The Official F-15 Strike Eagle Handbook

by Richard Sheffield

Mission 2: Yom Kippur War, 1973

Scenario: In October 1973, hostilities between Egypt and Israel again reached the boiling point. On 6 October 1973, Egyptian tanks crossed the Suez Canal. At the same time, 100 Syrian tanks moved into the Golan Heights area of Israel. During the Yom Kippur War, many large-scale air battles were fought between Israeli F-4 Phantoms and Syrian and Egyptian MiG-21s and MiG-17s. The Israeli Air Force (IAF) estimated a kill ratio of about 40 to 1. The Israeli F-4s downed 164 Egyptian aircraft in air combat while losing four. On the Syrian front, meanwhile, three Israeli jets were lost while destroying 95 Syrian aircraft.

Tactics: Take advantage of the limited capabilities of the Egyptian SA-7 SAMs. Flying above 32,000 feet puts you out of SAM range; using afterburners lets you outrun any air resistance on the way in.

Go toward the primary target at high altitude and high speed, pass over the target, and begin your descent. Turn back toward the target, approach at 2000-3000 feet, drop as many bombs as possible in your single run, and continue on toward the base at high speed and altitude.

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