Phantom vs. MiG: a standoff in the Vietnamese sky
The war in the skies of Vietnam has become one of the most dramatic and large-scale airstrikes after 1945. It began as a partisan movement in the 1957 year, but from 1964 to 1975, it acquired the features of a full-scale armed conflict. From two opposing sides, various types of aircraft took part in it. But at the same time, the main air confrontation broke out between the two types of aircraft. Moreover, the outcome of the battles between these war machines was determined by the course of the war itself.
The main American force was the Phantom II F-4 fighter. This is a heavy twin-engined two-engine aircraft with a normal take-off mass of more than 20 t, which was built in the 1958 year. It was originally created to provide air defense for US aircraft carrier formations. By the beginning of the 1960-ies, this aerial machine managed to win several world speed records, and was the most popular American combat aircraft. Among the advantages of the "Phantom" it is necessary to note the flight characteristics that were outstanding for that time: the fighter could reach speeds of the order of 2260 km / h, climb to a height of 16,5-17,9 km, while the range without outboard tanks was 2380 km. In addition, the aircraft was installed fairly powerful surveillance and sighting on-board radar, all-weather all-round medium-range guided missiles AIM-7 Sparrow (4 missiles), and short-range missiles AIM-9 "Siduinder" class "air-to-air" ( 4 units).
The US Air Force entered the war with the F-4B deck-mounted fighter aircraft, and later the F-4J deck-mounted modernized aircraft were also involved in the conflict. Also, the US military was in service with the F-4C fighter jets, which during the war were supplemented with improved F-4D aircraft. And at the end of the war, the United States Air Force received the most advanced version of the fighter - the “Phantom” F-4E.
The main rival of the American "Phantom" during the Vietnam War was the front-line fighter MiG-21, which appeared in the middle of the 1950-s. It was developed by the Design Bureau of Gurevich and Mikoyan. The Soviet aircraft was designed to conduct operations over the front line at a slight distance from the base, and belonged to a completely different weight category. Its take-off normal mass was up to 8 t, and the maximum flight range did not exceed 1500 km. At the same time, according to other technical and flight characteristics, the MiG was not inferior to the American car. Its maximum speed reached 2175-2300 km / h with a maximum height of 18-19 km. The armament of the MiG-21 was also weaker than the American one: two, and later four medium-range P-3 air-to-air missiles with an infrared homing system (a kind of American Sidewinder AIM-9), and an 23 caliber gun or 30 mm.
Thus, it is quite obvious that these two combat aircraft are completely different, and they were created to solve completely different tasks.
The first phase of the American war aviation inflicted massive blows from the air. At that time, “Phantoms” were entrusted with a large number of different tasks: they not only guarded bombers as fighters, but also delivered direct attacks on enemy positions. F-4B marine aircraft were mainly used to provide escort for carrier-based attack aircraft - Skyhawks and Skyraders, as well as to protect the American air defense system from possible attacks by Chinese and Vietnamese aircraft.
Before the arrival of the Soviet military, it was American fighters who undoubtedly owned the airspace of Vietnam. The Vietnamese Air Force was much less prepared and armed. They were armed with Chinese copies of Soviet MiG-17 (25 subsonic fighters), several Soviet MiG-15 and IL-28 bombers, so there was no need to talk about any serious air confrontation. At the same time, thanks to the Soviet and Chinese specialists, the Vietnamese pilots managed to get a unique tactic of air combat.
Thus, the MiG-17 went at a very low altitude and were not available for detection by the American air defense system. When the enemy appeared, they, due to their maneuverability and lightness, simply emerged from under the American fighters and shot them. And even with the considerable numerical superiority of American combat vehicles, this tactic yielded quite good results, as American aircraft began to suffer significant losses.
The first meeting in the air of the American "Phantoms" and the Vietnamese MiG-17 took place on 2 on April 1965 of the year, but the collision was unsuccessful. The first real battle between opponents took place in a week. According to the Americans, their fighter was attacked by four Vietnamese MiGs. One MiG was shot down by a rocket, but another Vietnamese plane shot down an American car, causing the US Air Force crew to die. According to the Vietnam version, eight American F-4Bs invaded the airspace above the territorial waters of the PRC. It is quite possible to assume that the Americans deliberately provoked the Chinese side to take decisive actions in order to “put them in place” and force them to be more careful in their support for Vietnam. But, despite the fact that the Americans managed to damage one of the MiGs, another Phantom mistakenly fired a missile at F-4B, sending it to the bottom of the bay.
Such aerial battles occurred quite often. On May 12, one Mig-17 was shot down; on June 10, three “Phantoms” were attacked, 4 on June; 17 MiGs shot down two F-4Bs; 4C shot down two MiG-4.
Those American air vehicles that were used for tracking were loaded with bombs. At the same time, Vietnamese aircraft preferred to stay at low altitude, where they were invisible to American airborne radar. With the sudden attack of the "Phantoms", the Vietnamese pilots forced them to throw off the bomb load, and then shot at a short distance from the guns. Often, American fighters did not have time to enter into confrontation with MiGs, due to the fact that they were at a much higher altitude. All this forced the American pilots to change tactics: they reduced the cover groups to low altitudes, where they found enemy fighters without problems, and thanks to higher speed, they overtook him and hit them with missiles. Sometimes the advantage passed to the Vietnamese pilots, who at high speed approached the enemy at a distance of less than 1 km, where the American Phantoms with their missile weapons were helpless.
Soon the Americans improved their tactics again: several of their fighters took up close combat, while others quickly gained altitude and attacked MiGs with rockets. The Vietnamese lost 6 fighters in such battles, and were forced to move on to the previously proven tactics of one-time ambush attacks.
Such aerial confrontations in the future have become quite commonplace. But until the MiG-21 appeared and the massive use of the C-75 anti-aircraft missile systems began, the American fighters felt quite free in the sky of Vietnam, not taking MiG-17 as serious rivals.
The MiG-17 was largely inferior to the American "Phantoms" in maneuverability and speed, so an active battle could only lead a very short time. In this regard, the Soviet leadership decided to transfer supersonic MiG-21 to Vietnam in 21PF-B and 21F-13 versions. These fighters were able to fight in any weather conditions, were equipped with P-3C missiles and a radar sight. Thus, since February 1966, the main opponents of the American “Phantoms” have become the MiG-21.
The American command still had high hopes for the F-4 fighter jets, being sure that the perfect on-board radar, powerful armaments, as well as high acceleration and speed characteristics together with new tactical techniques will ensure superiority over the enemy. However, during clashes with lighter enemy fighters, the US air force suffered defeat after defeat. In May-December alone, 1966 of the year during the air battles, American aircraft lost 47 aircraft, destroying the entire 12 of the enemy's combat vehicles. A big load on the wing and much smaller angular speeds of reversal of the Phantoms, restrictions on permissible angles of attack, operational overload and worse controllability of the American fighter had an effect. In addition, among the shortcomings of the "Phantom" were unsatisfactory corkscrew characteristics. There was a significant risk of falling into a flat spin, from which the pilot of average qualification practically could not get out. Only until 1971, because of this feature, the US Air Force lost about 80 aircraft.
Also, the American airborne radar, on the one hand, had a greater detection and capture range, but on the other hand, it had low immunity from interference. There were too many instruments and switches in the cab. Among the advantages of the American fighter, it is necessary to note good acceleration characteristics (up to speed 600-1100 km / h it accelerated in 20 seconds, while MiG-21PF - in 27 seconds), better view from the cockpit, high climb rate, the presence of the second crew member, tracked the situation and time warned of the danger.
There were flaws in the MiG-21. He had a rather short range radar sight (10-12 km), he needed more time to complete the on-board radar, there was insufficient view from the cockpit, and the target mark on the indicator in the cockpit was poorly perceived. To switch the weapon mode, the pilot needed to remove one hand from the control levers of the aircraft. The engine under certain modes of operation is very much smoked, which allowed the enemy to detect it effortlessly at a distance of 30 km.
The first battle between the F-4 and the MiG-21 took place at the end of April 1966, but it was inconclusive. Three days later, an American fighter shot down a MiG.
As a rule, MiG-21 carried out attacks at supersonic speeds, launching missiles and quickly moving away. Such tactics demanded high qualification of ground-guidance officers and pilots, and the Americans could not resist it. In addition, practiced and joint actions of the MiG-17 and MiG-21.
It should be noted that after the appearance of new MiGs, the American command began to attract the Phantoms quite extensively to escort strike aircraft, and to abandon the equipment of escort aircraft with bomb armaments.
In 1967, the US military was able to somewhat improve the tactical and flight training of pilots. The structure of the combat squadrons of the Air Force began to arrive upgraded aircraft F-4D. Due to the qualitative strengthening of US fighter aircraft, Vietnamese pilots managed to shoot down all 15 American aircraft. But over time, Vietnamese aviation again increased its effectiveness, and in the first half of 1968, it already destroyed the 25 of enemy combat vehicles.
In total, from April 1965 to November 1968, the X-NUMX of the F-27 Phantom and the 4 MiG-20 aircraft were shot down.
In May 1968, negotiations began between the opposing sides, resulting in the cessation of the bombing. This pause gave both sides the opportunity to qualitatively strengthen their fighter groups. The F-4E, which had improved maneuvering characteristics, a new airborne radar station and built-in cannon armament, began to come into service with American aircraft. US aircraft carriers also received upgraded F-4J carrier-based fighter jets. At the same time, the Soviet Union handed over to the Vietnamese Air Force MiG-21PMF fighters equipped with a GP-9 cannon container, and a little later, MiG-21MFL and MiG-212ShF airplanes with an integrated GSH-23 gun. In addition, the Vietnamese aviation was replenished by the Chinese allies, who provided Vietnam with an 44 fighter-copy of the MiG-19.
The Americans, who were previously convinced that it was impossible to achieve superiority over their rival in a short time, concentrated their main efforts on improving the skills of their pilots. Special courses were organized during which air battles with squadrons of Northrop F-5 fighters, simulating MiG-21, were practiced. And in June 1971, the United States resumed raids on Vietnam.
In the spring of 1972, the Vietnamese troops launched a massive and fairly successful offensive in the south, which forced the Americans to intensify the bombing in the north to influence the Paris talks. The composition of US aviation was increased to thousands of combat aircraft, followed by a large-scale air operation "Freedom Train". The result was the infliction of more than 40 powerful, well-planned bomb strikes. At the same time, the clashes between the MiGs and the “Phantoms” practically ceased.
In the summer of the same year, the intensity of the battles began to decline, and the air battles became sporadic.
Thus, the result of the air offensive, which was undertaken by the US Air Force in the spring and summer of 1972, was a significant reduction in combat vehicles on both sides. The American side is left with only 360 tactical fighters of the Air Force and 96 fighters of the Navy, and the Vietnamese troops have only 187 MIG fighters of various modifications, and the entire 71 machine was in working condition.
In December, 1972, the Americans attempted to conduct the last large-scale air operation, "Linebacker-2", to incline the course of negotiations in Paris to their side. During the operation, it was planned to inflict massive strikes on Vietnamese military facilities and destroy the infrastructure. But the operation failed. In nearly two weeks of the operation, 7 of American fighters were destroyed, including the Phantom 4, and the entire 3 MiG-21.
In total, during the year between opponents, 1972 air combat took place between 200, as a result of which the Vietnamese fighter was shot down, including 54 - MiG-36, and 21 of American planes, of which 90 - "Phantoms".
At the end of January 1973, the United States of America announced the withdrawal of its troops from the territory of Vietnam, admitting in fact its defeat in the war.
It should be noted that the rivalry between the American Phantoms and the MiG-21 in the skies of Vietnam ended with the defeat of the American fighter. Over the entire period of the war, the American pilots managed to shoot down the entire 54 of the MiG-21 aircraft, and the “twenty first” in the same time managed to destroy more than the 100 “Phantoms”. Moreover, the loss of the American car, as a rule, was accompanied by the death of crew members, and the fighter itself cost the American people a significant amount, which was several times the cost of the MiG.
The Vietnam War had a great influence on the military aircraft industry not only in the Soviet Union, but also in the United States of America. The Americans reacted quite sharply to the defeat of their fighter, and set about creating the highly maneuverable fourth-generation fighter, the F-15 Eagle and F-16, Freed Fighter, which were supposed to surpass the MiGs in a maneuverable battle. At the same time, the F-4 aircraft influenced the minds of Soviet, and later Russian, aviation theoreticians, which was reflected in the improvement of third-generation fighter jets.
And in general, the experience of the Vietnam War went to the benefit of the USSR. All defense enterprises and design offices were loaded with work.
In recognition of the Vietnamese, Soviet and even American pilots, the MiG-21 was the best aircraft during the Vietnam War. Some experts are even convinced that if the MiG-21 had not appeared in service with Vietnamese aviation, the Americans would have won the war.
After the end of the Vietnam War, the Phantom and MiG-21 fighters again and again met in air combat. This happened over the Suez Canal, and over Sinai, over Syria and the Nile Delta, in Lebanon, as well as during the Iran-Iraq conflict.
MiG-21 itself became the basis for nearly two dozen modifications. Later it was used in numerous conflicts around the world and became one of the most widespread. Only in service with the Soviet army was 14 thousands of air combat vehicles.
MiG-21 was adopted in the 49 countries of the world and took a worthy place in stories modern aviation.
Materials used:
http://tvzvezda.ru/news/forces/content/201412290841-ghti.htm
http://aviastory.com.ua/ru/avyacyja-v-voennh-dejstvyjah/37/832-litak-mig-21-proty-f-4-qfantomq-u-vjetnamskij-vijni
http://alternathistory.org.ua/migi-protiv-fantomov
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