Soviet military pilots, who entered into an air battle with Israeli fighters, lost 5 aircraft without shooting down a single enemy aircraft.

For forty years now, legends have been circulating about this battle. 100 Soviet aces. 50 deadly MiG-21 interceptors of the best modification of the MF for that period. The Russian "legion of death", urgently deployed to the Middle East, was supposed to radically change the balance of power in the air.

Youth and anger. The desire to fight to the last drop of blood - as bequeathed by the fathers who took Berlin. Motherland will provide you with the best equipment and teach you all the necessary skills of a fighter pilot. Squad of winners. Thunderstorm of the air ocean.

Prepare for this fight. For the decisive battle, the best of the best were selected - the 135th Fighter Aviation Regiment of the USSR Air Force, which underwent special training at training grounds in the southern regions of the USSR. While the Soviet "falcons" cut turns over the Crimea and the Caspian Sea, trying to tail each other, the Israelis swallowed the blood of the "war of attrition" and studied, studied, studied, practicing their own air combat techniques.

Only old men go into battle - the best Soviet pilots against Amos Amir, Asher Snir, Abraham Shalmon and Avi Gilad. Only this four aces had more than 20 air victories in total. The command of the Israeli Air Force rightly believed that there was no second such link in the world, equal in quality of training and abilities to the detachment of "air killers" under the command of Amos Amir.
Two teams of professionals. Two scorpions locked in one vessel. Only one must remain alive. Bolivar can't take two.

Ahead is a painful unknown. With a shield or on a shield. Soldiers-internationalists, our country has given you a great honor - the right to represent the interests of the Soviet Union in the region of the Middle East conflict. I have no right to order. Volunteers have gathered here. Please do everything right there and come back alive.
Leaving the room, he added in a stern voice: “Keep in mind, comrades: if you are shot down behind the Suez Canal line, we don’t know you, get out yourself ...” (from the memoirs of the pilots about the meeting with the USSR Minister of Defense A. Grechko)

Secret mission in one of the most dangerous hotspots on the planet. On the wings and keel - identification marks of the Egyptian Air Force. In the forward part of the fuselage there is a tactical number, drawn in fancy Arabic script. The personnel of the unit, all pilots and technicians - “ana khabir rusi” (translated “I am a Russian specialist”). MiGs were based at the Kom-Aushim, Beni-Suef, Janaklis airbases, and the advanced airfield in Katamiye was periodically used.

The all-seeing intelligence Mossad has already reported the arrival of the Russians. These are not ordinary instructors, these people came here to fight. There was a brief confusion on the other side of the Suez Canal: A direct threat to the existence of the State of Israel? But what about neutrality? How justified is shooting at aircraft with Russian crews? Will this be the spark of the Great War?
"No, we must fight," Prime Minister Golda Meir took the initiative - "when necessary, immediately join the fight."

They carefully prepared for the general duel - from the first half of April 1970, weekly meetings between Russians and Israelis began. Alas, every time, the opponents dispersed in different directions, never daring to fight. Israeli pilots carefully observed the behavior of their potential opponents, tracked all their maneuvers and formation patterns during sorties, and studied the manner of controlling Soviet fighters.

I saw the Mirage - do not turn into a turn!

Our pilots are looking at the enemy with no less interest. Here it is! Literally a couple of tens of meters away, the fat-bellied carcass of the Phantom glides to the side. A double American-made fighter is simply a giant - 20 tons of continuous speed and fire - against 8 tons of the maximum takeoff weight of the MiG! McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom suspensions are littered with multiple air-to-air cruise missiles, two engines, a sophisticated on-board electronics suite. An extremely dangerous enemy.

F-4E Phantom II Israeli Air Force

And here - flashed the arrow-shaped silhouette of the Mirage. The graceful French fighter poses almost a greater danger than the American "monster" - the load on the wing of the Mirage is less than that of the MiG - it is risky for our fighters to engage in close combat with such a nimble enemy. The final touch to the portrait of the Dassault Mirage III is two built-in 30 mm DEFA aircraft cannons.

Instead of a deadly and senseless "carousel" with French cars, Soviet pilots were advised to "keep their distance" using their trump card - the large thrust-to-weight ratio of the MiG-21. The main thing here is the position at the beginning of the battle and a portion of sharp, energetic maneuvers that allow you to save energy, constantly remaining in a more advantageous position.

How did the legendary MiG-21 look like against the backdrop of an armada of modern foreign technology? A small, light, swift interceptor - the MiG did not have super-powerful radars, long-range AIM-7 Sparrow missiles and impressive sighting and navigation equipment - the combat capabilities of the aircraft were determined solely by the talent of the pilot. In general, the fighter was easy to operate, fast and reliable, and its excellent flight performance allowed an experienced pilot to "sweep" any air enemy from the skies.

... By June 1970, Soviet pilots made about 100 sorties to intercept intruders in the sky of Egypt, alas, every time Israeli aircraft refused to join the battle - if there was the slightest danger of a military collision, the enemy immediately went deep into their territory. The game of hide-and-seek continued until June 25, 1970 - on that day a pair of Soviet MiGs (pilots Krapivin and Salnik) secretly crossed the line of Skyhawk attack aircraft - one of the R-3 homing missiles fired by MiGs hit the engine of an aircraft with a "Star of David" on the fuselage . However, the tenacious Skyhawk managed to stabilize the flight and, smoking with a twisted nozzle, disappeared into the sky beyond the Suez Canal.

The intoxicating taste of victory demanded an immediate continuation - an ambush on the Israeli Mirages was planned for June 27: Egyptian MiG-17s launched a provocative strike on Israeli positions on the eastern side of the canal - then, according to the plan, a Mirage link was supposed to rise to intercept the impudent MiGs . Egyptian planes, used as bait, will lure them into their territory, where three groups of MiGs with Soviet crews will enter the battle. Further, the enemy will simply be smeared in the air.

The plan didn't work. Apparently sensing something was wrong, the Israelis refused to rise to intercept. Having ironed out the Israeli stronghold, the Egyptian planes calmly returned to their airfields. The accident happened in the evening of the same day. The Egyptians repeated the blow - this time four Mirages fell out of the red-hot haze of the Sinai air. They managed to lure them to Egyptian territory, however ... there are no Russian fighters anywhere! The disgusting interaction between the Russian and Egyptian command did not allow the interceptors to be raised in time. The Israelis shot, as in exercises, two MiG-17s and with impunity withdrew beyond the canal line. The beating of the Egyptian MiGs was observed by four "Russian" MiG-21s, however, the ground command post forbade them to engage in battle until the arrival of two other units.

On July 30, a general battle was given. That battle, which has been awaited for so long and for which they have been preparing so intensely. In a number of Russian sources, this event takes place under the designation "Battle over El Sokhna." Official Israeli name: Operation Rimon-20.

For 40 years, this story has acquired such an incredible amount of myths and legends that it is almost impossible to establish the exact details, nature and chronicle of the brutal air battle between the Soviet Air Force and Hel Haavir (Israel Defense Forces Air Force) that took place on July 30, 1970. The only thing that can be said with some degree of certainty is: the approximate composition of the forces, the names of some participants and, most importantly, its tragic results - on that day, several MiGs with Soviet crews were indeed shot down. As a result of air combat, the following died:

Zhuravlev Vladimir Alexandrovich - captain, senior pilot. He was awarded (posthumously) the Order of the Red Banner and the Egyptian Order of the Star of Military Valor.

Yurchenko Nikolai Petrovich - captain, flight commander. He was awarded (posthumously) the Order of the Red Banner and the Egyptian Order of the Star of Military Valor.

Yakovlev Evgeny Gerasimovich - captain, flight commander. He was awarded (posthumously) the Order of the Red Banner and the Egyptian Order of the Star of Military Valor.

One thing is absolutely clear - it was an organized ambush by the Israeli Air Force (that's what it is called - Operation Rimon-20). But how did it happen that the Soviet pilots were trapped? And why couldn't they get out of it?

There are many answers. According to Israel's jingoistic version, twenty Soviet MiG-21s pounced on a "defenseless" pair of reconnaissance Mirages (bait). Alas, to their surprise, the Russians found four close-flying fighters in front of them, so that only 2 marks were displayed on the screens of the Egyptian ground-based radars. Realizing that this was some kind of set-up, the Russians twitched and SUDDENLY found themselves surrounded by 12 more Israeli Air Force aircraft.

20 MiGs against 16 Phantoms and Mirages. As a result, experienced Israeli fighters shot five Soviet aces like partridges, and, without losing a single aircraft, returned to their airfields. That night, a feast was buzzing at the air bases of Hal Haavir - happy pilots drank away their bonuses for the Russians they killed ... Happy ending!

The version is vulgar and, of course, very far from the truth. For example, one of the noteworthy versions from the Ukrainian researcher V. Babich is as follows:

There was no 20 vs 16 fight in sight. On that day, there were several battles spaced apart in time and space - and each time the MiGs fought with the enemy many times superior in strength - when one Soviet four entered the battle, the other four MiGs were already leaving the battle with a critical balance of fuel. The Israelis calculated everything and were able to achieve a concentration of forces in the right place and at the right time.

Captain Yurchenko was the first to be shot down - his MiG exploded in the air from a Sidewinder missile. A few minutes later, captains Yakovlev and Syrkin had to eject - alas, upon landing, captain Yakovlev fell into a crevice and crashed to death (there is a version that the dome of his parachute was burned by a jet stream of a fighter flying nearby).

It is still not known exactly how Captain Zhuravlev died - according to eyewitnesses, he fought alone against four enemy aircraft until he was shot down by a stray Mirage cannon burst. There is an opinion that two Israeli pilots Ifta Spektor and Avraham Salmon almost became its victims, having barely reached the territory of Israel in damaged cars.

Explosion of the Mirage

The Mirage of the Israeli ace Asher Snir also received heavy damage - the R-13 rocket fired at close range damaged the aircraft, but the warhead of the small R-13 was too small to stop the Mirage's flight - Asher Snir left the battle and urgently sat down at the air base Refadim (his combat colleague Amos Amir writes about this in his book Fire in the Sky).

Yurchenko - shot down, killed; Yakovlev - shot down, killed; Syrkin - shot down, survived; Zhuravlev - shot down, killed.
But what about the fifth downed Russian plane? And he disappeared! Nothing is known about the downed plane and its pilot.

According to rumors, the Israelis managed to shoot down Captain Kamenev's plane, but there is no evidence of this. In addition, Captain Kamenev himself subsequently continued to serve in the USSR Air Force. Rumors, rumors... sometimes they say that one of the MiGs made an emergency landing at one of the Egyptian airfields. Nobody knows what really happened.

At the same time, there are testimonies of witnesses, according to which, after the battle, Israeli search and rescue helicopters were circling over the battlefield - did the "indestructible" Hal Haavir suffer any losses? Not excluded. Many Mirages from 101, 117 and 119 squadrons, as well as Phantom multirole fighters from 69 squadron of the Israeli Air Force took part in the operation. There is a high probability that the fact of the loss of one (or several) vehicles was carefully hidden, and the results of the battle were falsified.

Without resorting to dubious conspiracy theories, the following reliable facts can be established:
As a result of the battle on 07/30/1970, 4 MiG-21s were shot down, while three Soviet pilots died.
Reliable losses of the Israeli Air Force - the lined Mirage by Asher Snir, which landed at the Refadim airbase.

After battle

Sad and instructive story. Not at all wanting to “rig the facts” (we shot down not us, but we them!) or “find the guilty” (there were more of them! It’s not fair), I note that the Israeli pilots really had a number of serious advantages.

1. The Israeli Air Force had the opportunity to thoroughly study the MiG-21 fighter.
On August 15, 1966, Iraqi pilot Munir Redfa hijacked a MiG-21 to Israel (Operation Penicillin). The plane was carefully studied, disassembled and even flown - the Israelis got a complete picture of the design, combat capabilities and secrets of the Soviet fighter. Soviet pilots, alas, did not have such an opportunity - acquaintance with the enemy "Mirages" and "Phantoms" took place directly in an air battle.

2. The Israelis used the latest tactics - excellent organization of the battle, the use of electronic warfare - flurries of electronic interference "hammered" all Soviet communication lines, completely upsetting the control of the battle.

3. Combat experience. The Israeli Air Force really had an impressive practice of air combat - daily, for many years, Hel Haavir fighters flew to intercept air targets - regular dogfights at all altitudes, dashing chases and missile exchanges, sorties to escort strike groups ... Things like that leave their imprint on the organization of the combat work of aviation.
One of the clearest examples is scrupulous coverage of the situation in the air: not only the current courses of the aircraft, but also their radio communications were plotted on the combat tablet - this made it possible to understand the situation in a matter of seconds and redirect the aircraft to where they were most needed.

4. Most important. Pilot training and combat control system.
In an interview, the commander of the Israeli Air Force, Lieutenant General Mordechai Hoth, said: "We tell the squadron commander what needs to be done, and he himself decides how to do it." Analyzing the results of sorties, the Israeli Air Force moved the center of gravity of the preparation for battle to the link level. The squadron commander independently planned the scenario for the upcoming operation, using "home-made preparations" and accumulated data on the behavior of enemy aircraft in the air.

Unlike Israeli pilots, Soviet fighters were shackled by a monstrous chain of prohibitions, recommendations and regulations. It is no coincidence that immediately after the tragic events of 07/30/1970, all participants in the battle were gathered by the commander of the Soviet aviation group in Egypt, General Grigory Ustinovich Dolnikov:

The meaning of what was said was that all prohibitions and restrictions on aerobatics and combat maneuvering are being lifted. We had to start air training from scratch and be guided in it by our common sense, and not someone else's conscience. The general urged us to believe in our own instincts and intuitions, and he himself pledged to believe in our common luck.

"Egyptian Fighters in the 'War of Attrition'", History of Aviation, No. 2/2001

http://www.skywar.ru
http://www.hubara-rus.ru
http://airwar.ru
"Fire in the Sky" by Amos Amir (brigadier-general). UK: Pen & Sword Aviation, 2005

In the recent past, the late USSR tried to fight with the Arabs against Israel. It is worth recalling one air battle between Israeli and Russian pilots that ended in disaster for the Russians.

Dassault Mirage IIIC fighter-bomber

All rights belong to Alexander Shulman(с) 2013-2015
© 2013-2015 by Alexander Shulman. All rights reserved
Alexander Shulman
Fight over Suez: five downed Russian MIGs.

July 30, 1970 was a truly black day in the history of Soviet military aviation: on this day, during a merciless battle over the Suez Canal, Israeli aces shot down five Russian MiG-21s piloted by captains Syrkin, Kamenev, Zhuravlev, Yurchenko and Yakovlev. For four Russian pilots, this battle was the last in their lives.

The death of Russian pilots was preceded by a whole series of events that led to the full involvement of the USSR in the war against Israel on the side of the Arab countries.

Aircraft of the Israeli Air Force, participating in the air battle on July 30, 1970::
Fighter-bomber Phantom

After the total defeat of the Arab countries by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967, the USSR feverishly tried to restore the military potential of its Arab allies - the Arabs were receiving a flow of Russian weapons worth many billions of dollars. However, the battles that unfolded in 1968 on the line of separation of Israeli and Egyptian troops showed the complete failure of the Arab ally of the USSR - Israeli aviation dominated the air and, continuously striking at the most important military, industrial and energy centers of Egypt, brought this most important ally of the USSR to a new catastrophe.

Desperate to contain the Israeli onslaught, Egyptian President Nasser repeatedly appealed to the leadership of the USSR with requests to send Soviet troops to save his Arab ally. In December 1969, President Nasser decided to take an unprecedented step - he made a secret visit to Moscow for a personal meeting with L. Brezhnev.

Nasser begged Brezhnev to send regular Soviet air defense troops and aviation to Egypt. The decision to satisfy the request was made at a meeting of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, together with the command of the Armed Forces - by the will of its leaders, the USSR was involved in an obvious adventure with an unpredictable result.

The operation to create a grouping of Soviet troops in Egypt, consisting of 32 thousand military personnel, was called "Caucasus". It was headed by the commander-in-chief of the air defense forces of the country, Marshal P.F. Batitsky. The dispatch of troops and military equipment by sea was carried out from the port of Nikolaev in the first days of March 1970 in an atmosphere of complete secrecy. The personnel were dressed in civilian clothes and did not have any documents. There was the strictest order to fire without hesitation on those who "try to jump overboard".

Arriving at the place, the Russian servicemen immediately changed into Egyptian military uniforms without insignia and shoulder straps. This immediately turned them from servicemen into "persons of undetermined citizenship and status," in other words, into foreign mercenaries deprived of the protection of international law. It was not for nothing that the Minister of Defense of the USSR Grechko, on the wires to Egypt, unequivocally warned his pilots: "Keep in mind, comrades, if you are shot down behind the Suez Canal and you are taken prisoner, we do not know you, get out yourself."

Aircraft of the Israeli Air Force that participated in the air battle on July 30, 1970:
Fighter-bomber Skayhawk

Israeli intelligence carefully monitored the operational activity of the Soviet troops - they listened to all the communications of Russian pilots and technical services in the air and on the ground, numerous Israeli agents were introduced at the airfields where Soviet air units were based.

Evidence of this was the incident that occurred on March 6, 1970 at the Cairo West airport: Russian pilots and technicians who had just arrived on transport aircraft were just stretching their legs, taking their first steps on Egyptian soil, as suddenly above the GDP at a height of 50 meters a pair of "phantoms" with blue six-pointed stars on the fuselages passed. Thus, the Israelis sent a "black mark" to the Russian pilots

The Soviet aviation group included, in particular, the 35th separate reconnaissance fighter squadron (commander Colonel Yu. Nastenko), based at the Janaklis airfield near Alexandria, and the 135th Fighter Aviation Regiment (commander Colonel K. Korotyuk), based at the Beni Suef and Kom Aushim in Cairo. It was from these airfields that Russian pilots left for their last battle on July 30, 1970.

There are various versions of the dogfight that took place on 30 July.
Let's call them Israeli and Russian. These versions are the same in the main thing - in the number of downed Soviet aircraft, but noticeably differ in details. The fundamental difference between them is that the Israeli version is based on the reports of Israeli pilots who directly participated in that battle, while the Russian one, created by historians and journalists, is richly supplemented with the fantasies and conjectures of its authors. Therefore, the Israeli version of the battle was taken as the basis.

Initially, Russian and Israeli pilots adhered to a kind of "gentleman's agreement", avoiding direct collisions. But this "truce" did not last long - on July 25, Russian aircraft intercepted an Israeli Skyhawk aircraft, which received serious damage, but its pilot managed to land at his airfield.

For the Israeli command, this incident became a signal for the transition to active hostilities against Russian aircraft. The task was set to inflict such heavy damage on the enemy as to once and for all discourage Russian pilots from engaging in battle against Israeli aviation.

A group of killer pilots was formed, on whose account there were dozens of downed enemy aircraft. Electronic warfare equipment was prepared to suppress radar and communications. As the main tactic, it was decided to lure the Russian pilots into an ambush

Israeli pilots who participated in the air battle on July 30, 1970: Lieutenant Colonel Aviyahu Ben-Nun

Israeli pilots who participated in the air battle on July 30, 1970: Captain Aviam Sela

Israeli pilots who participated in the air battle on July 30, 1970: Captain Iftah Spector

According to intelligence, the tactics of conducting hostilities by the enemy were carefully studied. The conclusion was disappointing for the Soviet pilots:
"Soviet pilots are well prepared to operate in European weather conditions with frequent cloudiness and rain. But even in completely different climatic conditions of the Mediterranean, they continue to apply the same tactics without the slightest change. Soviet pilots are good at piloting and aggressive. But their actions are orthodox and predictable. And most importantly, they have no real combat experience. This is our biggest trump card in any confrontation with Russian MiGs."

The operation began on 30 July at approximately 2:00 pm. Four Israeli "Phantoms" under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Avihu Ben-Nun attacked an Egyptian radar station near the Suez Canal. Ben-Nun's wingman was Captain Aviam Sela. The leader of the second pair was Major Ehud Khankin, his wingman was Captain Gal. To mislead the enemy, they acted in the style of Skyhawks, which were noticeably inferior in terms of their tactical and technical characteristics to Phantom aircraft.

Then, a flight of Mirages under the command of Major Amos Amir joined the flight of Phantoms, pretending to be Skyhawks. However, they also pretended to be something else - the four Mirages were in close formation, and therefore they looked like one plane on enemy radars. Another four Israeli "Mirages" was at low level flight, remaining invisible to enemy radar.

The "lone Israeli plane" became the bait that the Russian command pecked at. The trap worked - Russian pilots rushed to intercept the "lonely plane".
From the Egyptian airfield in Beni Suef (180 km south of Cairo) at 15:28, two MiG fours under the command of Captain Yurchenko took off. Two more MiG fours under the command of Captain Kamenev took off at 15:30 from the Kom-Aushim airfield (120 km southeast of Cairo), the fifth four took off from the airfield in Katamie.

The Russians, having a huge numerical superiority (24 Russian aircraft against five Israeli "targets"), counted on an easy victory

They had no idea that they were flying into an ambush set by the Israelis.
In a matter of seconds, the situation completely changed. Instead of an easy hunt for four unsuspecting Skyhawks and one defenseless Mirage, the Russian pilots suddenly found themselves surrounded by eight Mirages and blocked from above by four Phantoms.

Filming of air battles taken from the sides of Israeli aircraft

When the Mirages attacked the MiGs, four from below and four from above, the Phantoms gained the necessary height, rolled over and began to dive into individual enemy fighters. "Phantoms" launched a missile attack on Captain Yurchenko's flight. The first victory was achieved by Major Asher Snir, who shot down the MiG with a rocket at an altitude of 10 thousand meters. His victim was, apparently, the aircraft of flight commander Captain Yurchenko, which exploded in the air.

Captain Aviam Sela recalls:
“They came at us in pairs, and we let them all slip through to prevent them from pinching us, as they planned. They rushed past us, two by two, like in a parade. yourself."

The Russian pilot tried to break away on very steep turns, and then went into a steep dive. The opponents sank lower and lower, desperately maneuvering and squeezing everything out of their car that it was capable of.

Finally, at an altitude of two thousand meters and at a distance of one kilometer, the capture occurred and Aviam launched a rocket. There was a powerful explosion and the MiG turned into a fireball, with debris flying in all directions. The remains of the plane fell down, spinning in the air. Amazingly, the pilot managed to eject and Aviam saw him swinging on the parachute lines.

Pilots under Captain Yurchenko, Captains Yakovlev and Syrkin, were shot down, but managed to eject from their burning planes. Captain Makar's plane was damaged, but he managed to make an emergency landing. Captain Yakovlev died after ejection due to the defeat of the parachute canopy.

Aircraft of the Russian Air Force, which participated in the air battle:
Fighter-bomber MiG-21

Most likely he was shot down by Lieutenant Colonel Avihu Ben-Nun. He went into the tail of one of the MiGs. The Russian pilot dived sharply down to a height of 2,000 meters and, switching to a strafing flight, tried to get away from his pursuer. But the Phantom followed relentlessly.
Avihu Ben Nun:
"I was able to launch the missile, but due to the extremely high speed of the MiG, the capture was made at the very limit. The missile hit the target and exploded. But the MiG continued to fly without even slowing down. Then I fired the Sparrow radar missile. "Sparrow "overtook the MiG and it exploded. I'm sure the pilot died because it was too low for a successful ejection."

The result of the battle was summed up by one of its participants, Lieutenant Colonel Avihu Ben-Nun: "
"I think the Russians fly quite well. I was even surprised what they did with their machines. But they clearly lacked the skills of effective combat maneuvering to hit the enemy. They are good pilots, but weak tactics. They have no combat experience. They act on pattern and therefore easily predictable."

The results of the air battle made a shock impression on the leadership of the USSR. The very next day after the battle, Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Air Force Marshal Pavel Kutakhov urgently flew to Cairo. On August 2, Kutakhov gave the order to stop the flights of Russian pilots in the Suez Canal zone. Marshal Kutakhov forbade his pilots to engage in combat with Israeli fighters.

The catastrophic outcome of the air battle in the Egyptian sky played not only an important role in the strategic balance of power in the world, but also showed the unpreparedness of the Soviet Air Force to conduct a modern air war, the failure of all the concepts of combat training of Soviet pilots.

Leonid Ioffe Egypt and Israel in the War of Attrition, 1967-70
http://www.waronline.org/IDF/Articles/attrition_war.htm
http://www.hubara-rus.ru/index.html

I especially recommend those “Israelis” who, lying on the Haifa beach, sipping beer or mineral water on the Tel Aviv embankment, walking around Jerusalem, taking baths in the Dead Sea, are nostalgic for the USSR - what country we have lost ... And once again I remind you of the Federal Law of May 24 .1999 N 99-FZ: “The Russian Federation is the legal successor and successor of the Russian state, the Russian Republic, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)”.

And before May 9, putting on Soviet military uniforms for yourself and for children, it would not be bad to remember ...

Having completely lost the Six-Day War to Israel, Egyptian President Nasser, the same one who was the Hero of the Soviet Union, Gamal Abdel, Nasser did not calm down at all, and decided to go from the other side.

The so-called “War of Attrition” (1967-1970) began with the fact that on October 21, 67, the Egyptians sank the Israeli destroyer Eilat. The next day, Israeli artillery shelled an oil refinery in Suez.

PLO attacks, by that time the gang was already led by the future Nobel Peace Prize winner Arafat, in Israel, the shelling of Kiryat Shmona, the Jordan Valley and Beit Shean. Increasing cases of hijackings and attacks on El Al offices and other Israeli institutions abroad.

On December 26, 1968, Arab terrorists fired on an Israeli plane at Athens airport, killing an Israeli citizen.

In response, Israel is conducting the operation "Gift", about it in detail separately, today in general terms. It was decided to destroy the planes of Arab airlines at the international airport of Beirut. Why Beirut? And in Lebanon at that time the PFLP (new front for the liberation of Palestine) was based. The special forces of the General Staff and the landing special forces participated. The operation was commanded by Brigadier General, of blessed memory, Rafael Eitan, the legendary Raful.

In 15 minutes, Israeli special forces landed, blew up 14 aircraft of Arab airlines, without causing the slightest damage to aircraft of other countries, and returned home all alive, healthy, unharmed.

But back to today's topic. And yet, despite the attacks and shelling, the most serious danger came from Egypt. Excited, Nasser announces that Egypt no longer considers itself bound by the Six-Day War ceasefire and is waging a "war of attrition" against Israel.

The USSR is feverishly trying to restore the military potential of its Arab friends - billions of dollars worth of arms supplies. However, the fighting on the line of separation between Israeli and Egyptian troops shows the complete failure of the Arab ally of the USSR.

Israel responds. Landing squads attack targets across the entire territory from the headwaters of the Nile to the western bank of the Suez Canal. Israeli aviation strikes at Egyptian anti-aircraft batteries and posts, industrial and energy centers. 47 Egyptian planes shot down in the 69th. Israel achieves complete air supremacy.

Realizing that it is not Israel that is depleted, but he himself, Nasser secretly rushes to Moscow and, as eyewitnesses recall, literally wallows at the feet of “dear Leonid Ilyich”, begging “help, good people, we ourselves are not local, send air defense to Egypt and aviation." Well, how to refuse the Hero of the Soviet Union? A fighter, a patriot, a friend, a comrade-in-arms ... (then enter it yourself to your taste)? The decision to satisfy Nasser is made by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU itself, together with the high command of the SA.

In the 1970s, Israeli aircraft intensify attacks on Egyptian army camps in an effort to force Egypt into compliance with the ceasefire agreement. And already in March of the same 70th, the all-seeing Mossad reported the arrival of the Russians in the role of not advisers, but fighters, and a serious question arises - how justified is shooting at aircraft with Russian crews? Will this be the spark for a big war?

- No, we must fight, - says Prime Minister Golda Meir, - if necessary, immediately join the battle.

On March 6, 1970, at the Cairo airport, Soviet pilots and technicians who had just arrived on transport planes receive a “black mark” - a pair of “Phantoms” with six-pointed stars on the fuselages passed at a height of 50 meters above them.

The overall picture is changing. Avoiding a direct confrontation with the USSR, the Israelis heavily bombard Egyptian positions along the canal in order to prevent the installation of anti-aircraft guns there, but refrain from penetrating deep into Egyptian territory.

So, the USSR Air Force and the Israeli Air Force carefully avoid combat clashes with each other in the air. Do you remember anything from today's events in Syria?

This cannot go on for long, and in July 1970, Soviet surface-to-air missiles were used for the first time against Israeli aircraft, damaging the Israeli Skyhawk attack aircraft. In response, Israel declares that, while not wanting clashes with the USSR, it will also thwart any attempt to force it to retreat from the Suez Canal without a peace agreement. Israel is stepping up electronic intelligence, the communications of the Soviet military on the air are tapped by Russian-speaking IDF soldiers, which gives the Israeli Air Force the opportunity to have the most clear idea of \u200b\u200bwhat is happening.

From the first half of April 1970, weekly meetings between Russians and Israelis in the air began. They don't go into battle. Israeli pilots carefully observe the behavior of potential enemies, track their maneuvers and formation patterns during sorties, and study the manner of controlling Soviet fighters.

For the time being, Soviet pilots are also recommended to “keep their distance”, using their trump card - the large thrust-to-weight ratio of the MiG-21. The main thing here is the position at the beginning of the battle and a portion of sharp, energetic maneuvers that allow you to save energy, constantly remaining in a more advantageous position.

For reference. The operation to create a grouping of Soviet troops in Egypt consisting of 32,000 military personnel was called the "Caucasus". It was headed by the commander-in-chief of the air defense forces of the country, Marshal P.F. Batitsky. The dispatch of troops and military equipment by sea was carried out from the port of Nikolaev in the first days of March 1970 in an atmosphere of complete secrecy. The personnel were dressed in civilian clothes, no documents. There was the strictest order to fire without hesitation on those who "tried to jump overboard."

Upon arrival, the Soviet servicemen immediately changed into Egyptian military uniforms without insignia and epaulettes. This immediately turned them from military personnel into "persons of undetermined citizenship and status", in other words, into foreign mercenaries deprived of the protection of international law. No wonder the Minister of Defense of the USSR Grechko, on the wires to Egypt, unambiguously warned his pilots:

“Keep in mind, comrades, if you are shot down behind the Suez Canal and you are taken prisoner, we don’t know you, get out yourself.”

And now we come to Operation Rimon 20. Air combat of the Israeli Air Force against Soviet fighters. July 30, 1970 over the Sinai Peninsula. It occupies one of the leading places in the history of world military aviation.

For almost 50 years, this fight has been legendary. Soviet aces, deadly MiG-21 interceptors, the best modification of the MF at that time, according to the Soviet-Egyptian plan, were to radically change the balance of power in the air.

AND? What did Chernomyrdin say? We wanted the best, but it turned out ...

Operation Rimon 20 has become a classic "air trap".

“The plan was very simple: four Mirages would fly at high altitude in a typical reconnaissance aircraft formation to attract the attention of Soviet MIGs. "Mirages" will fly in pairs, and on enemy radars it will look like a regular reconnaissance. In parallel, the “phantoms” and “mirages” of the Israeli Air Force, according to the task, were supposed to fly almost at low level flight over the Sinai Peninsula, in a zone controlled by Israel and inaccessible to Egyptian radars. The pilots were given the task of delivering a decisive blow if Soviet aircraft reacted to the “reconnaissance aircraft” and were close to the border, ”says military historian Shlomo Aloni.

What is the difference between Israeli and Soviet pilots? Without loud words about patriotism, which, of course, the aliens could not have. And the Israelis, of course, had. The Soviets studied at the training grounds on given situations. The Israelis are in real air battles in unforeseen situations.

Remember these names.

Amos Amir - commander, Asher Snir, Abraham Shalmon, Avi Gilad. The command of the Israeli Air Force rightly believed that in the world there is no second such link, equal in quality of training and abilities.

Uri Even-Nir, Itamar Neuner, Yehuda Koren, Yaakov Richter, Iftach Spektor, Michael Zuk, Israel Baharav, Giora Furman, Shaul Levy, Avihu Bin-Nun, Reuven Reshef (Fischer), Aviam Sela, Ehud Henkin, Yisrael Parnas, Uri Gil. Remember them, Israeli aces, participants in that legendary air battle.

July 30, 1970 was a truly black day in the history of Soviet military aviation: during the battle over the Suez Canal, Israeli pilots shot down five Soviet MiG-21s in six (!) Minutes.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, four Israeli "Phantoms" under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Avihu Ben-Nun attack an Egyptian radar station near the Suez Canal. Ben-Nun's wingman is Captain Aviam Sela. The leader of the second pair is Major Ehud Khenkin, his wingman is Captain Gil. To mislead the enemy, they act in the style of Skyhawks, which in all respects are noticeably inferior to Phantoms.

This link is joined by the Mirage link under the command of Major Amos Amir. They go in a dense, dense formation, and therefore, on enemy radars they look like one plane. Another four Israeli "Mirages" is at low level flight, remaining invisible to enemy radar.

The “lone Israeli plane” became the bait that the Soviet command pecked at. The trap works - Soviet pilots joyfully rush to intercept the "loner", not knowing that they are flying into an ambush set up by the Israelis.

Sixteen MiGs against four "Mirages" is a real pleasure, and the MiGs come into position to attack. General Mordechai Hod orders a demonstrative group to launch a secondary attack on the pursuing Russians. Two pairs of "Mirages" disperse in opposite directions, drop external fuel tanks and line up in battle formation.

In a matter of seconds, the situation completely changes. Instead of an easy hunt for four Skyhawks and a lone Mirage, an ambush is suddenly discovered - the MiGs are surrounded by eight Mirages and blocked from above by four Phantoms.

Captain Aviam Sela recalls: “They came at us in pairs, and we let them all slip through to prevent them from pinching us, as they planned. They rushed past us, couple after couple, like in a parade. We waited and went after them, squeezing them together.”

General Hod introduces a strike group into battle, marching at extremely low altitudes. The Mirages open cannon fire, the Russians maneuver, and at that moment the Phantoms launch a rocket attack while climbing.

The first MiG was destroyed by Mirage fire, the second - by a missile fired by Avihu Bin-Nun's fighter. Asher Snir shoots down a third plane with a rocket at an altitude of 10,000 meters. Fourth fifth…

The adviser to the commander of the Egyptian Air Force, the commander of the Soviet aviation group, Aviation General Dolnikov, gives the order to immediately withdraw from the battle. In other words, run!

The Israelis have no losses.

Outcome. In six minutes, the USSR lost 5 MiG-21 aircraft. 3 (according to Soviet), 4 (according to Western) data, the pilot died.

Consequences. On August 2, 1970, the commander of the USSR Air Force, Marshal Kutakhov, who arrived in Cairo, gave the order to stop the flights of Soviet pilots in the Suez Canal zone.

The leadership of the USSR sends Egyptian friends along all sorts of routes and declares that it cannot further guarantee the inviolability of the Egyptian air borders.

Nasser does not single-handedly drag out an armed conflict with Israel and is forced to agree to a ceasefire that came into force at midnight on August 7-8, and more or less “calmed down” Egypt and others before the Yom Kippur War.

Lisa Yudin
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The birthday number 9 symbolizes a strong personality with potential intelligence, capable of high development. Here success gives the world of art and arts, artistic talent and creative, creative power.

It is better for such people to immediately abandon the professions of a merchant, metallurgist, military man. Their problem often lies in the awareness of their talents and abilities and in choosing the right path in life.

The number 9 is often considered the main number of numerology, with a special, sometimes even sacred meaning. This is due to the fact that when multiplied by any number, nine reproduces itself. For example, 9 x 4 = 36 => 3 + 6 = 9. These people are capable of the best feelings towards their loved ones. But they often find themselves in all sorts of unpleasant situations.

The lucky day of the week for the number 9 is Friday.

Your planet is Neptune.

Advice: Under this birthday number, great inventors, discoverers of the new, and musicians are born. It all depends on your abilities and desires. Both of these factors should be combined, directed towards one goal - then success is guaranteed.

Important: Love for people, striving for excellence.
Nine endows a person with spiritual activity and promotes higher mental activity.

The nine person is inclined to religious revelations, cosmic contacts, synthetic sciences, self-education. Patronizes composers and musicians, sailors and poets, psychologists and hypnotists.

The fate of such a person can be changeable and fickle. Among the people of the nine there are many revolutionaries, drug addicts and alcoholics.

Love and sex:

These people are completely devoted to love and passionately desire to be loved. Their thirst for love is so great that they are ready for anything for it, even humiliation.

Great importance is attached to the paraphernalia of romantic courtship. At the same time, they quickly lose interest in the object of their attraction if he (or she) does not succumb to temptation for a long time.

In many cases, marriage with these people is successful, if only because they are very sexual people. They take morality seriously. At some stage, these people may want to reconsider the marriage relationship, even if the family is happy and love reigns between the spouses.

They want to know why they love each other. After that, they will wish to see confirmation of love every day.

Birth number for a woman

Birth number 9 for a woman An extraordinary, elusive woman, always full of interesting ideas, all the time is in motion. Prefers to communicate with educated and intelligent people, creative individuals whose interests lie in the field of philosophy, culture and art. She likes to go to various exhibitions together with her friend, to take part in public, social or political life. She expects a sea of flowers and gifts from fans. A candlelit dinner in a solemn atmosphere intoxicates her and leads to the creation of a lasting union. In a relationship with a partner, he always strives to teach or demonstrate knowledge. She needs beauty, and she herself wants to be beautiful in every way. He monitors his appearance, but at home he allows himself to dress in anything. She must be loved without regard for conventions. She hates possessive instincts and acquisitiveness in all its manifestations. She likes the informal lifestyle and the company of many friends. Always unpredictable. Has a tendency to get involved with men she doesn't really need. She can dissolve in love for the chosen one, completely give herself to him, or never know what love is and whether it was love. She can develop a good long-term relationship with a partner who is undemanding to her, creates her material comfort and a sense of freedom.

Birth number for a man

Birth number 9 for a man This is an intellectual, romantic, very erudite man. He is sociable, frank, lives with an open heart. Intellectual and spiritual communication becomes the main thing in relations with him. He strives for people who have made up their minds, who have found their self-expression. Strictly adheres to his beliefs, ideological differences can become an insurmountable obstacle in a relationship. Love is something more happening in his head than in his heart. With his mind, he tries to control his and his partner's feelings. Makes high demands on his chosen one. Carefully plans meetings, thinking through all the details, and tries to apply the methods of seduction that were used in the 18th century. Values respect and honesty to each other. Usually confident in his rightness and the high quality of his knowledge. His main problem is detachment from reality and incontinence. He tends to avoid real intimacy in intimate relationships. It is important for him to maintain his freedom and the feeling that he belongs only to himself. Believes that sex is a physical continuation of intellectual communication between the sexes. Love most often meets in travel. He is very sensitive, and can sacrifice his own needs for the sake of a partner. Relations with him can turn into a delightful romance, but he needs to learn to see a real person in his woman.

Birth number 30

These people are bold, aggressive, power-hungry, do not like to obey. Must control the actions of other people, without power feel a sense of frustration. They themselves are strictly subject to discipline and demand the same from their subordinates, but dominating, they do not really consider the opinions of others, are firm, do not refuse to implement their plans. Strong and hardy, although women want to appear weak.

The partner should be soft and weak, and at least outwardly be content with second place. Hunters with natural instincts: those they are interested in have little chance of escaping. They have an attractive appearance and a huge sexual appeal, they attract people of the opposite sex against the desire and will of the latter. In sex, they are strong and aggressive, they take advantage of the opportunity.

They can get along with those who are able to obey them. Friends and partners should complement them, but not encroach on their freedom, not try to compare with them.
Pay attention to the skin and joints.

Pythagorean square or psychomatrix

The qualities listed in the cells of the square can be strong, medium, weak or absent, it all depends on the number of digits in the cell.

Deciphering the Square of Pythagoras (cells of the square)

Character, willpower - 2

Energy, charisma - 2

Cognition, creativity - 2

Health, beauty - 0

Logic, intuition - 0

Diligence, skill - 0

Luck, luck - 3

Sense of duty - 0

Memory, mind - 2

Deciphering the Pythagorean Square (lines, columns and diagonals of the square)

The higher the value, the more pronounced the quality.

Self-assessment (column "1-2-3") - 6

Making money (column "4-5-6") - 0

Talent potential (column "7-8-9") - 5

Purposefulness (line "1-4-7") - 5

Family (line "2-5-8") - 2

Stability (line "3-6-9") - 4

Spiritual potential (diagonal "1-5-9") - 4

Temperament (diagonal "3-5-7") - 5

Chinese zodiac sign Dog

Every 2 years there is a change of the Element of the year (fire, earth, metal, water, wood). The Chinese astrological system divides years into active, stormy (Yang) and passive, calm (Yin).

You Dog elements Metal of the year Jan

Birth hours

24 hours correspond to the twelve signs of the Chinese zodiac. The sign of the Chinese horoscope of birth, corresponding to the time of birth, so it is very important to know the exact time of birth, it has a strong impact on the character of a person. It is argued that according to the birth horoscope, you can accurately find out the features of your character.

The most striking manifestation of the qualities of the hour of birth will take place if the symbol of the hour of birth coincides with the symbol of the year. For example, a person born in the year and hour of the Horse will show the maximum of the qualities prescribed for this sign.

Rat - 23:00 - 01:00
Bull - 1:00 - 3:00
Tiger - 3:00 - 5:00
Rabbit - 5:00 - 7:00
Dragon - 7:00 - 9:00
Snake – 09:00 – 11:00
Horse – 11:00 – 13:00
Goat – 13:00 – 15:00
Monkey - 15:00 - 17:00
Rooster - 17:00 - 19:00
Dog – 19:00 – 21:00
Pig - 21:00 - 23:00

European zodiac sign Leo

Dates: 2013-07-23 -2013-08-22

The Four Elements and their Signs are distributed as follows: Fire(Aries, Leo and Sagittarius) Land(Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn) Air(Gemini, Libra and Aquarius) and Water(Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces). Since the elements help to describe the main character traits of a person, by including them in our horoscope, they help to get a more complete picture of a particular person.

The features of this element are warmth and dryness, which are accompanied by metaphysical energy, life and its strength. There are 3 signs in the Zodiac that have these qualities, the so-called. fire trine (triangle): Aries, Leo, Sagittarius. The fire trine is considered a creative trine. Principle: action, activity, energy.
Fire is the main governing force of instinct, spirit, thought and mind, forcing you to go forward, to believe, to hope, to defend your convictions. The main driving force of Fire is ambition. Fire gives zeal, impatience, carelessness, self-confidence, irascibility, impetuosity, arrogance, courage, courage, militancy. In the human body, it maintains life, is responsible for the temperature regime and stimulates the metabolism.
People whose horoscopes highlight the trine of the element of Fire have a choleric temperament. These people will never go unnoticed, they will achieve the recognition of others, especially in the environment that is close to them in spirit and ideologically connected with them. These people have a creative spirit and unshakable will, inexhaustible "Martian energy" and outstanding penetrating power. The element of Fire gives organizational talent, a thirst for activity and enterprise.
The peculiarity of the people of this trigon is the ability to be inspired and be devoted to an idea, cause, partner, up to self-sacrifice. They are brave, courageous and courageous. The rise of their soul and their inherent business activity help them reach the heights both in the spiritual and material spheres. They get real pleasure from their activities, are proud of the results of their work and expect universal recognition.
Fire people are innate leaders who love and know how to lead and order. They are, as it were, charged with a cosmic electrical voltage of a certain polarity, which they transmit to others in the form of attraction or repulsion, which keeps the people around them in constant tension and excitement. They try to win personal freedom, independence and independence, which is dearest to them, already at an early age. But there is one paradox: they do not like to obey and do not want to, but their ability to adapt to various circumstances is excellently developed.
They have strongly expressed such character traits as perseverance, perseverance, self-affirmation, waywardness, intransigence. Anyone who is associated with a person of the trine of Fire in partnerships knows well that these people always stick to their line. They can be chief conductors, performers of the main roles, but never extras. It is simply impossible to subordinate them to someone else's will, only they will command the parade and lead, although often from behind the scenes. They recognize only wise and just autocracy and most of all hate despotism and tyranny in any of their forms.
The people of the trigon of Fire at first quickly “light up”, are inspired by new ideas and people, without much hesitation, immediately get involved in the matter, involving their entire environment in it to achieve the goal they have set, which comes to them from outside, or is born in them. But they also quickly cool off to an already begun, old business, if they are inspired by a new, more significant idea for them, or if the business takes on a protracted nature and requires constant effort. These are people of a jerk, an impulse, waiting for them is like death. Fire is that creative force that can lift them up to the "seventh heaven" or "throw them into the abyss."
People belonging to the elements of Fire must restrain their negative character traits, especially ardor and impetuosity, militancy and aggressiveness. They must avoid conflict situations and confrontation with the outside world, so as not to harm their idea, for which they are fighting, not their cause, the implementation of which they dream.
The children of this trine are difficult to educate, often not amenable to education at all, and in order to have at least the slightest result in working with them, specific methods of education have to be applied. Violence and coercion are categorically excluded, as this causes stubbornness, obstinacy and resistance in them. They can only be approached with love and affection, with warmth and gentleness of the heart, it is very important to be fair with them, never deceive them, never belittle their self-esteem.

Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius. A fixed cross is a cross of evolution, stability and stability, accumulation, concentration of development. He uses the experience of the past. It gives stability, hardness, strength, durability, stability. A person in whose horoscope the Sun, Moon or most of the personal planets are in fixed signs is distinguished by conservatism, inner calmness, steadfastness, perseverance, perseverance, patience, endurance, and prudence. He fiercely resists what they try to impose on him, and is able to rebuff anyone. Nothing irritates him so much as the need to change something, no matter what area of \u200b\u200blife it may concern. He loves certainty, consistency, requires guarantees of reliability in order to be protected from any surprise.
Although he does not have sharp impulses, ease in making decisions that are inherent in other signs, he is distinguished by constancy of opinions, stability in his habits and life positions. He is attached to his work, he can work tirelessly, "till you drop." He is also constant in his attachments to friends and relatives, firmly and steadfastly clings to someone or something, whether it be material value, social status, a faithful friend, a devoted like-minded person or a close and beloved person. The people of the fixed cross are faithful, devoted and reliable, they are the knights of the word. You can always rely on their promises. But it is worth deceiving them only once, and their trust is lost, maybe even forever. People of the fixed cross have strongly expressed desires, passions, they act only from their own motives and always rely on their own instincts. Their feelings, sympathies and antipathies are unshakable, unshakable. Adversity, failures and blows of fate do not bend them, and any obstacle only strengthens their perseverance and perseverance, as it gives them new strength to fight.

Here we fall into the element of Fire, in its strongest and brightest manifestation. The main ruler of Leo is the Sun, the main luminary of the astrological system. The element of Fire in Leo is stable, and people born under the sign of Leo are gifted with the ability to rule and manage, showing the best and highest qualities.
Usually, Leos do not take active steps to achieve the functions of power, because, as a rule, these functions were given to them from the very beginning. Lions are the main rulers of the world. Therefore, tall and developed Lions never climb forward, never push others with their elbows, they always feel themselves in the center of events, always subconsciously tend to stand out, show their “I” and, at best, manifest themselves creatively. They spread the sunshine around them, and usually act through intermediaries, assistants and people who are attracted by their sunshine. Lions are no longer warriors, like Aries, they are already rulers, kings, rulers. Therefore, among the Lions we find many very serious and famous rulers.

Most Leos are very talented and creative because this is a very creative sign. Lions, if they reach a high position, can at best be generous and sincere, and with their best qualities they generously endow everyone who comes into contact with them. In the best case, greed is not characteristic of Lions, even if they steal, they share with someone.
In tall, developed Lions we find such a quality as nobility, they never finish off a defeated enemy. In general, Lions always strive for accomplishments, but they do not clearly show their aspirations, they seem to be embarrassed by the desire for power given to them initially. Although in the recesses of the soul they are very vain and proud, this vanity and pride breaks out only in the lower Lions. In the worst case, these qualities reach megalomania. So, at the highest level, Leo is a noble person, and at the lowest level, a conceited, proud, envious person. Speaking figuratively, in the higher Leo - the best features of the Lion, the king of beasts, and in the lower Leo - the worst feline qualities. Inferior Leo is a "tattered cat". Lions suffer greatly when they are not noticed, because the manifestation of signs of attention to them is the main background of their nutrition, they feed on the reverence emanating from their environment. But if they are not noticed, then in the lower Lions this often gives rise to a sense of revenge. By the way, the lower Lions peck at flattery, they are easy to seduce, deceive. Leos always crave great things, they are very broad, generous souls. If life does not provide an opportunity to show their creative abilities and a broad soul, then they develop an inferiority complex. Typical Lions have excellent good health, they are large people, with large bright features and a figure from which a sense of significance emanates. Lions have a very powerful energy frame, a very powerful energy, so we also find a lot of Lions among practicing psychics. The creativity of Lviv is always distinguished by brightness, splendor and a certain riot of creative manifestations.

MiG-21. Photo: Alexander Ovchinnikov / ITAR-TASS, archive

In July 1970, the Israeli Air Force clashed with Soviet pilots

July 30, 1970 was a truly dark day in the history of Soviet military aviation: on this day, during the battle over the Suez Canal, Israeli pilots shot down five Soviet MiG-21s piloted by captains Syrkin, Kamenev, Zhuravlev, Yurchenko and Yakovlev. For three Soviet pilots, this battle was the last in their lives.

The death of Soviet pilots was preceded by a whole series of events that led to the full involvement of the USSR in the war against Israel on the side of the Arab countries.

After the total defeat of the Arab countries by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967, the USSR feverishly tried to restore the military potential of its Arab allies - they received a flow of Soviet weapons worth billions of dollars. However, the battles that unfolded in 1968 on the line of separation of Israeli and Egyptian troops showed the complete failure of the Arab ally of the USSR - Israeli aviation dominated the air and, continuously striking at the most important military, industrial and energy centers of Egypt, led this most important ally of the USSR to a new catastrophe.

Desperate to contain the Israeli onslaught, Egyptian President Nasser repeatedly appealed to the leadership of the USSR with requests to send Soviet troops to save his country. In December 1969, Nasser made a secret visit to Moscow for a personal meeting with L. Brezhnev.

Gamal Abdel Nasser and Leonid Brezhnev in Moscow. Photo: Vasily Egorov / ITAR-TASS, archive

The operation to create a grouping of Soviet troops in Egypt, consisting of 32 thousand military personnel, was called the "Caucasus". It was headed by the commander-in-chief of the air defense forces of the country, Marshal P.F. Batitsky. The dispatch of troops and military equipment by sea was carried out from the port of Nikolaev in the first days of March 1970 in an atmosphere of complete secrecy. The personnel were dressed in civilian clothes and did not have any documents. There was the strictest order to fire without hesitation on those who "tried to jump overboard."

"Keep in mind, comrades, if you are shot down behind the Suez Canal and you are taken prisoner - we do not know you, get out yourself."

Israeli intelligence carefully monitored the operational activity of the Soviet troops - all the communications of Soviet pilots and technical services in the air and on the ground were tapped, numerous Israeli agents were introduced at the airfields where Soviet air units were based.

This was evidenced by the incident that occurred on March 6, 1970 at Cairo West Airport: Soviet pilots and technicians, who had just arrived on transport planes, were just taking their first steps on Egyptian soil, when suddenly a couple passed over them at a height of 50 meters. phantoms" with blue six-pointed stars on the fuselages. Thus, the Israelis sent a "black mark" to the Soviet pilots.

The Soviet aviation group included, in particular, the 35th separate reconnaissance fighter squadron (commander Colonel Yu. Nastenko), based at the Janaklis airfield near Alexandria, and the 135th Fighter Aviation Regiment (commander Colonel K. Korotyuk), based at the Beni Suef airfields and Kom-Aushim in the Cairo area. It was from these airfields that Soviet pilots left for their last battle on July 30, 1970.

Pre-flight briefing of Soviet pilots in Egypt. Photo: Aviation and Time magazine

There are various versions of the dogfight that took place on 30 July. Let's call them Israeli and Russian. These versions are the same in the main - in the number of downed Soviet aircraft, but noticeably differ in details. The fundamental difference between them is that the Israeli version is based on the reports of Israeli pilots who directly participated in that battle, while the Russian one, created by historians and journalists, is richly supplemented with the fantasies and conjectures of its authors. Therefore, the Israeli version of the battle was taken as the basis.

Initially, Soviet and Israeli pilots adhered to a kind of "gentlemen's agreement", avoiding direct clashes. But this "truce" did not last long - on July 25, an Israeli Skyhawk aircraft was intercepted by Soviet aircraft, which received serious damage, but its pilot managed to land at his airfield.

For the Israeli command, this incident became a signal for the transition to active hostilities against Soviet aircraft. The task was set to inflict such heavy damage on the enemy as to once and for all discourage Soviet pilots from engaging in battle against Israeli aviation.

A group of pilots was formed, on whose account there were dozens of downed enemy aircraft. Electronic warfare equipment was prepared to suppress radar and communications. As the main tactic, they decided to lure Soviet pilots into an ambush

According to intelligence, the tactics of conducting hostilities by the enemy were carefully studied. The conclusion was disappointing for the Soviet pilots:

“Soviet pilots are well prepared to operate in European weather conditions with frequent cloudiness and rain. But even in completely different climatic conditions of the Mediterranean, they continue to apply the same tactics without the slightest change. Soviet pilots are good pilots and aggressive. But their actions are orthodox and predictable. And most importantly, they have no real combat experience. This is our biggest trump card in any confrontation with the Russian MiGs.”

The operation began on 30 July at approximately 2:00 pm. Four Israeli "Phantoms" under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Avihu Ben-Nun attacked an Egyptian radar station near the Suez Canal. Ben-Nun's wingman was Captain Aviam Sela. The leader of the second pair was Major Ehud Khankin, his wingman was Captain Gal. To mislead the enemy, they acted in the style of the Skyhawks, which were noticeably inferior in terms of their tactical and technical characteristics to the Phantom aircraft.

Then a flight of Phantoms, pretending to be Skyhawks, was joined by a flight of Mirages under the command of Major Amos Amir. However, they also pretended to be something else - the four Mirages were in close formation, and therefore they looked like one plane on enemy radars. Another four Israeli "Mirages" was at low level flight, remaining invisible to enemy radar.

The “lone Israeli plane” became the bait that the Soviet command pecked at. The trap worked - Soviet pilots rushed to intercept the "lonely plane".

At 15:28, Captain Kamenev's flight took off from the Kom-Aushim airfield, at 15:30 Captain Yurchenko's flight, consisting of captains Makar, Yakovlev, Syrkin, took off from the Beni Suef airfield. Later, they were joined by three more quartets of Soviet MiGs, which took off from the Kom-Aushim airfield. They had no idea that they were flying into an ambush set by the Israelis.

In a matter of seconds, the situation completely changed. Instead of an easy hunt for four unsuspecting Skyhawks and one defenseless Mirage, the Soviet pilots suddenly found themselves surrounded by eight Mirages and blocked from above by four Phantoms.

Captain Aviam Sela recalls:

“They came at us in pairs, and we let them all slip through to prevent them from taking us in pincers, as they planned. They rushed past us, couple after couple, like in a parade. We waited and went after them, squeezing them together."

The Soviet pilot tried to break away on very steep turns, and then went into a steep dive. The opponents sank lower and lower, desperately maneuvering and squeezing everything out of their car that it was capable of.

Finally, at an altitude of two thousand meters and at a distance of one kilometer, the capture took place, and Aviam launched a rocket. There was a powerful explosion and the MiG turned into a fireball, with debris flying in all directions. Amazingly, the pilot managed to eject and Aviam saw him swinging on the parachute lines.

No one saw how the leader of the second link, Captain Kamenev, was shot down. Kamenev's pilot, captain Zhuravlev, was shot down and ejected at extremely low altitude, his parachute did not have time to open and the pilot died. Most likely, he was shot down by Lieutenant Colonel Avihu Ben-Nun. He went into the tail of one of the MiGs. The Soviet pilot dived sharply down to a height of 2,000 meters and, switching to a strafing flight, tried to get away from his pursuer. But the Phantom followed relentlessly. Avihu Ben Nun: “I was able to launch the rocket, but due to the extremely high speed of the MiG, the capture was made at the very limit. The missile hit the target and exploded. But the MiG continued to fly without even slowing down. Then I fired a Sparrow radar missile - it overtook the MiG, and it exploded. I am sure that the pilot died, because. was too low for a successful ejection."

The result of the battle was summed up by one of its participants, Lieutenant Colonel Avihu Ben-Nun:

“I think the Russians are quite good at flying. I even wondered what they were doing with their cars. But they clearly lacked the skills of effective combat maneuvering to hit the enemy. They are good fliers, but weak tacticians. They have no combat experience. They follow a pattern and are therefore easily predictable.”

The catastrophic outcome of the air battle in the Egyptian sky played an important role in the strategic alignment of forces in the world. The USSR now preferred not to get involved in wars where experienced, modern troops could confront it.

Event participants:

Link "reconnaissance" mirages. from Tel Nof 119 Squadron:

Amos Amir

Asher Snir (Asher Snir scored first, hitting a MiG at 30,000 feet with a missile ( shot down Zhuravlev)?)

Abraham Shalmon

Avi Gilad

Phantom Flight 69 Squadron from Ramat David

Avihu Ben Nun / Shaul Levi

Aviem Sela / Reuven Reschef (Fischer)

Ehud Hankin / ???

Uri Gil / Israel Parnassus

Link Mirage 101 Squadron from Rephidim or Hatzor

Iftach Spector

Michael Zuck

Israel Barahav

Link Mirages 117 Squadron (arrived for cap analysis)

Uri Even-Nir (Returned to base, accompanying Itamar, before the start of the battle)

Itamar Neuner ( Engine problems, returned to base.)

Yehuda Koren

Yaakobi (Kobi) Richter

*********************************************

link 3 air Komaushim

Kamnev

Zhuravlev - died

1st link 2 ae Beni Suef

Yurchenko - died

Makara

Syrkin - ejected, survived

Yakovlev - died during ejection

2nd link 2 ae We approached the "hat analysis" and did not participate in the battle

Saranin

Vasiliev

Suprun

Masuria

pair 3 ae (they took off in 30-40 minutes and, moreover, did not participate in the battle)

Kolesov

Pushkarsky

========================================

Soviet pilots-Russians in the sky of the Middle East

In October 1956, the second Arab-Israeli war began. Israel was supported by France and England, whose air forces, together with Israeli aircraft, bombarded the Suez Canal zone, Cairo, Alexandria, and a number of military airfields. Egyptian, Czechoslovak and Soviet (instructors) military pilots fought shoulder to shoulder in the fight against the air enemy. On October 31, the latter took part in the assault on the positions of the 202nd Israeli parachute brigade.

On November 1, a group of MiG-17 fighter-interceptors specially transferred from the USSR entered the battle, which on November 2 and 3 managed to shoot down several British aircraft. Among them is the Westland Wyvern carrier-based attack aircraft, destroyed by the Soviet pilot S.A. Sintsov and his partner (surname not established). According to the English version, the plane was shot down by anti-aircraft fire from Egyptian artillery.

On November 1, Il-28 jet bombers with Soviet crews raided one of the military facilities in Israel. The Meteor NF.13 night fighters raised to intercept them did not cope with their task, and all our aircraft returned safely to base.

During the ground operation by Israeli troops (with the participation of Anglo-French units), the Egyptian army was defeated and was forced to leave the Sinai Peninsula to the enemy. After direct intervention in the armed conflict (war) of the world powers - the USSR and the USA, Israel and its allies were forced to return to Egypt all the territories previously seized from it.

A new military conflict between Israel and the Arab states broke out in 1967. During the "six-day war" (June 5-10, 1967), the Israeli army dealt a crushing blow to the armed forces of the coalition of Arab states (Egypt, Syria and Jordan), while capturing part of their territory (the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights and West Bank of the Jordan River).

The front line between Israel and Egypt was established along the Suez Canal. Bound by a military treaty with the United Arab Republic (UAR), the Soviet Union provided it with great military-technical assistance. As a result, the combat effectiveness of the Egyptian army was restored in a short time, which made it possible in March 1969 to begin military operations of low intensity in the Suez Canal zone (“war of attrition”). Possessing air superiority, the Israeli Air Force managed in the summer of the same year to practically destroy the Egyptian anti-aircraft missile forces (ZRV) in the canal zone. At the end of the same year, Israel launched the Khordos operation plan with the aim of destroying 18 Egyptian strategic military facilities. As a result of the operation, many civilian structures were destroyed, including a metallurgical plant in Helwan, built with the assistance of Soviet specialists. The previously identified Egyptian air defense zones were soon suppressed by Israeli aircraft. The next target of air strikes was the central regions and suburbs of the UAR capital (Cairo).

In this situation, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser turned to the USSR with a request for military assistance in order to create an "effective missile shield" using "regular Soviet air defense and aviation units."

On the basis of the Soviet-Egyptian agreements reached, a closed decision was made by the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU to create an Operational Group of Soviet Forces on the territory of the UAR (leaders: Colonel General I.S. Katyshkin (1968-1970), Colonel General V. Okunev (1970 -1972), Lieutenant General P. Samohodsky (1972-1974), Major General E. Bokovikov (1974-1978) It was supposed to include an anti-aircraft missile division, aviation and naval groups.

In December 1969, in accordance with the decision of the Politburo, Minister of Defense Marshal of the Soviet Union A.A. Grechko ordered the operation "Caucasus", the essence of which was to create an air defense system in Egypt based on regular Soviet units (15 thousand people. ). The operational management of the General Staff of the Air Defense Forces of the country was directly involved in the development of the operation plan. By March 1970, the basis of the air defense grouping was: the 18th Special Purpose Anti-Aircraft Missile Division (SRD ON) (1.5 thousand people, commander - Major General of Artillery A.G. Smirnov, from February 1971 - Colonel Yu.M. Boshnyak, since June 1972 - Major General N.N. Rytov), fighter aviation group, radar reconnaissance and communications units.

Structurally, the 18th zrd ON consisted of 4 anti-aircraft missile brigades (they had regimental designations): 1st zrbr / 559 zrp (commander - Colonel B.I. Zhayvoronok), 2nd zrbr / 582 zrp (commander - Lieutenant Colonel N.A. .Rudenko), 3rd zrbr / 564 zrp (commander - Major V.A. Belousov), 4th zrbr (commander - colonel Shumilov) and the Electronic Warfare Center (commander - lieutenant colonel A.K. Ismakov).

Each brigade consisted of 4-7 divisions of the S-125 Pechora air defense system, 4 launchers each. The divisions were given cover platoons consisting of four Shilka ZSUs, Strela-2 MANPADS units, and electronic warfare equipment.

The fighter aviation group (senior group - Major General of Aviation G.U. Dolnikov, later Hero of the Soviet Union) included: the 35th separate reinforced fighter squadron (oie, 30 MiG-21MF, 42 pilots, commander - Colonel Yu .V. Nastenko) and the 135th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP, 40 MiG-21MF, 60 pilots, commander - Colonel K.K. Korotyuk).

The Soviet air group also included: the 63rd separate air squadron (2MiG-25R, 2 MiG-25RB) and the 90th separate long-range reconnaissance squadron of special purpose (OH odrae) of naval aviation (TU-16R, Be-12, Tu-16P , Il-38, commander - Colonel P.V. Zhidetsky) from the Air Force and Air Defense of the Baltic Fleet.

In total, 22 Soviet anti-aircraft missile divisions were deployed on the territory of the UAR (according to other sources - 18).

On February 1, 1970, the 35th OIE (Jankliz air base near Alexandria) took up combat duty in the sky of Egypt. Its area of responsibility included a strip along the Mediterranean coast from Port Said to Mersa Matruh and further south to Cairo.

During February - March, the 135th IAP was deployed to the Cairo West airbase (OAR). His task included air cover for Cairo from the southeast, industrial facilities in the central part of Egypt and the Aswan Dam from the northeast in the strip between the Sokhno and Zaafaran valleys. The depth of hostilities was limited to the line of the Gulf of Suez and the northern part of the Red Sea. The 1st and 2nd squadrons of the regiment were based at the Beni Suef airbase, the 3rd at Kom-Aushima.

According to the experience of the Great Patriotic War, barrage balloons were used in the most air-hazardous areas (as well as to cover the Aswan Dam and the Cairo West airbase).

The first combat clash in the air between Soviet and Israeli pilots took place on April 14, 1970 without losses on both sides. In turn, the Israeli military command (for political reasons) sought to avoid air battles with Soviet aircraft, although the Israelis were outnumbered 4:1. At the same time, the Soviet air defense IA operated only in the corresponding areas of responsibility, without the right to cross the front line (along the Suez Canal).

On June 22, 1970, Soviet pilots opened their combat account. In the course of intercepting an air enemy in the front line, Captain N. Salnik (MiG-21) shot down an enemy Skyhawk attack aircraft over the Gulf of Suez by firing rockets "in pursuit". Captains Salnik and Krapivin (35th oei) operating in the “spark” were awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Based on the experience of the Vietnam War, as part of the anti-aircraft grouping, maneuver groups (MG) were created from 2-3 Egyptian srdn, which were secretly withdrawn to the front-line zone to cover their ground units. On the night of June 30, a mixed MG (SA-75M and S-125 air defense systems) under the command of Major I.K. Kovalenko (deputy commander of the 582nd air defense regiment) secretly marched to the area of the Great Gorky Lake. A large grouping of air defense missiles was deployed here, consisting of 13 Egyptian SA-75M Dvina air defense missile systems (6 single-shot launchers each) and 3 S-125 air defense missile systems with Soviet crews (commanders: G.M. Komyagin, V.P. Malyauka, V.V. .Taskaev). Egyptian parts of ZA (57-mm, 37-mm and 23-mm anti-aircraft guns) reinforced with 18 ZSU-23-4 Shilka and Strela-2 MANPADS crews (90 firing points) were also involved. To strengthen airspace control, the P-15 radar stations were introduced into the group, capable of detecting low-flying aircraft (in addition to the regular battery radars).

During the first raid (12 aircraft), 4 A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft were destroyed by division fire. The enemy managed to disable two SA-75M missiles completely and one partially.

The second raid involved 8 aircraft of the 201st squadron of the Israeli Air Force. By concerted action, the Soviet-Egyptian crews shot down 2 F-4E Phantoms and one Skyhawk.

For this battle, Captain V.P. Malyauk (who opened the combat account of the 18th division) received the Order of the Red Banner.

On July 3, 8 enemy aircraft fell into the fire zone of the MG. 2 Skyhawks and one F-4E were shot down. The next day, the Israelis made an attempt to defeat the positions of the MG. 10 aircraft took part in the raid. The main blow fell on false positions, equipped in advance by anti-aircraft gunners. During the battle, the enemy lost one of his apparatus.

On July 5, the personnel of the MG had to endure a raid by 24 enemy aircraft from the 69th squadron of the Israeli Air Force. When repulsing the attacks, the Israeli side lost 3 aircraft. One of them, F-4E "Kurnass", was shot down by the division of Lieutenant Colonel S.K. Zavesnitsky (582nd zrp).

In order to defeat the UAR air defense forces in the Suez Canal zone, the Israeli Air Force command deployed the F-4E Phantom from the 201st and 69th squadrons, piloted by experienced pilots. The aircraft were equipped with the latest means of setting noise interference against SA-75M air defense systems. On July 18, 24 Phantoms attacked the positions of an anti-aircraft missile group. During the battle, Soviet anti-aircraft gunners (3 rdn S-125) destroyed two enemy aircraft and knocked out one. However, as a result of a direct hit by a projectile in our launcher at the time of its reloading and rocket explosion, 8 Soviet servicemen were killed: Lieutenant S.P. Sumin, Sergeant A.G. Mamedov, Corporal A.A. Zabuga, privates E.F. Didenko, N.V. Dobizha, I.I. Naku, N.A. Dovganyuk, I.A. Dovganyuk.

Commander Lieutenant Colonel V.M. Tolokonnikov and officers (including the deceased lieutenant S.P. Sumin) of the S-125 division were awarded the Order of the Red Banner, the dead soldiers were awarded the Order of the Red Star.

On July 30, in an air battle south of the city of Suez, 8 MiG-21 fighters, flying to intercept a flight of Skyhawk fighter-bombers attacking an Egyptian radar station near Sokhana, met with 12 Israeli Mirage fighters and 4 F-4E attack aircraft that arrived in time. Phantom". As a result, 4 MiG-21 aircraft were shot down, 3 Soviet pilots died (V.A. Zhuravlev, N.P. Yurchenko, E.G. Yakovlev), one managed to eject. The lack of experience and the use of traditional air combat tactics affected.

Nevertheless, the Israeli side failed to achieve its goal - to destroy the ZRV group. In this regard, the subsequent actions of the Israeli Air Force were limited mainly to reconnaissance flights.

On August 3, the last battle between Soviet missilemen and Israeli pilots took place. To organize the "ambush" was chosen area south of the city of Izmailia. Earlier, the 1st srdn of the 559th srp (commander - lieutenant colonel K.I. Popov) and the 1st srdn of the 564th srp (commander - lieutenant colonel N.F. Kutyntsev) arrived there in a covert march. The general leadership of the "ambush" group was carried out by the commander of the 564th SRP, Lieutenant Colonel V.A. Belousov.

A false position was set up next to each division. The "ambush" group also included 2 Egyptian SA-75M missiles. The first enemy Skyhawk aircraft was hit by 2 missiles over the territory of the Sinai Peninsula, occupied by the Israelis. In the afternoon of the same day, the enemy repeated an air raid (18 aircraft) on the positions of divisions. The first strike group (4 "Phantoms") was fired upon by combat crews of the S-125 air defense system under the command of Lieutenant Colonel K.I. Popov, knocking down one of them. Soon the Soviet division was attacked by a group of fighter-bombers. The Egyptian SA-75M division came to his aid, destroying the enemy Phantom with its fire. When an air link (2 aircraft) of the 201st squadron of the Israeli Air Force tried to approach Popov's division from the north, it was met by missile launches on a collision course (at a distance of 13 km). As a result, the leading "Phantom" exploded in the air from a direct hit, the second went behind the front line with damage.

The last pair of "Phantoms", attacking Popov's unit from the northeast, fell into the zone of fire of the division of Lieutenant Colonel N.F. Kutyntsev. The first plane was shot down by S-125 air defense missiles, and the second plane was effectively shot down by Captain Lyashchenko's ZSU-23-4 "Shilka". Moving away from the dense barrage, the Phantom turned around without accepting the battle and went beyond the canal.

In total, 5 enemy aircraft were shot down during the day, one was damaged.

For this battle, division commanders lieutenant colonels K.I. Popov and N.F. Kutyntsev were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. A large group of soldiers and officers were awarded orders and medals.

Recognizing the futility of further hostilities, Israel, with the mediation of the United States, took steps to seek peace. The “Rogers plan” came into force, according to which the warring parties concluded a truce for a period of 3 months (from August 7, 1970), later it was extended for another 3 months. During this period, anti-aircraft missile divisions switched to shift combat duty, which continued until the complete withdrawal of Soviet troops and advisers from Egypt in the summer of 1972.

Since February 1971, after the termination of the truce, the opposing sides occasionally held a test of strength. Israeli aviation conducted intensive aerial reconnaissance of the Suez Canal area, making periodic demonstrative flights over airfields based on Soviet aviation. In April 1971, a group of 4 Phantoms tried to reach the main base airfield of the Soviet fighter regiment (Beni Suef airbase).

They were intercepted by 6 MiG-21s from the squadron on duty and a MiG-21U used as a repeater. Major Kozlov, who piloted the repeater aircraft, due to extreme overvoltage in the current critical situation, made mistakes in piloting. The plane crashed behind the runway during takeoff, the pilot died.

After the death in September 1970 of UAR President G. Nasser, Anwar Sadat (formerly Vice President) came to power in the country. In May 1971, he appealed to the Soviet government to increase military aid to Egypt. As a result, an agreement on friendship and cooperation was signed between the UAR and the USSR with protocols on new deliveries of weapons.

In the spring of 1972, Egypt received a batch (16 vehicles) of the latest Su-17 variable-wing fighter-bombers for that time. Also in the UAR, the latest reconnaissance bomber MiG-25RB (M-500), capable of destroying ground targets from heights of more than 20 kilometers, was tested. The test group was headed by Colonel A.S. Bezhevets. According to our experts, the MiG-25RB, if necessary, could freely attack the capital of Israel - Tel Aviv, overcoming its air defense system, built on the basis of the American Hawk air defense systems. But the development of such a scenario was not included in the plans of the Soviet leadership.

In July 1972, A. Sadat unilaterally refused the services of Soviet military advisers and specialists, which led to the subsequent withdrawal of Soviet troops and advisers from Egypt. The Egyptians were given the S-125, Kvadrat air defense systems and ZSU-23-4 Shilka anti-aircraft guns.

For successful combat operations in the UAR, 166 Soviet servicemen of the 18th anti-aircraft missile division of the ON were awarded government awards (8 of them posthumously). Many of them also received Egyptian awards. Soviet calculations of the S-125 air defense system destroyed 9 and shot down 3 Israeli aircraft. According to the Israeli Armed Forces, the losses amounted to 5 Phantoms, 3 aircraft (2 Phantoms and 1 Mirage-III) were damaged.

The title of Hero of the Soviet Union (for courage and heroism shown in the Middle Eastern skies and during testing of the latest MiG-25 aircraft) was awarded to military pilots A. Gordienko (April 26, 1971), A. Bezhevets (April 3, 1975) and N .Stogov (February 16, 1982). The rest of the flight the composition was awarded the Order of the Red Star.

Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Air Force Chief Marshal of Aviation P.S. Kutakhov with pilots of the squadron A.L. Danilov 135th Air Regiment. February 16-18, 1972 Egypt.

From left to right: 9th (in a beret) - P.S. Kutakhov, Commander-in-Chief of the USSR Air Force, Air Chief Marshal, twice Hero of the Soviet Union; 10th (next to Kutakhov) -A. M. Miroshnichenko, commander of the 135th regiment, colonel; 12th (with glasses) - I.M. Romanenko, commander of the air group, Major General of Aviation, Hero of the Soviet Union; 15th - A.I. Danilov, commander of the 3rd squadron, major; 16th (behind Danilov) - V.K. Likhachev, pilot-inspector, guard colonel, Hero of the Soviet Union; 11th (in suit) - S.I. Kharlamov, commander of the USSR Air Force grouping in Egypt - senior military adviser to the commander of the Air Force of Egypt, Major General of Aviation, Hero of the Soviet Union.

According to the publication: 100 years of the Russian Air Force (1912 - 2012)/ [Dashkov A. Yu., Golotyuk V. D.]; under total ed. V. N. Bondareva. - M .: Fund "Russian Knights", 2012. - 792 p.