以色列F-4战机在赎罪日战争中与朝鲜米格机作战

 以色列F-4战机在赎罪日战争中与朝鲜米格机作战

David Cenciotti, The Aviationist Jun 25, 2013, 10:09 PM

即使麦道F-4是为了满足美国海军保护其航空母舰的需要而研制的截击机，但 "幻影 "II的最终版本是美国空军的F-4E，这是一种多角色战斗机，也被卖给了世界上一些空军。接受F-4E的国家之一是以色列，它在1969年购买了第一批F-4E，后来将 "幻影 "作为其空中力量的支柱，在所有主要的阿拉伯-以色列冲突中使用F-4。

1973年，在赎罪日战争期间，以色列空军发现自己面对的是一个阿拉伯空军联盟，该联盟不仅有埃及和叙利亚的战斗机中队，还有来自阿尔及利亚、伊拉克、利比亚和......朝鲜的部队，他们在Bir Arida部署了一个米格-21中队以保护埃及的南部。

显然，在当时，以色列空军飞行员并不知道他们将面对的一些米格机来自朝鲜。然而，朝鲜飞行员和以色列飞行员之间的第一次交战发生在1973年10月6日，当时69和119中队的两架F-4 Kurnass（大锤）从拉马特戴维空军基地升空，在苏伊士湾地区上空巡逻。

这两个中队的F-4战机被组合在一起，69中队（其机组人员由第一架飞机上的沙德米和古尔以及另一架飞机上的施皮策和奥弗组成）领导这次任务。

经过长时间的巡逻，当喷气机的燃料已经不足时，F-4战斗机才被引向埃及的西北部：虽然在20,000到25,000英尺的高空，古尔还是用雷达探测到下面有一对匪徒，非常难以锁定。多亏了GCI（地面控制拦截），机组人员可以跟踪这两架敌机并进入AIM-7射击范围，尽管地面杂乱无章。但是由于天气不好，他们无法看到他们的僚机，所以沙德米和古尔决定不给麻雀号吃午饭。

仅仅几秒钟后，两架F-4的机组人员就发现这两个匪徒是几架米格-21，并立即与他们交战：其中一架米格机消失了，而另一架鱼床则留下来进行1VS2的战斗。朝鲜的飞行员非常出色，尽管它独自面对两架库纳斯（加上飞在头顶上的两架119中队的F-4），他还是试图减缓狗斗的速度。但两架以色列战斗机保持高速，他们进入了导弹发射位置，沙德米和古尔发射了一架AIM-9D。一秒钟后，他们又发射了一枚 "侧卫"，紧接着什皮策和奥弗从另一架库尔纳斯发射了第三枚AIM-9D。

所有的导弹都在离米格机很近的地方爆炸了，但是MiG-21继续飞行。此时，以色列 "库纳斯 "飞机的燃料已经不足，他们转向东面回家。古尔看着米格机，当它转向西边时，他注意到鱼床留下了白色的烟迹。突然在F-4战斗机越过海岸线后，古尔看到了防空导弹的踪迹，然后在20000英尺处发生了爆炸，之前那里是米格-21。埃及人击落了他们的一架飞机!

飞行员们在战争结束后才知道，这架米格-21属于朝鲜，而在库尔纳斯号降落后，沙德米和古尔与施皮策和奥弗尔分享了这次杀戮，因为他们得到了米格机坠落的通知。但机组人员说出了他们所看到的情况，事实上后来以色列空军情报部门证实，埃及防空部队击落了他们的一架MiG-21。

Israeli F-4s Actually Fought North Korean MiGs During the Yom Kippur War

David Cenciotti, The Aviationist Jun 25, 2013, 10:09 PM

Even if the McDonnell Douglas F-4 was developed as interceptor in response to the need of the U.S. Navy to protect their aircraft carrier, the ultimate version of the Phantom II was the USAF F-4E, a multi role fighter which was also sold to several air forces around the world. One of the countries to receive the F-4E was Israel that bought the first examples in 1969 and later made the Phantom the mainstay of its Air Power bringing the F-4 in all the major Arab-Israeli conflicts.

In 1973, during the Yom Kippur War, the Israeli Air force (IAF) found itself facing an Arab Air Forces coalition which was composed not only by Egyptian and Syrian fighter squadrons, but also by units from Algeria, Iraq, Libya and … North Korea, that deployed a MiG-21 squadron to Bir Arida to protect Egypt’s south.

Obviously, at the time, IAF pilots didn’t know that some of the MiGs they would face were from North Korea. However the first engagement between North Korean pilots and Israeli pilots took place on Oct. 6, 1973 when two F-4 Kurnass (Sledgehammer) pairs from 69 and 119 Squadrons were scrambled from Ramat David Air Base for a patrol over the Gulf of Suez sector.

The F-4s of the two squadrons were teamed together and the 69 pair (which had their crews formed by Shadmi and Gur on board the first aircraft and Shpitzer and Ofer on the other one) leading the mission.

It was only after a long patrol, when the jets were already low on fuel, that the F-4s were vectored towards Egypt’s west-northwest: although the high altitude, between 20,000 and 25,000 feet, Gur was able to detect with its radar a pair of bandits down below, very hard to lock. Thanks to the GCI (Ground Control Intercept) the crews could track the two enemy aircraft and enter in the range for an AIM-7 shot, despite the ground clutter. But due to the bad weather they were unable to see their wingman, so Shadmi and Gur decided not to lunch the Sparrow.

Just few seconds later the two F-4s’ crews identified the two bandits as a couple of MiG-21s and immediately engaged them: one of the MiG disappeared, while the other Fishbed stayed for a 1 vs 2 combat. The North Korean pilot was very good and, despite the fact it was alone against the two Kurnass (plus the two 119 Squadron F-4s which were flying overhead), he tried to slow the speed of the dogfight. But the two Israeli fighters maintained high speed, they got into missiles launch position and Shadmi and Gur launched an AIM-9D. After a second, they launched another Sidewinder which was followed by a third AIM-9D launched by Shpitzer and Ofer from the other Kurnass.

All the missiles exploded very close to the MiG, but the Fishbed continued flying. At this point, the Israeli Kurnass were already low on fuel and they turned east heading home. Gur looked at the MiG and while it turned west, he noticed the Fishbed was leaving a white smoke trail. Suddenly after the F-4s crossed the coastline, Gur saw the trail of a SAM and then an explosion at 20,000 feet, where before there was the MiG-21: Egyptians shot down one of their aircraft!

The pilots knew only when the war ended that the MiG-21 belonged to North Korea, while after the Kurnass landed, Shadmi and Gur shared the kill with Shpitzer and Ofer because they were notified that the MiG had crashed. But the crews told what they saw and in fact later it was confirmed by the IAF Intelligence that the Egyptian Air Defense Force shot down one of their Fishbeds.