— The guidance navigator leads me to enemy targets, there is a group of eight cruise missiles on the course, — says the F-16 pilot. I approach the appropriate distance, I see interference it means that the missiles have their own EW the so-called "individual EW protection means". The sight in the F-s is quite powerful, if the target is already in the sight, then even under the influence of EW it will not disappear from the radar of the onboard radar. I flew up to a distance convenient for work, captured the targets again, launched the missiles one by one and… hit both targets were destroyed!
Under the wings of the F-16, the Ukrainian pilot has only four air-to-air missiles: medium and short-range. The first to be used were missiles with a longer range, then the pilot had to get closer to about two miles to use short-range missiles...
— I flew up to the second pair, captured the missiles, saw that they were also "littered with Russian EW", but that didn't help them much. The first launch the target was shot down, the second too! There was no limit to joy, because I saw all the hits on enemy missiles with my own eyes! There was still some fuel left in the outboard tanks, and the combat work continues… The guidance navigator gives me the command to go to the duty zone in order to let my brother-in-arms on the Su-27 work on the targets.
The pilot fulfilled the command from the control point he moved to the designated area. But another enemy target appeared on his course, which was obviously moving towards the capital. "Why not?" thought the pilot and reported to the "ground" about his readiness to work. But with what?! Only a rapid-fire aircraft gun remained from the armament on his F-16! The pilot began to approach the target...
— I understood that there were not many chances to hit a missile flying at a speed of 650 km+, says the pilot, first you need to find it in the sky, level up in height and, from a distance of no more than 500 meters, fire ahead of the curve. And it is extremely dangerous to fly closer in the event of detonation of a warhead of 450 kg, there is a great risk for the aircraft, at least to fly into a cloud of fragments.
The pilot understood this, he knew how dangerous it was, how he was risking his life, and how to act correctly in this situation, because not so long ago he underwent retraining on the F-16 in the United States of America.
But there is one "but" in the USA, pilots learned to shoot down air targets with an aircraft gun exclusively on simulators. In real flight, Ukrainian F-16 pilots have never used a cannon against missiles. And here he used it, and how he used it…
— At first I looked for the target below nothing. Then he gained altitude, raised the radar and saw it. I did everything as the instructors in the USA taught me, as I practiced on the simulator. A few bursts from the cannon and an explosion… then another one! Repeated detonation… I thought, but, as it turned out according to the results of objective control, there were two missiles! They flew in a "rack", next to each other. The enemy often launches them in such a tactical configuration, a whole group of enemy missiles can fly close to each other so that the enemy sees them as one target. Well, actually, that day I probably set a record. However, the main thing is the result! I am glad that I succeeded, I dedicate this success to all the brothers-in-arms who went on an eternal flight, and did not wait for the F-16 in the Ukrainian sky.
So what's the bottom line?!
According to the results of objective control, we have one hundred percent confirmation of the fact that for the first time in history, an American F-16 fighter jet shoots down six cruise missiles in an air battle, two of them with an aircraft gun. And a Ukrainian does it!
The pilot is landing… The hero is greeted with applause and ovations at the airfield: these are fellow pilots and technicians who prepare the planes for departure. The leadership of the Air Force at the control points did not hide their emotions either. The Americans overseas were also pleasantly surprised when they learned how their wards work.
Yes, we would like to get more powerful modifications of "Efoks" with more powerful radars and long-range missiles, because it is quite difficult to compete alone in air battles with technological Russian aircraft. Today, young Ukrainian pilots prove every day that they are the best, whether in the cockpit of a Soviet or an American fighter!
Just imagine what a formidable deterrent force in the center of Europe the battle-hardened Ukrainian pilots will be when, say, F-35s enter the arsenal of the Air Force!
© Yuriy Ignat
www.verkkouutiset.fi
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