Israeli fighter pilots gained a low opinion of the professional competence of their Soviet counterparts, at least as of six years ago. when outnumbered Israeli jets downed five Soviet MIG-21s in a dogfight over the Gulf of Suez during the height of the war of attrition with Egypt. They found the Russians poorly trained and clumsy in combat.
The first report of the encounter, by one of the Israeli pilots who participated in it. was published today in the Air Force magazine. The pilot was not identified by name. His opinions were shared by other Israeli pilots and senior Air Force officers.
The clash between Israeli Phantoms and Mirages and Soviet MIGs occurred on July 30, 1970 when the Soviet piloted jets, then part of Egypt’s air defenses, chased Israeli reconnaissance planes returning from a mission over Egypt. The Soviets had 10 or more planes in the air against six Israeli fighters, the pilot recalled. Within minutes, three of the MIGs were shot down.
The pilot, who shot down the fourth one, said in his story that although his Soviet adversary was in a superior combat position at the outset, he did not know how to utilize his advantage. “I do not know what the Russian guy thought. What became apparent to me is that he was inexperienced and was not aware of the basic moves in such circumstances,” the pilot wrote. After the Russian “did two things that are simply not done.” the Israeli brought him down with an air-to-air missile.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
