT cannon. WVR/BVR AAM weapon: MICA (Meteor in future)

Ethiopian air force Sukhoi Su-27

In the war with Eritrea, Ethiopian Flankers shot down four MiG-29s establishing the ‘Flanker’s fearsome reputation. The most potent asset in the Ethiopian air force is its Sukhoi ‘Flanker’ force. This consists of twelve single-seat Su-27s, and a pair of Su-27UBs.

In a very significant move, Ethiopia developed the first local in-depth overhauls for the Su-27. Only Russia/Ukraine and China previously had such a capability. It means the ETAF is now self sufficient (provided they have enough spares) in terms of its fighter fleet, something few African countries can say. After overhaul, the aircraft are now getting a new splinter camouflage scheme.

Morale in the Ethiopian pilots is a big issue. Training in Belarus and Israel gave access to excellent training, but also gave Ethiopian crews unhappy with the regime, a chance to escape (eight pilots allegedly defected in Belarus). For the lucky ones this meant refuge to Europe, but at least four pilots were less fortunate and were sentenced to death. It is uncertain whether these sentences were carried out. Some of these defections were of the most experienced ‘Flanker’ pilots, including the veteran Captain Teshome Tenkolu. If experienced crews had been kept, Ethiopia would have one of the most seasoned ‘Flanker’ pilot cadres.
The shootdown in 1999 of an Eritrean MiG-29 by an EAF Su-27 was notable as the first kill by the Su-27 and the first jet-versus-jet by a female pilot (named in some reports as Capt. Aster Tolossa), though some dispute the veracity of this claim. According to several accounts, R-27s had a far lower Probability of Kill rate than R-73s during the fighting.

Nigerian Air Force CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder Block II 

Since 1971, China and Nigerian have enjoyed a cordial relationship, and though it has been a little rocky as of late, the nations still have very strong ties. So it is unsurprising that the Nigerian Air Force opted for the largely Chinese partly-Pakistani JF-17 as its primary fighter-bomber. Not least because it has a long history with Chinese aircraft in the form of the F-7. The JF-17 is not in full service yet as only three have been ordered, and were first publicly seen in Nigerian colours in Pakistan in November 2020.

They will be similar in standard to those for Myanmar, standard JF-17 Block II but with certain systems – like the EJ-seat – replaced with foreign systems.

The JF-17 may lack the raw airframe performance of other modern fighters but boasts an excellent digitalised cockpit, reliability and potent BVR missiles. If JF-17s are ordered in greater numbers they will significantly improve Nigeria’s fighter force from its current small and obsolete force of eight J-7s.

CAC/PAC JF-17 Thunder Block II 
Radar: Chinese KLJ-7V2 X-band multi-functional PD radar
Air-to-air weapons: 1 × 23 mm GSh-23-2 twin-barrel cannon, PL-12/SD-10,  PL-5E and PL-9C

Royal Moroccan Air Force: Lockheed Martin Block 52 F-16

Morocco enjoys a good relationship with the United States granting it access to advanced military equipment. In August 2011, the MAF received the last of 24 Block 52+ F-16s. Morocco’s F-16s are probably the best armed fighters in Africa, equipped with both the AIM-9X and AIM-120 (though most publicly released photos show the aircraft without any weapons). The F-16s are intended to counter Algeria’s force of 28 Su-30MKAs. In 2019 it approval was given for Morocco to receive 25 F-16C/D Block 72s and upgrades of its existing 23 F‑16s to the F‑16V block 52+ standard.

Lockheed Martin Block 52+ F-16
Radar: AN/APG-68(V)9
Air-to-air weapons: 20-mm M61 rotary cannon, AIM-9X Sidewinder, AIM-

Algerian Air Force (QJJ): Sukhoi Su-30MKAs (similar to MKM spec)

Algeria has been investing heavily in its air force and is becoming one of the continents most formidable air arms. Algeria ordered twenty eight Su-30MKAs in May 2006, which have now all been delivered. These were then joined by sixteen additional aircraft of the same type, which replaced an order for MiG-29s which were returned due to being sub-standard quality.

The Su-30MKA is a very potent aircraft. The Algerian Su-30s are well-armed, with both R-73 (Within-Visual-Range Infra Red guided missiles) and fire-and-forget R-77 (Beyond-Visual-Range radar-guided missiles). This gave Algeria the first fire-and-forget air-to-air missile in the region (the first in all of Africa were Sudan’s MiG-29SEhs), an edge it maintained until the Royal Moroccan Air Force fielded its operational AMRAAM capability. Not only is the Algerian fighter force well equipped, it is manned by well-trained crews, many with combat experience. The aircraft are fitted with Thrust Vectoring Control (TVC), which when carefully used against inexperienced crews can greatly increase combat effectiveness in the merge. There was some controversy in Algeria, when it was revealed, despite earlier reports to the contrary; that the Su-30MKAs are alleged to contain some Israeli equipment (it is unlikely that is the jamming systems used on Indian air force Su-30MKIs).
Algeria’s Su-30s are long-ranged and available in sufficient numbers for a decent state of readiness, and the crews of good quality. It is fair to say, that they are in many ways, they are among the most potent fighters in Africa, being surpassed only by Egypt’s Su-30s and Rafale.

Algeria ordered a force 14 MiG-29Ms of the same standard as those of Egypt. There are indications that some aircraft have already arrived despite the recency of the order.

Sukhoi Su-30MKA
Radar: NIIP N011M BARS Passive Electronically Scanning Array
Air-to-air weapons: Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 30-mm cannon, R-73 missiles, R-77 missiles

Uganda People’s Defence Force: Sukhoi Su-30MK2

The elite fighter force of Uganda is 6-8 Sukhoi Su-30MK2s. The aircraft were delivered in 2011. Morale was reported as low, with pilots leaving the air force due to the very low rate of pay. These aircraft are not fitted with Thrust Vector Control.

Sukhoi Su-30MK2
Radar: NIIP N011M BARS Passive Electronically Scanning Array
Air-to-air weapons: Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 30-mm cannon, R-73 missiles, R-27 Missiles, R-77 (probably) missiles

Angolan air force FAPA: Sukhoi Su-27
Another ‘Flanker’ operator is Angola. Scant information is available about Angola’s Su-27, which were purchased second-hand from the Belarus. Angola previously had had only two Su-27S and one Su-27UB. An additional Angolan Su-27 crashed in 2000, falsely reported lost to a UNITA SAM. The aircraft may have been piloted by Ukrainian mercenary pilot Igor Valenchenko.
Angolan ‘Flanker’s have at times been based at Catumbela airport, Lubango. Achieving a constant state of readiness with such a small fleet size proved impossible and so more Flankers were ordered. Angola’s 12 Su-30s started life with the Indian Air Force as Su-30Ks (an interim variant without thrust vector control, something these particular aircraft still lack). Following a period of storage and an upgrade in Belarus they were sent to Angola, the last arriving in 2019. With new jamming equipment, R-77 compatibility and the potential to use anti-shipping missiles they are said to be of Su-30SM standard.

Sukhoi Su-27
Radar: Phazotron N001 Zhuk mechanically scanned radar
Air-to-air weapons: Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 30-mm cannon, R-73 and R-27 missiles (status unknown)

Sudanese air force: MiG-29SEh

South African Air Force: Saab Gripen C/D

The Gripen is probably the world’s best light fighter. South African Gripens are well equipped, notably featuring the Cobra Helmet Mounted Display/ Cueing system. This, combined with IRIS-T missiles (again a world-class system), and the Gripen’s small size and agility, make the type the finest fighter in the merge in Africa. The lack of a Beyond Visual Range (BVR) weapon would make SAAF Gripens vulnerable to any fighter so equipped. This may not be cause for concern, as few air forces in Africa have fighters with a high-level BVR capability, and certainly no countries bordering South African do.

When Saab conceptualised the Gripen in the late 1970s it is unlikely that they considered the type’s performance in the role of policing rhinoceros poaching, but the little Swedish fighter has been doing just that. Gripens are patrolling the area near Zimbabwe border using their Rafael Litening III targeting pods to scan the area at night and direct rangers to any poachers’ camps.

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Noteworthy at least 12 of the aircraft were put into long-term storage in 2013 because of severe budget cuts. but since then it is believed that all SAAF Gripens are flying.

The SAAF has excellent training equipment, notably the upgraded Pilatus PC-7 Mk II and the superb BAE Systems Hawk Mk 120. However, budgetary constraints have limited pilot flying time, though the SAAF hope to increase this to 180 hours a year (this compares with 240 hours for RAF fast jet pilots). In a first, SAAF Gripens took part in an international training exercise in 2012. Exercise Lion Effort, which was held at the F17 Blekinge Wing in Ronneby, Sweden, gave the chance the SAAF the chance to learn and share operating techniques with the Gripen community. The SAAF currently has 26 Gripen C/Ds.

Saab JAS 39C/D Gripen
Radar: PS-05/A mechanically scanned radar
Air-to-air weapons: BK 27-mm Mauser cannon. IRIS- T (normally two), A-Darter. No BVR weapon.

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Sudanese MiG-29

The Sudanese air force (SAF) has the Russian-made MiG-29SEh. The twelve aircraft, ten single-seaters and two MiG-29UB twin-seaters (some sources suggest as many as 24) were ordered from the Russian Federation in 2002 and were delivered in 2003-2004. The aircraft are well armed with R-73 and R-77 missiles, but operate in a nation lacking wide-scale radar coverage. The aircraft cannot provide comprehensive air cover of Sudan, considering the country’s large size and are instead reserved for the defence of Khartoum.

The delivery of the fighters to Sudan was greeted with alarm by the US, who condemned the sale. Sudanese MiG-29SEh are well armed and fitted with a mediocre radar. It is alleged that Sudan has used mercenary pilots, possibly of Russian origin to fly its MiG-29s. South Sudan claimed they downed one during the 2012 border war, during which Sudanese MiG-29s performed bombing missions. The South Sudanese air force offers no real opposition for the SAF, as one source based in the region said to AFM:
“..they had nine Mi-17 helicopters, all of which are unarmed
transports, although one was badly damaged by enemy action in Likuangole and is still there and another in a storm when they forgot to tie down the rotors. Other than that they use private planes for transport. Rumours abound that they were looking to purchase fighter jets, however with the state of the economy this is unlikely to be in the near future.”

MiG-29SEh
Radar: Phazotron N019ME
Weapons: Air-to-air weapons: Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 30-mm cannon, R-73 and R-27 and R-77 missiles.

Eritrean Air Force: Sukhoi Su-27 ‘Flankers’

In order to counter Ethiopia’s ‘Flanker’s during the 1998-2000 war, Eritrea ordered some of their own, though they did not get a chance to use them before the war ended in 2000. It is believed that Eritrean MiG-29s (some of which were reportedly flown by Ukrainian pilot instructors) were totally outclassed by Ethiopia’s Su-27s (some reportedly flown by Russian pilots), which by some accounts performed very well (some reports claim ‘Flanker’s downed four ‘Fulcrums’. Eritrea has two single-seat and a pair of two-seat ‘Flankers’.

Sukhoi Su-27
Radar: Phazotron N001 Zhuk mechanically scanned radar
Air-to-air weapons: Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-301 30-mm cannon, R-73 short-range IR missiles and R-27 BVR semi-active radar-guided missiles

Air Commodore Paul Godfrey of the RAF swapped his seat in a Harrier to become the the first non- USAF pilot to fly the F-16CJ ‘Wild Weasel’. We talked to him about flying and fighting in the Viper tasked with killing enemy air defences.

How did you get to fly an F-16?
“I was incredibly lucky to get selected for an exchange tour with the USAF. I was due to be going to the Block 40 F-16 at Hill AFB in Utah, but a slot came up on the Block 50 (Wild Weasel) at Shaw AFB when I was going through my conversion at Luke AFB, Arizona. I ended up being the first non-US pilot to fly the Block 50 F-16CJ, based on the 55th Fighter Sqn at Shaw AFB, South Carolina.”

How did it differ from the type you were flying before?
“I was flying the Harrier GR7 prior to going to the US, so it was an enormous difference, both in performance and role. The Harrier was a ground attack aircraft, but in the F-16 we were Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground and Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD). It was a huge step up and an incredibly steep learning curve.”

First impressions? “I loved it. The view is amazing and it is such an agile and flexible aircraft. The side stick was very natural and the HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick – essentially the buttons to control all of the avionics) is probably the best I have ever used. I was also incredibly excited to be able to use afterburner for the first time in my career…a proper kick in the backside!”

How would you rate the cockpit for the following:

Ergonomics
“7/10. Everything you need is right in front of you and you can
control almost everything from the HOTAS. The ‘switchology’ is incredibly natural and exactly the same for any weapon you are carrying regardless of role. As an example, to select an air to air missile in an air to air mode was only a single switch selection on the throttle even if you were in an air to ground or SEAD mode. It would be a 10/10, but the displays were a little small. The Block 60 has upgraded them and I’m sure that is close to perfect…”

Pilot’s view
“Amazing. 10/10. There is nothing like that bubble canopy for a view in a fighter. Note there is no canopy arch as designed in to most other fighters in the world – primarily for strength to allow the windscreen to be beefed up. I felt like I was sat on top of the world.”

Comfort
“5/10. There is a common misconception that the angled ejection seat aids comfort in the Viper. I guess it is subjective, but I found I was always sitting forward into a more upright position and it caused a strain on the lower back. I had to roll up my helmet bag and use it as a lumbar support most of the time. The angle of the seat was good in long transits though – it came into its own when you sat back and enjoyed the best view on (or off) the planet. The plus side of no centre stick was the room in front of you. For a smallish cockpit it actually felt very roomy.”

Instrumentation

“7/10. As mentioned, I thought the screens were a little small, but this was a space limitation. The Harrier had a better navigation system (in terms of numbers of waypoints and maps) and the Viper had quite a small data input panel. The HUD was not huge, but this was offset by the use of the JHMCS helmet mounted sighting system that was introduced. Unfortunately that was brought in after I left.”

You have flown both the Typhoon and F-16: which would
you take to war and why? 

“That is a very difficult question as you are asking me to chose my favourite out of the kids! The Viper was like a sports car; you strapped it on, had an amazing view and it cornered really well. The Typhoon is like a Viper on steroids though; a souped-up special edition sports car with way more power and an amazing sound system. If I had to chose, I would take the Typhoon. The power and agility is above that of the F-16 and in a combat scenario, speed and altitude are always sought after advantages. The more modern systems in the Typhoon would also give me an edge.”

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Typhoon versus F-16: In WVR which aircraft would have the advantage and why? “I have flown Basic Fighter Manoeuvres (BFM – dogfighting) against a Viper several times in a Typhoon. The Typhoon generally comes off best due to its raw power. Even at slow speed you can plug the burners in and go up. The F-16 was sometimes a little tricky to get speed back if you had dumped it in a manoeuvre. However, a well-fought F-16 is definitely a formidable opponent. One additional Typhoon advantage is the world class anti G system, which allows you to pressure breath, whilst also using an anti G suit and anti G pressure vest which both inflate to help you stay conscious at high G. F-16s, whilst they have an anti G suit and a system called Combat Edge (an inflatable vest), you are working very hard to stay awake.”

..and in a long range BVR set-up. 
“Typhoon would have the advantage as the radar is more powerful and you can get higher and faster (which increases your weapons’ ranges).”

Which set-ups and altitudes would the F-16 favour?
“The F-16 is a small aircraft which is difficult to see head on. So a longer range set that has the Viper pointing at you would give them an advantage. ‘Lose sight, lose the fight’ as the saying goes. Both are good ‘rate’ fighters (using their rate of turn to essentially eat up the distance between the aircraft), but the modern off-boresight missiles (ASRAAM on the Typhoon and AIM-9X on the Viper) takes away a lot of advantage.

It used to be that you had to get behind someone to shoot them, but not anymore. You have to be aware of a fleeting shot from any position, which means you have to be ready with the chaff and flares and know what your next manoeuvre will be.”

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How would the F-16 pilot fight?
“What is known as a 2-circle rate fight. If you were starting head on, in a Viper I would look to lead turn just prior to the ‘merge’ (when we cross), in order to gain angles. I would then pull 9G to get to my best rate speed and try and get the nose back on. But again, the modern air to air missile allows all sorts of shots…you only need one good one.”

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Who would you put your money on? 
“As much as I loved the Viper, my money would be on the Typhoon.

What is the best thing about the F-16?
“The view and HOTAS.”
….and the worst? 
“The angle of the seat!”

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How would you rate the F-16 in the following areas: 
Instantaneous turn rates 
“Excellent.”
Sustained turn rates
“Excellent.”
Weapons platform 
“Excellent.”
Acceleration 
“Very good.”
Top speed
“Excellent.”
Take-off characteristics
“Easy – put the power up, take the brakes off and pull back on
the stick.”

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Landing characteristics 
“Easy-ish. An F-16 is very straightforward to land, but not easy to land well. The wing is amazing and she always wants to fly, so a mistimed flare can result in a bounce (always embarrassing when a flight of aircraft are waiting to take off at the end of the runway and grading you), and when you are aerodynamic braking (holding the nose off to slow down), there is a danger of accidentally holding the air brake override and scraping the air brakes on the runway. It doesn’t happen often, but it has been done.”
Climb rate “Very Good.”
Range
“Very good for its size.”

Sensors 
“Very Good. The ability to put other sensors on (Sniper, Harm Targeting System) gives it flexibility. I think an AESA-equipped Viper would be formidable.”

What’s the biggest myth about the F-16? 
‘The seat was raked 30 degrees to increase G-tolerance. This is incorrect. It was the only way they could fit the seat in there without re-designing the canopy and the canopy is part of the ‘lifting body’ design, which means that the canopy and fuselage generate lift along with the wings.”

What should I have asked you?
“How does the US flight equipment compare with the UK’s?”

Describe your most memorable flight in an F-16?
“I was participating in Operation Southern Watch in Iraq during
9/11. We came back to the USA in October 2001 and the US was still launching several Combat Air Patrols a day over large US cities. I volunteered to fly a CAP on Thanksgiving in November 2001 to allow a US pilot to spend it with his family. I led a flight of two and took off before sunrise to fly up to Washington DC, where our CAP was located. We established in an orbit over the top of DC as the sun came up.”