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Other country air-to-air - File 01 of 28 - israel python family.jpg (1/1)
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#2
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Other country air-to-air - File 01 of 28 - israel python family.jpg (1/1)
Nice review of the Python
now do you have any stats on the combat story of the python? |
#3
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Other country air-to-air - File 01 of 28 - israel python family.jpg (1/1)
"ski2" wrote in news:PmkVi.1421$%Y6.1290
@nlpi061.nbdc.sbc.com: Nice review of the Python now do you have any stats on the combat story of the python? No, sorry, only the pictures (and maybe a wikipedia reference) |
#4
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The Python from one perspective
Have always been facinated by the Peru - Ecuador Air War of 1995. First, for
the excellent way in which it was executed, stretching both air forces to their resource and doctrinal limits, and secondly, for the fact that victory went to the side who flew harder for just five minutes longer, thank you Wellington. Not surprising was the lesson that in today's modern high tech and expensive world, a small nation without wealthy coalition allies, can not afford to even win a war. Of course, loosing one would have the effect of total economic destruction. A point well taken by Pakistan and India despite their nuclear chest beating. For all nations in the Americas this might represent an important reminder for future arms purchases. Significant risk is created when there is an regional imbalance in offensive weapons. When done deliberately, it escalates distrust and deters joint economic development. Prior to this 1995 war, Ecuador procured British Jaguars which was quickly countered by Peru obtaining Su-22ís from the Russians. It was the start of a mini-arms race that ended with this war. The bitter resentments after the war launched Peru into seeking MiG-29 fighters and Su-25 attack aircraft. It was an escalation, risky and expensive, and it introduced beyond visual range (BVR) missiles to the force equations. The agreement for the aircraft with the Belarus was void of support and weapons and it bypassed the Russian export agencies who were offended. To right the program, Peru then had to literally pay through the nose. Ecuador, realizing the ante-up cost of this move by Peru, started negotiations. In the end, both countries regained their senses. It took a few years, but they finally came around to reaching a historic peace accord that solved their border territorial problems. A historic precedent for the region. I think we agree, and perhaps it needs to be looked at again, that for most of the air forces in the Americas, there exist the roots of a common desire for a coalition framework of allies that in some cases would include the US. Worked into new aircraft sales, it could potentially offer incredible savings featuring a common fighter configuration with a regionally shared industrial program starting off with suitable defensive configurations. But this did not happen for many reasons and as you can see no a quiet arms race is rising between those nations whose governments deal in drugs and those who still do not. The Python missile was used in the Peru - Ecuador Air War. In Brazil, some time ago, I was joined by Rafael's South American marketing director for the Python missile, whom we shall call "Tali". Tali was at that time an Israeli Air Force (IAF) Reserve F-16 pilot who flew combat in the Bekaa Valley Air War (1982) but has three MiG-21 kills in Phantoms from the Yom Kippur War (1973). . He gives one of the most convincing and informative briefings on off-boresight all-aspect missiles ever. A real champion of the Python and why not. "Tali" briefed that there were more than 50 air-to-air kills attributed to the Python family and there was one Peruvian loss attributed to it during the border war with Ecuador. This was especially good to learn because initial reports coming out of Latin America was that Peru lost three fixed wing and two helicopters, all to handheld SAM's (Blowpipe/Redeye) and AAA while two Ecuadorian losses were from AAA. So I thought it would be useful to dig up the history and started to pull out all the old notebooks, newspapers, and magazines. In early 1995, the Peru-Ecuador border crisis, which had been on and off for years, started once again in earnest. The disputed area was important but was in the middle of the deep upper Amazon jungle region at the base of the Condor Mountains (Cordillera del Condor) on the eastern edge of the Andes which has few roads, rugged terrain, some outposts, limited communications, and frequent encounters between patrols from both sides. As contact incidents increased, troops from each army started massing in the Cenepa Valley, one of the most vaguely defined areas. Skirmishes started on 26Jan95 and lasted until the night of 09Feb95 when air action began. Peru charged that Ecuadorian helicopters attacked a Peruvian position and 36 Peruvian soldiers were killed along with at least 11 Ecuadorians. Each side accused the other of being the aggressor in an unmarked 48-mile stretch of border. This area was 600 miles north of Lima and 220 miles southeast of Quito along the Amazon river. On Friday, 10Feb95, three Peruvian warplanes were reported downed while attacking the strategic Ecuadorian outpost of Tiwintza and President Alberto Fujimori confirmed it the next day. He denied that Peru, whose military is twice the size of Ecuador's, planned to invade its smaller neighbor, but said the conflict "has escalated much more than was foreseen." Officially the Ecuadorian Air Force said it shot down two aircraft and hit another with unknown results. Fujimori's press conference also revealed that two Russian-made Sukhoi Su-22 fighter-bombers and one U.S. made A-37 jet were shot down on that Friday. He also said that the pilots of the A-37 and one Sukhoi ejected safely but the other Sukhoi's pilot was missing. The Peruvian Air Force on Saturday said two airmen were missing, without specifying from which aircraft. On Sunday (12Feb95) Peru's president announced that his forces shot down two Ecuadorian fighter-bombers, but Ecuador's military command said only that one of its warplanes was hit by Peruvian anti-aircraft fire. Fujimori specified in his television interview that an Israeli made Kfir C2 and a U.S. made A-37B were downed. The Ecuadorian military, stressing that one aircraft was lost and not describing the type, said it was providing air protection for ground troops in the disputed section of the Amazon. The official statement on the second aircraft was that.... "the plane was hit but was able to return to its base without major consequences." Peru admitted to the loss of two helicopters and three planes in the fighting. Ecuador still claimed it had downed two additional Peruvian helicopters. Officially the fighting claimed the lives of 45 soldiers and two civilians were killed by mines. Peru admits 36 of the total were its soldiers and 60 were wounded, while Ecuador says nine of its soldiers have died and 28 were wounded. Peru's losses included 1 x US made Cessna A-37 "Dragon Fly" light attack aircraft which are based out of Grupo 13 at Chiclayo and 2 x Russian Sukhoi custom made Su-17Ms, now called the Su-22 "Fitter F" that reside with Grupo 12, "Los Tigres" at Lima Tambo Air Base. Both A-37B's and Su-22's were forward deployed to the crisis area. The Fitters were acquired from Russia to offset Ecuador's acquisition of Jaguar attack aircraft from the UK. 36 x Su-22's were delivered between 1976 and 1978 with an additional 16 x aircraft brought in 1980. Many mods have been added to these aircraft which included a bolt-on French (Mirage F1) refueling probe. They were modified to have the more powerful RD-29B engine, same as in the advanced MiG 23 Flogger G, in place of the normal Lyulka which in 1980 was something. Because of this, they have a re-contoured and very "hot" back end which despite flare dispensers, must make them especially vulnerable to hand-held IR SAM's or air-to-air French MAGIC, US Sidewinder, and especially Israeli Python missiles. So the question was which aircraft was downed by the Python and were there any recorded engagements, especially between Kfir and Mirage 2000 aircraft. The curiosity about the Python 3's success was valid because both Ecuadorian and Colombian Kfir's / Mirages were outfitted with them. So here are the "best guess" results of the Ecuadorian-Peruvian Air War: 09Feb95 PuAF Canberra B(1).68's attacked Ecuadorian positions in the Cenepa Valley at night 10Feb95 PuAF A-37B and Su-22 aircraft make daylight raids on Tiwintza and Cueva de los Tayos. 2 x EqAF Mirage F-1JE's (806 & 807) and 2 x Kfir C2's (904 & 905) from Grupo 21 at 14:15 local were scrambled from Taura Air Base, near Quayaquil for a Combat Air Patrol mission over the Cenepa Valley CAP altitude at 17,000 ft, Maj Banderas acquires two targets on his radar at 9-11 km and VID's a pair of Su-22's located 2000 ft below his formation, he locked-on to the closest Fitter. The EqAF then downs 1 x PuAF Su-22 by Maj Raul Banderas from Grupo 21 at Taura Air Base in his Mirage F-1EJ (FAE 807) using a French MATRA Magic 2 Air-to-Air Missile. After Maj Banderas fired his missile he breaks down and the 2nd Fitter turns towards him and his wingman engages it The EqAF downs 1 x PuAF Su-22 by Capt Carlos Uscategul, Wingman to Maj Banderas, also from Grupo 21 at Taura Air Base with his Mirage F-1JE (FAE 806) using the French MATRA Magic 2 Air-to-Air Missile On low egress Capt Uscategul has the lead and Maj Banderas reports that he is being painted by a PuAF Mirage 2000 radar. They continue the bugout. Continuing Air Cover over the Cenepa Valley was done by the Kfir C2 section for the next 30 to 45 minutes when additional aircraft are sighted and engaged. EqAF downs 1 x A-37B by Capt Mata from Grupo 21 at Taura Air Base flying his Kfir C2 (FAE 905) and using an Israeli Rafael Python III Air-to-Air Missile. No complete debrief on Capt Mata's engagement was ever released (aspect/range, etc.), the Python use was deemed sensitive. The PuAF Su-22's and A-37B's were normally based in the Lima area (805 km south of Cenepa Valley) but were deployed to FOB's at Talara and Chiciayo. EqAF also claimed 1 x Helo downed (no confirmation) 13 Feb 95 EqAF A-37B's based at Manta Air Base, escorted by Mirage F-1JE and Kfir C2's attack Peruvian ground forces. The Mirage F-1's & Kfir's secure air superiority and then call in the attack jets. 14 Feb 95 Peru claims to down 1 x EqAF A-37B (FAE 892) from the 2311 Combat Squadron based at Manta Air Base with handheld SAM. Ecuador showed where the aircraft was damaged but it returned to base having recovered with combat damage. The PuAF also claimed to have downed 2 x Kfir C2's but it was denied by the EqAF and no missing aircraft were noted from inventory by the international press. The EqAf claimed downing 1 x Canberra but that also was no confirmed and no aircraft were reported missing and a head count located all airframes. 17 Feb 95 Cease Fire 22 Feb 95 Peruvian forces supported by Chinook and Bell 212 helicopters attacked Ecuadorian positions around Tiwintza. Some of the bloodiest ground fighting of the conflict. Many helicopters and transport aircraft on both sides were involved in front line skirmishes and support missions, medevac, assault, troop lift, and liaison flights. All during this time, the EqAF held air superiority over the contested area. 26 Feb 95 Offense stalls and both sides settle for uneasy peace The data provides that there was one Python III Kill from the a Kfir C2. Now lets go back to the 50 Python Kills mentioned by "Tali" in the Rafael literature. One would then expect that there would be 49 kills reserved for all other Python users. For known air wars, this places the Israeli and PRC Air Forces at the top of the user list. The IAF is obvious but the PRC configured its MiG-21's and F-8's stationed along the Vietnamese-PRC border with Python's. So the IAF contribution to the kill summary should be those kills accomplished by the IAF before, during, and after the Bekaa Valley days of 1982. The Python was first introduced into service on IAF F-15's in 1979, then with the F-4's & Kfir's, and then finally made suitable for the F-16. But primary users were always and still are, the IAF F-15's. So what would be the best guess of the IAF scorecard on the Python? Period from IOC to Bekaa Valley Air War (only F-15's) 22Jun79 to 01Jun82 11 + 0.5 + 0.5 = 12 total F-15 Kills with half-kills going to Kfir and F-4 aircraft. Python: Scored 3 Kills from 7 expenditures During the Bekaa Valley War (only F-15's again): 02Jun82 to 22Jun82 36 total F-15 Kills Python: 22 Kills from 44 expended including hangs & jettisons Post Bekaa Valley period to present (only F-15's) 01Jul82 to present 4 total F-15 Kills Python: N0 Kills recorded from 0 expended That makes 25 Israeli Python Kills and 1 Ecuadorian on my list..... what about the other 24 or so, and are there IAF Python Kills that have not been mentioned. There may be one F-4 Kill during the Bekaa that could be the only "open" possibility, but it was listed as an AIM-9D/G Kill. It was also established that the Kfir Kill on 27Jun79 (1st F-15 engagement) was also with an AIM-9D/G. Therefore, it is my understanding that the only Python Kills in Israel are with F-15's. The numbers couldn't have been a mis-que with prior Shafrir Kills, because that number approaches 100 and they were primarily utilized by Mirage III's and Neshers. Also, there was in the beginning a lot of growing pains with the Python..... the size of the fins requiring the gull-wing launchers, hang-up firings, seeker head mutual burning, multi-sortie reliability, off-boresight integration, etc.... So the final shot Pk versus tries, expends, guides, and actual hits is still up in the air. Could the PRC have accomplished 24 x Kills during the various spats with the Vietnamese Air Force? There were kills but no numbers that I saw ever reached double digits, in fact they rest on around 8. In a visit to Warton a fw years ago with a Polish contingent, I was seated with the Deputy VnAF Commander going up from Farnborough. He just smiled when asked, and would not confirm or deny the losses but said that things would never happen like that again. The Sidewinder AIM-9L/M data base has been easier to keep up. Considering the 3 x USAF kills over Bosnia (Super Galeb) and the fratricide of a Japanese JASDF F-15 by his wingman ("arm" switch problem) there are 126 launch events from 149 attempts that have netted 94 hits and 90 kills, and that includes the 38 x F-16 AIM-9 Kills from Isreal (2 x AIM-9D's included) and the 18 x Harrier Kills from the Falklands War. So the Python total could be at lest 34 and we can have fun with Tali about the others. The Python III is a bigger then the Sidewinder with larger tail fins. For the F-15 and later the F-4 it required an extended "gull-shaped" rail adapter that moved the missile fins farther away from the main wing pylon. For the F-16 it's higher weight made wing tip carriage questionable. The Python IV and V are lighter and have smaller fins. They adapt to almost all tactical fighters and are now especially well suited to the F-16. |
#5
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The Python from one perspective
ski2 wrote:
Have always been facinated by the Peru - Ecuador Air War of 1995. Thank you for a superbly written article. Very interesting and thought provoking. -- Moving things in still pictures! |
#6
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The Python from one perspective
In the old days running down the specifics of all the various air wars was a
very exciting line of work and amazingly the data changes sometimes. The Python numbers in Israel are still screwed up - but I think the Chinese connection is really the Oops factor.... oh well "®i©ardo" wrote in message o.uk... ski2 wrote: Have always been facinated by the Peru - Ecuador Air War of 1995. Thank you for a superbly written article. Very interesting and thought provoking. -- Moving things in still pictures! |
#7
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The Python from one perspective
To continue to beat the dog - the SHAFRIR was built primarily to up the
missile inventory numbers but to also provide a Sidewinder type IR weapon with a larger warhead - and that was the reason the Sparrow was so popular after the Phantoms showed up, but the Mirages, Neshers and Kfir's needed the same "edge". The edge is not having an enemy shoot at you after you effective "kill" him with a valid missile shot and hit then go screaming by him and he pops off a missile just before he crashes, explodes, or ejects. the big warhead was to create catastrophic destruction on impact to ensure better survival of the IAF fighters. The SHAFRIR's envelope was no better then the AIM-9B (30 degrees off the tail if you were lucky) but that was obtainable by the IAF pilots, it was the catastrophic destruction that was important and that has carried through in all the Python models. The eveolution is seekers brought high-off boresight shots to the head-on arena to the full "first-sight - first kill" realities of today's multi-band heads. |
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