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27.11.2001 09:32:28
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Современность; ВВС;
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MiGs put American pilots to the test at Nellis
MiGs put American pilots to the test at Nellis
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by SSgt. Jim Bianchi
Nellis AFB, Nev.
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The skies above Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., were filled with the roar of MiG-29 Fulcrums as German aircrews battled U.S. pilots in the air-to-air arena for a Red Flag exercise June 23 to July 24.
Nellis' 53rd Wing's 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron hosted 110 members of the 1st Squadron, Laage, Germany. Aircrews from the 422nd and the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., participated with the Germans in tactics development and evaluation to teach U.S. pilots how to fly, fight and win against the MiG-29.
The MiGs flew offensive counter air missions against a variety of aircraft including F-15s, F-16s and A-10s, said Maj. Jay Paulus, 422nd test director. The primary mission of the Fulcrum aircrews was to test weapons and tactics of the test and evaluation pilots and give them some real world air-to-air experience.
The German aircrews and their seven Fulcrum aircraft flew a high sortie rate, as many as six flights per day, said Paulus. Aircrews and maintenance people swapped out with fresh crews from Germany midway through the exercise.
"The best thing about this is we got to fly against an aircraft we would probably see in combat," Paulus said. "The Fulcrum is a very respectable air-to-air adversary, particularly in the dogfight arena due to its excellent maneuverability.
"It also employs the lethal combination of a helmet mounted sight and latest Russian-designed and built heat seeking missile," Paulus continued. "Often, U.S. Air Force fighters enjoy a long range advantage over the MiG, but we have to use the element of surprise and max perform our aircraft and systems to avoid detection and prevail in a short range, visual dogfight."
The MiG-29 has a few advantages over its more electronically advanced American counterparts, said German Lt. Col. Johann Köck, 73rd Fighter Wing Operations Group commander. Based on his 10 years of experience flying the Fulcrum, he believes the real difference in a dogfight would come down to who is the better pilot.
"At about 40 miles apart, the American planes have the advantage (because of avionics.) At 10 miles the advantage is turning to the MiG," Köck said. "At five miles out, because of the MiG weapons sight and better maneuverability, the advantage is mine."
The weapons sight is a helmet-mounted system that allows the missile to follow the line of sight of the pilot's helmet. "Where you look is where it goes," Köck said.
Coming from central Europe and then an exercise in Cold Lake Canada, the German maintenance crews had only one obstacle that couldn't be easily overcome -- the Nellis heat.
"It never gets above 30 degrees (87 degrees Fahrenheit) at home," said Capt. Ralf Leonhardt, 73rd FW. "First day here it was over 45 degrees (113 degrees Fahrenheit)!"
"The pace of work here is faster," Leonhardt said. "It's good to see how the American Air Force works. We've learned a lot and the support from the 422nd is excellent. They've made all the arrangements for us here. It's been perfect."
"We are just glad to be here," Köck said. "This is a great opportunity for us to fly with our NATO partners, and it's great that we can help the Americans to test out new equipment and tactics against our aircraft. There really is no bad part about being here."
http://www.aerotechnews.com/starc/2000/080100/GErman_Migs.html