By the time of the tense end of the Cold War in the late 1980s, the Russian MiG-29 emerged as a symbol of the communist threat to NATO air superiority in Western Europe. Every American pilot was trained to fight this Soviet aircraft. And now, there was a prospect of meeting them in the air and making an outrageous air battle a reality.
In America, millions of dollars and an uncountable amount of specialist labor were spent on modeling the likely flight characteristics of the MiG-29 and its tactics using combat training units such as Top Gun and Red Flag. Global reconnaissance assets provided American squadrons with detailed information on the MiG-29s. These data were used to develop tactics against the MiG-29 and its notorious R-73 Archer heat-guided missile.
The R-37 Archer aerial combat missile is being deployed using a fantastic helmet-mounted sight, which will soon be installed on Western fighters. The all-aspect launch capability, together with incomplete data on the effectiveness of the MiG-29's pulse-Doppler radar, further strengthened the legend of its lethality.
FA-18C in service with the MiG-29, a few years ago this could not even be imagined
However, the long existence of the MiG-29 in the menacing darkness behind the Iron Curtain came to an end in November 1989 after the fall of the Berlin Wall. During its leadership of the Warsaw Pact countries, the USSR armed several communist East German bases with more than 100 MiG-29s. With the spread of democracy, culminating with the unification of Germany, the Russian MiG-29s, along with hundreds of MiG-21s and Su-22s, joined the Luftwaffe.
For the first time, the NATO Air Force received a legal opportunity to study the MiG-29 in detail and determine its characteristics, which until that time Western experts could only guess. After the complete unification of the Luftwaffe, the MiG-29 squadrons now consisted of German pilots, trained by both the Soviet Union and the United States, who, just a year ago, pitted against each other, defending their divided homeland. It's a bizarre paradox, rich in contradictions, but it continues to provide unimaginable insights into what was once one of America's most enticing mysteries during the Cold War: the capabilities of Soviet forward air power.
Wing to wing over Germany
In the years following NATO's acquisition of these now friendly MiG-29 squadrons, much of the secrets surrounding the aircraft was dispelled. However, much of what has been learned is just raw technical data. Since data alone cannot fully acquaint pilots with the combat capabilities of the enemy, NATO units of the Luftwaffe MiG-29 were increasingly used in training air battles with US Air Force aircraft stationed abroad.
During such exercises, the planes flew against each other, as it would be in a real battle. Over the course of several weeks, various courses of action were worked out. During these battles, in which only real missiles and shells were not launched, invaluable experience was gained.
JG 73 has four combat training MiG-29UB
The 82nd VFA was the first and only squadron of the US Navy to take part in such exercises. In September 1998, the Marauders, as the squadron is called, arrived at the former GDR fighter base in Laage, two hours from Berlin on the Baltic coast.
VFA-82 made a non-stop flight from NAS Cecil Field to Jacksonville, Florida, made possible only by mid-air refueling from tankers based at McGuire AFB.
In one swift throw, nine of the last Boeing F / A-18 Hornets and 98 sailors, along with thousands of pounds of spare parts, safely covered 6,900 km to Laage. Warmly greeted by the commander of the 1st squadron of the 73rd wing of the Luftwaffe, Major Tom Hahn Marauders, quickly set up a parking lot next to their German masters. After 24 hours, pre-flight briefings were carried out and soon the first assignments began.
Cold War Relic - Reinforced Airplane Shelters
Up to ten flights a day were split into three waves. This almost combat rate of sorties was held for two weeks, testing the endurance and endurance of the flight personnel.
The red and blue designations representing the attacking and defending sides were alternated between naval and Luftwaffe pilots to provide an opportunity to demonstrate the full range of flight and tactical characteristics of each aircraft. The pilots often deviated from the type of actions prescribed by the script and changed roles. However, in most cases, American pilots were amazed at the magnitude of the off-boresite launch demonstrated by the P-73 with its helmet-mounted target designation system.
Several comparative demonstration flights were carried out, in which MiG-29s and Hornets took part. On most missions, the Luftwaffe pilots spoke between themselves and the ground controller in Russian or German in order to prevent American pilots from intercepting their communications and giving them an unfair advantage. After two weeks of intense flights, the findings were examined by both sides; much of this is classified. However, such significant meetings are planned not only to achieve strategic and tactical goals, but also for a two-way cultural exchange, which also took place. By juxtaposing their former adversaries, both the Germans and their American counterparts found a universal commonality shared by all fighter pilots, a love of flying and camaraderie. Today, watching these highly skilled pilots work together, it's hard to imagine that only a few years ago, they were preparing to kill each other.
Battles with MiGs
From the perspective of Lieutenant Joe Guerrein from VFA-18
Four MiGs awaiting next flight to Laage
After returning from a trip in April 1998, VFA-82, under the command of Greg Nosal, decided to take advantage of the training turnaround in order to get a better training opportunity for aerial combat and ground attack. They trained until July 1998 at Langley AFB, VA, honing their aerial combat skills against F-15s from the 1st Fighter Wing. In August, the Marouders practiced aerial attacks in Puerto Rico. Upon their return, the focus was again on aerial combat, as the Marouders wanted to be better prepared for combat training with German MiG-29s in the heart of former East Germany.
The Marouders flew in eight of their FA-18Cs and borrowed one two-seater Hornet from the VFA-106 so that they could fly with German pilots. At dusk on September 4, 1998, two US Air Force KC-10 tankers, escorted by nine FA-18Cs, departed Florida for a ten-hour raid across the Atlantic. It took 10 refueling to reach the east coast. After separating from the tankers, the Marouders became the first US Navy squadron to land at Laage in Germany.
The helmet-mounted sight of the MiG-29 pilot controls his best weapon - the R-73 Archer air-to-air missile.
The first thing that caught my eye after arriving at the airbase was that it was fortified much stronger than the western ones and had soil-covered hangars for MiGs that were left from the Cold War era. When the pilots got off the planes, they were warmly greeted by their German counterparts and invited to a party in their honor, where there was great food, drinks and warm conversations. The Marouders who arrived on Friday had the weekend ahead of them to acclimatize to the new time zone and to explore the city of Rostock, however, all the pilots were thinking about the upcoming battles with real MiG-29s.
On September 7, the first duel between Migs and Hornets took place. All pilots were anxiously awaiting the results of the first fights with MiGs. One by one, the pilots returning from the mission were surrounded by a crowd of comrades, asking what they saw, what they did, which techniques worked, which did not. Even the technicians asked the pilots if they won or not? A few days later, maneuvers began with the participation of mixed groups of aircraft: MiGs and Phantoms. The Luftwaffe pilots were very easy to work with. They speak very good English and are very well trained. The Marouders focused on improving tactics and trying to find new tactics for dealing with MiGs. For the most part, the MiG's capabilities were as good as expected and it was a good way to learn how to counter them in future battles.
1st Squadron, 73rd Fighter Wing
Luftwaffe (Jagdgeschwader 73).
The Marouders also had the opportunity to get to know Europe better. All of the officers and many of the privates were in Berlin over the weekend and visited historic sites. The rest of the staff stayed in Rostock, which is proud of its restaurants and shops.
The technical team of the Marouders did everything to keep the aircraft in technical condition away from home. With 18, on average, departures per day, the maintenance staff worked hard to solve all the problems, from minor ones to replacing the engine. All pilots understand that without the VFA-82 maintenance crew, this exercise could never have taken place. Also, the Marouders cannot express enough gratitude to the technical staff of the MiG-29 and F-4 squadrons, who put a lot of effort and effort into helping their American counterparts.
But it all ended too quickly and the Marouders had to pack their things and set off on their way back home. And so, on September 18, 1998, VFA-82s spent the night in Mildenhall, England, made another throw across the ocean. The benefits in terms of international cooperation from this visit, moral and tactical lessons were immense. The Marodeurs are confident that the lessons learned in Germany will help them prepare for any future conflict involving the MiG-29.
Our afterword
D. Sribny
The Luftwaffe is armed with the first MiG-29s (Fulcrum-A) of the late 70s and early 80s. The FA-18C is the last modification of this aircraft from the late 1980s. According to the characteristics of the onboard equipment, the FA-18C surpasses the MiG-29, but in terms of the flight characteristics of the MiG-29, in turn, it looks better than its opponent. Despite the fact that the MiG of this modification is 10 years older than the FA-18C, it turned out to be a difficult contender for the American fighter.
Unfortunately, in this article, the author does not provide any specific data on the results of training battles, but from some comments it is clear that the MiG-29 apparently had an advantage in fights with the FA-18C.
For some clarification of the picture, I will give just one quote from the collection "Farnborough International 98" (Collection of the Society of British Aerospace Companies SBAC, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Farnborough air show), page 81: "It was a big shock for the Western Air Force when the F-16, armed SIDEWINDER missiles (AIM-9M - DS) were compared in tests (apparently in the same Germany - DS) with the MiG-29 armed with the R-73. Of 50 fights against the R-73, AIM-9M won only one Short-range training battles between the F-15 with the AIM-9M and the MiG-29 with the helmet-mounted sight and the P-73 showed that the Mig can engage targets in airspace 30 times larger than the F-15."
In conclusion, I present the comparative characteristics of the MiG-29 and FA-18C. Characteristics taken from Military Aircraft, Airlife, England, 1994.
<table Fulcrum-A
<td flight
<td x Klimov RD-33 at 8300 kgf at afterburner
<td x F404-GE-402 at 7980 kgf at afterburner
<td (with LDPE)
<td m
<td (fighter)
<td (fighter)
<td (shock)
<td (shock)
<td km / h (2.3M)
<td km / h (1.8M)
<td km without PTB
<td km - combat radius
<td 30mm GSh-301 cannon with 150 rounds
<td 20mm M61A1 cannon with 570 rounds
<td kg
<td kg
<td R-73, R-27
<td AIM-7, AIM-9
<td Tracking up to 10 targets, one firing channel. Air target detection range - 100 km.
<td digital pulse-Doppler radar AN / APG-65 (73). Tracking up to 10 targets, mapping mode.
