The Egyptian Air Force numbers 896 combat and training planes including the world’s fastest fighter and the world’s largest helicopter supplied by the Soviet Union, according to the Israel Army magazine, Bamachane. The magazine also published details of Egypt’s ground and naval strength, all based on figures published by Western sources, it said. The number of Soviet-made combat planes in the Air Force is 407 which includes 220 new MIG-21s, 120 Sukhoi-11 bombers, about 25 TU-16 bombers and some 30 Illushin-28 bombers.
The Egyptian Air Force also has 12 MIG-23s, a fighter plane said by Western sources to outrun and out climb any other, including the American F-4 Phantom jets in the Israel Air Force. The giant Soviet helicopter is the ME-8. The Egyptian Air Force has 133 helicopters though not all are of this type, Bamachane said, Egyptian ground forces number a half million men under arms divided into 10 divisions, five of which are infantry, three mobile and two armored.
The armored corps consists of over 2,000 tanks of the T-55 and T-54 type, 1,000 T-34s, 160 amphibious tanks and 900 armored troop carriers. Egypt’s artillery consists of thousands of places including the 152, 155 and 203 mm, field guns. The latter fires a 100 kg shell a distance of nearly 30 miles. The Israeli Army magazine said Egypt’s Navy has eight destroyers, four frigates, two corvettes, 20 missile boats, 45 torpedo boats, 16 submarines, six mine-sweepers and 24 amphibious craft. Only a small part of the fleet is in the Red Sea.
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