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It’s not about BJP mate. I am angry because those porki swines fires 4 to 5 Amraam on our boys and we are still waiting to respond to that aggression.
India Strikes Against Pakistani Terrorism 2019
- Thread starter Pulkit
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S.A.T.A
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One must always be mindful of questioning the veracity of different versions of a story. However DG ISPR(and their PM) have flip-flopped their versions so many times, that any pakistani with brain should question their version. Indian govt's versions of events has been consistent and as subsequents events have borne out, found to be entirely true. So even those who ask questions, have no reasons for disbelieving it.
Ppl who are questioning the strikes based on damage assessment, one thing to ponder --- why are the Bakis not allowing anyone to visit the Madrassa?? If no bomb was dropped on it (which incidentally was on an isolated place) and it was a peaceful institution only (for teaching innocent pupils), why not allow people to visit the place? What can be more of a conclusive proof? And we naysayers are pointing a thousand fingers at our GOI and no one questions the Bakis.
Bakis might do it eventually though when they have got sufficient time to repair the damages, to show people what a cornerstone of peace the place really is, untouched by the impurities of the Indian bomb.
Bakis might do it eventually though when they have got sufficient time to repair the damages, to show people what a cornerstone of peace the place really is, untouched by the impurities of the Indian bomb.
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Pakis fired bvraam.....I believe iaf was not ordered for aggression........and now iaf is ordered for aggression too......
I think he talking about large scale artillery shelling in consort with another country (Afghanistan or Iran). The umbrella must be the bunkers.........................
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When are M777s coming? Any info how many we recieved,apart from the two which had trouble with our local rounds?
Kshatriya87
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Latest I heard was we got 7. Some will come from US. After that number, we start manufacturing here in India.
12arya
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'Abhinandan is a typically aggressive fighter pilot'
March 06, 2019
'Wing Commander Abhinandan would not have even worried if he was going to cross the LoC or not because he was not going to let go of a shot.'
IMAGE: Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik with a sand sculpture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at the beach in Puri, March 1, 2019. Photograph: PTI Photo
Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramanian (retd) has flown both the MiG-21 and Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft.
The fighter pilot served the Indian Air Force for 36 years and is an erudite and scholarly voice on strategic affairs.
The author of three books, Air Vice Marshal Subramanian is a visiting professor at Ashoka University and the Jindal School of International Affairs. He was formerly a visiting professor at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy and a visiting fellow at Harvard, Oxford and Northeastern Universities.
The pilot-scholar-commentator spoke to Rediff.com's Archana Masih about the impact of the IAF's daring missions last week. The first of a two-part interview:
As a fighter pilot yourself who has flown the MiG-21, what are your thoughts about Wing Commander Abhinandan's mission?
His mission was very clear. A pilot on an Operational Ready Platform is scrambled when there is an imminent threat. His job is to ensure that that imminent threat does not materialise into an actual threat.
That is what he did.
He was on an air defence mission, the task of an air defence mission pilot is to shoot down an enemy strike or air defence aircraft if it ingresses into Indian space and threatens targets.
We have shot down an aircraft even during peace, two months after the Kargil war.
Flight Lieutenant Prashant Bundela in a MiG-21 Bison shot down an Atlantique aircraft of the Pakistan air force because it strayed into Indian airspace and refused to go back.
(The officer won a gallantry medal, but unfortunately in 2002, Squadron Leader Bundela's MiG-21 crashed. He died four months later from spinal injuries sustained on ejection.)
Why did the aircraft not go back? Because he may have thought that the IAF would not call the bluff and shoot it down.
Similarly, the F-16 pilot would have thought that it has just made an ingress and his own radar probably told him to turn back, but he did not anticipate the Indians would scramble the fighters so fast and create a situation where he would have the threat of being shot down.
It was a clear-cut mission where the pilot had a task. He has been trained for it and has executed it with professionalism.
https://www.rediff.com/news/special/revenge-may-win-you-an-election-but-will-it-deter-your-enemy/20190305.htm
IMAGE: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment, March 2, 2019.
Since his return, what would be some of the procedures Wing Commander Abhinandan must be going through now and for the next few days?
He would be medically assessed. Having gone through an ejection the doctors would particularly examine his spine. The spine takes the biggest load during an ejection.
There will be psychological tests, multiple debriefs and an assessment -- if he is ok, he should be back in a cockpit pretty soon.
IMAGE: The IAF's MiG-21 aircraft.
How did an aircraft that the IAF plans to phase out this year best a superior aircraft like the F-16?
There are a number of factors that lead to this kind of situation. In history, we have had David besting Goliath.
It is about tactics, the aggressiveness in the mind of the fighter pilot, how much help the pilot gets from his ground control -- from the fighter controller who is vectoring him on to the package.
It is not just the MiG-21 vs the F-16, it is the environment, training, the pilot and the ability to take an opportunity shot.
That is what Abhinandan has done -- he has guided on to the package very well, has locked on and has pressed on with the attack which clearly indicates him as a typically aggressive fighter pilot.
We understand that 24 Pakistani aircraft were deployed and 8 Indian aircraft responded. To lay people like us it looks like an unequal fight, can you please explain?
It doesn't work that way. Let us hypothetically assume that there were 24 aircraft.
All these 24 aircraft are not equipped with bombs to drop on a target.
There will be 1/3 aircraft to drop bombs; 1/3 aircraft are air defence fighters to protect this formation; a couple of aircraft provide electronic warfare support -- it's a package and not these aircraft are coming in a single direction.
They would probably be split into two sub packages and be heading in different directions, but in the same area.
Then you have 3 to 4 pairs of Indian aircraft that are scrambled and directed on to these four elements.
This is typically how large force engagements take place.
Out of this only 1 to 2 will matrialise into an actual air to air engagement.
In this case, it was just one.
We were in a high state of alert after the Balakot strike. Despite that, how did a package of Pakistani aircraft breach our air defences the following day?
It did not breach. If 1 or 2 Pakistani aircraft had bombed an Indian air field or hit an important army installation, that would be a breach.
Here the aircraft has been spotted by our radar well in time and barely had they ingressed into the LoC they were intercepted.
The Pak package has been intercepted at the LoC and that's why Abhinandan had gone across the LoC because he was locked on to the F 16 that was heading back and took a shot.
By no yardstick was it a breach of our air defence system.
If the MiG 21 Bison is going to be phased out this year, why is it kept at a forward base?
As compared to all IAF fighters, the Bison can scramble the quickest.
It is an uncomplicated aircraft. The pilot runs to the aircraft, hops into the cockpit, is able to start it much quicker and off he goes.
It is certainly not in the same class as the F-16. Even though it is going to be phased out, it is not a platform to mess around with.
IMAGE: The F-16.
What does such a dogfight entails and what decisions have to be taken in lightening quick time?
The radar controller has to guide the fighter aircraft on to an enemy target.
When the pilot picks up the target either visually or on his radar from then on the decision-making cycle rests entirely with the pilot.
The pilot has to lock on to the enemy aircraft, decide what is his distance from the enemy aircraft and whether he needs to close in a little to fire his missile.
At the same time he cannot be oblivious that another pilot is locked on to him.
All this takes place with both the enemy aircraft and your own aircraft in speeds in access of 800 km/hr.
Once an enemy aircraft comes to know that somebody is locked on to him, he will start maneuvering his aircraft to 5G, 6G, 7G -- and you have to take the decision of when is the correct time to fire your missile.
It is over in a flash.
Instantaneous decisions have to be taken in that moment.
At that time, Wing Commander Abhinandan would not have even worried if he was going to cross the LoC or not because he was not going to let go of a shot.
It is quick, intense and you have to be decisive in your action.
You have flown the MiG-21, tell us about this aircraft.
This MiG-21 Bison is probably the most advanced version of the MiG-21 that exists in the world today.
The only thing similar to the old MiG-21 is the air frame and possibly the engine. The cockpit, instrumentation, radar, weapon systems are all reasonably advanced.
I would say the Bison would be a third generation plus kind of aircraft.
FactsPlease
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The India-Pakistan Conflict Was a Parade of Lies
The internet contributed to the culture of mendacity in a fight between nuclear neighbors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/opinion/india-pakistan-news.html#commentsContainer
- more about internet (alternative fact), less to the conflict
The internet contributed to the culture of mendacity in a fight between nuclear neighbors.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/opinion/india-pakistan-news.html#commentsContainer
- more about internet (alternative fact), less to the conflict
WARREN SS
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Well I respect him for his courage'Abhinandan is a typically aggressive fighter pilot'
March 06, 2019
'Wing Commander Abhinandan would not have even worried if he was going to cross the LoC or not because he was not going to let go of a shot.'
IMAGE: Sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik with a sand sculpture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman at the beach in Puri, March 1, 2019. Photograph: PTI Photo
Air Vice Marshal Arjun Subramanian (retd) has flown both the MiG-21 and Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft.
The fighter pilot served the Indian Air Force for 36 years and is an erudite and scholarly voice on strategic affairs.
The author of three books, Air Vice Marshal Subramanian is a visiting professor at Ashoka University and the Jindal School of International Affairs. He was formerly a visiting professor at the Fletcher School of Diplomacy and a visiting fellow at Harvard, Oxford and Northeastern Universities.
The pilot-scholar-commentator spoke to Rediff.com's Archana Masih about the impact of the IAF's daring missions last week. The first of a two-part interview:
As a fighter pilot yourself who has flown the MiG-21, what are your thoughts about Wing Commander Abhinandan's mission?
His mission was very clear. A pilot on an Operational Ready Platform is scrambled when there is an imminent threat. His job is to ensure that that imminent threat does not materialise into an actual threat.
That is what he did.
He was on an air defence mission, the task of an air defence mission pilot is to shoot down an enemy strike or air defence aircraft if it ingresses into Indian space and threatens targets.
We have shot down an aircraft even during peace, two months after the Kargil war.
Flight Lieutenant Prashant Bundela in a MiG-21 Bison shot down an Atlantique aircraft of the Pakistan air force because it strayed into Indian airspace and refused to go back.
(The officer won a gallantry medal, but unfortunately in 2002, Squadron Leader Bundela's MiG-21 crashed. He died four months later from spinal injuries sustained on ejection.)
Why did the aircraft not go back? Because he may have thought that the IAF would not call the bluff and shoot it down.
Similarly, the F-16 pilot would have thought that it has just made an ingress and his own radar probably told him to turn back, but he did not anticipate the Indians would scramble the fighters so fast and create a situation where he would have the threat of being shot down.
It was a clear-cut mission where the pilot had a task. He has been trained for it and has executed it with professionalism.
IMAGE: Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman with Defence Minister Nirmala Sitaraman at the Air Force Central Medical Establishment, March 2, 2019.
Since his return, what would be some of the procedures Wing Commander Abhinandan must be going through now and for the next few days?
He would be medically assessed. Having gone through an ejection the doctors would particularly examine his spine. The spine takes the biggest load during an ejection.
There will be psychological tests, multiple debriefs and an assessment -- if he is ok, he should be back in a cockpit pretty soon.
IMAGE: The IAF's MiG-21 aircraft.
How did an aircraft that the IAF plans to phase out this year best a superior aircraft like the F-16?
There are a number of factors that lead to this kind of situation. In history, we have had David besting Goliath.
It is about tactics, the aggressiveness in the mind of the fighter pilot, how much help the pilot gets from his ground control -- from the fighter controller who is vectoring him on to the package.
It is not just the MiG-21 vs the F-16, it is the environment, training, the pilot and the ability to take an opportunity shot.
That is what Abhinandan has done -- he has guided on to the package very well, has locked on and has pressed on with the attack which clearly indicates him as a typically aggressive fighter pilot.
We understand that 24 Pakistani aircraft were deployed and 8 Indian aircraft responded. To lay people like us it looks like an unequal fight, can you please explain?
It doesn't work that way. Let us hypothetically assume that there were 24 aircraft.
All these 24 aircraft are not equipped with bombs to drop on a target.
There will be 1/3 aircraft to drop bombs; 1/3 aircraft are air defence fighters to protect this formation; a couple of aircraft provide electronic warfare support -- it's a package and not these aircraft are coming in a single direction.
They would probably be split into two sub packages and be heading in different directions, but in the same area.
Then you have 3 to 4 pairs of Indian aircraft that are scrambled and directed on to these four elements.
This is typically how large force engagements take place.
Out of this only 1 to 2 will matrialise into an actual air to air engagement.
In this case, it was just one.
We were in a high state of alert after the Balakot strike. Despite that, how did a package of Pakistani aircraft breach our air defences the following day?
It did not breach. If 1 or 2 Pakistani aircraft had bombed an Indian air field or hit an important army installation, that would be a breach.
Here the aircraft has been spotted by our radar well in time and barely had they ingressed into the LoC they were intercepted.
The Pak package has been intercepted at the LoC and that's why Abhinandan had gone across the LoC because he was locked on to the F 16 that was heading back and took a shot.
By no yardstick was it a breach of our air defence system.
If the MiG 21 Bison is going to be phased out this year, why is it kept at a forward base?
As compared to all IAF fighters, the Bison can scramble the quickest.
It is an uncomplicated aircraft. The pilot runs to the aircraft, hops into the cockpit, is able to start it much quicker and off he goes.
It is certainly not in the same class as the F-16. Even though it is going to be phased out, it is not a platform to mess around with.
IMAGE: The F-16.
What does such a dogfight entails and what decisions have to be taken in lightening quick time?
The radar controller has to guide the fighter aircraft on to an enemy target.
When the pilot picks up the target either visually or on his radar from then on the decision-making cycle rests entirely with the pilot.
The pilot has to lock on to the enemy aircraft, decide what is his distance from the enemy aircraft and whether he needs to close in a little to fire his missile.
At the same time he cannot be oblivious that another pilot is locked on to him.
All this takes place with both the enemy aircraft and your own aircraft in speeds in access of 800 km/hr.
Once an enemy aircraft comes to know that somebody is locked on to him, he will start maneuvering his aircraft to 5G, 6G, 7G -- and you have to take the decision of when is the correct time to fire your missile.
It is over in a flash.
Instantaneous decisions have to be taken in that moment.
At that time, Wing Commander Abhinandan would not have even worried if he was going to cross the LoC or not because he was not going to let go of a shot.
It is quick, intense and you have to be decisive in your action.
You have flown the MiG-21, tell us about this aircraft.
This MiG-21 Bison is probably the most advanced version of the MiG-21 that exists in the world today.
The only thing similar to the old MiG-21 is the air frame and possibly the engine. The cockpit, instrumentation, radar, weapon systems are all reasonably advanced.
I would say the Bison would be a third generation plus kind of aircraft.
But being a senior pilot and officer what he did was not wise statergically
He should have calculated the chance of getting shoot down by AMRAAMs
Being so close to the LOC
Flying a mig bison with minimum Counter measures
There's another video ( I don't want to post here), he's lying on the ground with a thick pool of his own blood on the ground and in front of his eyes.....yet he's calm and was asking for the identity of his captor !!!!
#FalconSlayer
sorcerer
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Details of the February 27 dogfight over the LoC are slowly trickling in, revealing interesting aspects of the multi-aircraft encounter. According to a communique issued by the Indian Air Force, the Pakistani F-16s launched four-five air-to-air missiles at the Indian formation from a distance of 40-50 km. All the missiles, most likely AIM-120s, missed their intended targets and in fact one of them was shot down by an IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI air dominance fighter. The F-16s, being no match for the super-maneuverable Sukhois, hightailed it to Pakistan.
In the history of air combat the rarest kill is an air-to-air missile kill, so the failure of the missile barrage by the F-16s isn't such a big deal. However, if the report of the downing of an air-to-air missile by a Sukhoi is true, it is a truly astounding event because that's like hitting a bullet with a bullet.
People who question the IAF's version of events don't realise that the service never exaggerates its kills nor hides losses. This is because it needs to acquire a true picture of its capabilities - and that of its adversaries - and the best way to lose the next war is to get those strike rates wrong. For instance, for more than 25 years beginning in 1981 the IAF made frequent and regular over-flights over Pakistan, but has never divulged details of those missions. The aircraft used was the reconnaissance (spying) version of the world's fastest fighter ever - the Russian MiG-25 (NATO codename: Foxbat).
The Pakistani military and political leadership knew about these over-flights but kept quiet because they didn't want to let their people know the Pakistan Air Force was powerless to intercept it. The MiG-25s flew at speeds of Mach 2.8 or around 3,500 kmph at heights between 65,000 and 85,000 ft while the much slower F-16s (maximum speed Mach 1.9) couldn't climb over 50,000 ft. There is no fighter aircraft in the Western air forces that can match the MiG-25.
The Pakistani public first came to know of these humiliating over-flights in May 1997 when an IAF MiG-25R flew deep into Pakistani airspace on a reconnaissance mission, photographed sensitive defence sites and broke the sound barrier, sending a powerful sonic boom over Islamabad. Before the Pakistanis could figure out what had hit them or scramble their fighter aircraft, the intruding MiG-25 was back in Indian airspace.
Details of the missions are classified, so it remains a mystery why the Indian pilot chose to reveal his presence over a heavily populated area of Pakistan. Some sources like Spyflight, a website dedicated to reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, have speculated that the MiG-25 pilot wanted to show that the PAF was the IAF's bunny.
"The aircraft entered Pakistani airspace sub-sonically (below the speed of sound) at around 65,000 ft and was undetected," says Spyflight. "Then having overflown and photographed strategic installations near the capital, Islamabad, the aircraft turned back towards India. Perhaps to rub the Pakistanis' noses in it, the Foxbat pilot decided to accelerate up to Mach 2 and dropped a large sonic boom as he exited Pakistani airspace. A number of PAF F-16As were scrambled, but had insufficient time to make an effective intercept."
India denied the incident but the then Pakistani Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan believed that the Foxbat photographed strategic installations near Islamabad. Air Power International says the Pakistan government considered the breaking of the sound barrier a deliberate act - to make the point that the PAF had no aircraft in its inventory which could come close to the cruising height of the MiG-25.
Flying at the edge of space, the aircraft was virtually undetectable to Pakistan's radar network. Only the sonic boom and the fact that it was flying at an unusually low level allowed a Pakistani forward operating base to trace the Foxbat and scramble a couple of F-16As from Sargodha air base.
Chasing the Foxbat was pointless. Sources in the PAF told Air Power International there was no need to intercept an aircraft flying at 65,000 ft as the F-16 could climb to an altitude of only 50,000 ft. If pushed to its limits, the Russian jet could climb much higher. On August 21, 1977, Russian test pilot Alexander Fedotov climbed to an altitude of 123,523 ft above the Earth.
The Foxbat's speed posed a huge set of problem for any interceptor. It was capable of sustained speeds of Mach 2.5 whereas Western fighters could potentially end up with their engines irreparably damaged if they tried that stunt. The F-16's normal cruising speed is Mach 1.2 which would allow the MiG-25 to fly laps around it.
Worse, as the highly experienced and well-equipped Israeli Air Force found out - while trying to intercept a Syrian MiG-25 - attacking a Foxbat head on also proved unsuccessful because the radars and guidance computers of Western air-to-air missiles couldn't cope with the MiG's tremendous closing speed and failed to achieve a lock.
In this backdrop, the smaller and poorly trained PAF had no chance of intercepting the Indian Foxbats which overflew Pakistani territory with impunity.
Mastery over Pakistani skies ::
From 1981 to 2006, eight MiG-25s of the Trisonics squadron based in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, flew unchallenged over Pakistan (and sometimes Tibet), taking countless high definition photographs and radar images of the situation on the ground. Plus, they recorded electronic emissions from Pakistani and Chinese military communication networks. On an average they flew 10-15 missions a month.
The MiG-25 was Russia's secret weapon against American bombers and therefore was not supplied to even its closest Warsaw Pact allies. However, the defection of the traitor Viktor Belenko in 1976 compromised the aircraft's secrets and it was made available for export, including to India in August 1981. Aviation expert Shiv Aroor of LiveFist quotes former IAF chief Idris Latif: "I was shocked and delighted to learn that the Soviets were actually offering MiG-25 Foxbats to us in 1980. I phoned up Mrs (Indira) Gandhi and she told me to go ahead and make a decision...The Foxbat was the best in the world and it was made available to us."
Tough as nails ::
Although the photographs taken by the Trisonics remain classified, legendary aviation author Yefim Gordon offers a glimpse into the secretive world of these high-performance jets.
The Foxbat had no defensive armament but relied on its maximum Mach 3 speed and its high operating ceiling to escape any attacker. In his book 'MiG-25 Foxbat, MiG-31 Foxhound: Russia's Defensive Front Line' Gordon writes: "The MiG-25RB (reconnaissance/strike version) and its versions were popular with their crews due to their exceptional performance: high speed, excellent picture quality, the ability to reconnoiter large areas in a single sortie and low vulnerability to enemy fire."
The Foxbat spy plane could detect parked aircraft, trains, ships and visualise the condition of bridges and similar structures. The IAF often flew special missions for the Indian Army when it sought intelligence on Pakistani armoured assets. The picture generated by the radar was developed on the ground in a specially equipped van. Former IAF Wing Commander Alok Chauhan told LiveFist: "These aircraft can map a country the size of Pakistan in a single-digit number of missions..."
Flying into the sunset ::
With India acquiring high resolution remote sensing satellites with the capability to read even the licence plate of a parked army truck, there was no longer a need for reconnaissance aircraft to overfly enemy territory. The MiG-25R began to look like a Cold War relic.
The other reason was the issue of spare parts from Russia. IAF officers report that the Russians had closed down the plants that made Foxbat parts. They had even got rid of the blueprints.
The Trisonics are gone but hopefully one day the IAF will release the stories of their missions that will detail how they ran rings around the Pakistanis.
https://www.businesstoday.in/opinio...unchallenged-over-islamabad/story/325072.html
In the history of air combat the rarest kill is an air-to-air missile kill, so the failure of the missile barrage by the F-16s isn't such a big deal. However, if the report of the downing of an air-to-air missile by a Sukhoi is true, it is a truly astounding event because that's like hitting a bullet with a bullet.
People who question the IAF's version of events don't realise that the service never exaggerates its kills nor hides losses. This is because it needs to acquire a true picture of its capabilities - and that of its adversaries - and the best way to lose the next war is to get those strike rates wrong. For instance, for more than 25 years beginning in 1981 the IAF made frequent and regular over-flights over Pakistan, but has never divulged details of those missions. The aircraft used was the reconnaissance (spying) version of the world's fastest fighter ever - the Russian MiG-25 (NATO codename: Foxbat).
The Pakistani military and political leadership knew about these over-flights but kept quiet because they didn't want to let their people know the Pakistan Air Force was powerless to intercept it. The MiG-25s flew at speeds of Mach 2.8 or around 3,500 kmph at heights between 65,000 and 85,000 ft while the much slower F-16s (maximum speed Mach 1.9) couldn't climb over 50,000 ft. There is no fighter aircraft in the Western air forces that can match the MiG-25.
The Pakistani public first came to know of these humiliating over-flights in May 1997 when an IAF MiG-25R flew deep into Pakistani airspace on a reconnaissance mission, photographed sensitive defence sites and broke the sound barrier, sending a powerful sonic boom over Islamabad. Before the Pakistanis could figure out what had hit them or scramble their fighter aircraft, the intruding MiG-25 was back in Indian airspace.
Details of the missions are classified, so it remains a mystery why the Indian pilot chose to reveal his presence over a heavily populated area of Pakistan. Some sources like Spyflight, a website dedicated to reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft, have speculated that the MiG-25 pilot wanted to show that the PAF was the IAF's bunny.
"The aircraft entered Pakistani airspace sub-sonically (below the speed of sound) at around 65,000 ft and was undetected," says Spyflight. "Then having overflown and photographed strategic installations near the capital, Islamabad, the aircraft turned back towards India. Perhaps to rub the Pakistanis' noses in it, the Foxbat pilot decided to accelerate up to Mach 2 and dropped a large sonic boom as he exited Pakistani airspace. A number of PAF F-16As were scrambled, but had insufficient time to make an effective intercept."
India denied the incident but the then Pakistani Foreign Minister Gohar Ayub Khan believed that the Foxbat photographed strategic installations near Islamabad. Air Power International says the Pakistan government considered the breaking of the sound barrier a deliberate act - to make the point that the PAF had no aircraft in its inventory which could come close to the cruising height of the MiG-25.
Flying at the edge of space, the aircraft was virtually undetectable to Pakistan's radar network. Only the sonic boom and the fact that it was flying at an unusually low level allowed a Pakistani forward operating base to trace the Foxbat and scramble a couple of F-16As from Sargodha air base.
Chasing the Foxbat was pointless. Sources in the PAF told Air Power International there was no need to intercept an aircraft flying at 65,000 ft as the F-16 could climb to an altitude of only 50,000 ft. If pushed to its limits, the Russian jet could climb much higher. On August 21, 1977, Russian test pilot Alexander Fedotov climbed to an altitude of 123,523 ft above the Earth.
The Foxbat's speed posed a huge set of problem for any interceptor. It was capable of sustained speeds of Mach 2.5 whereas Western fighters could potentially end up with their engines irreparably damaged if they tried that stunt. The F-16's normal cruising speed is Mach 1.2 which would allow the MiG-25 to fly laps around it.
Worse, as the highly experienced and well-equipped Israeli Air Force found out - while trying to intercept a Syrian MiG-25 - attacking a Foxbat head on also proved unsuccessful because the radars and guidance computers of Western air-to-air missiles couldn't cope with the MiG's tremendous closing speed and failed to achieve a lock.
In this backdrop, the smaller and poorly trained PAF had no chance of intercepting the Indian Foxbats which overflew Pakistani territory with impunity.
Mastery over Pakistani skies ::
From 1981 to 2006, eight MiG-25s of the Trisonics squadron based in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, flew unchallenged over Pakistan (and sometimes Tibet), taking countless high definition photographs and radar images of the situation on the ground. Plus, they recorded electronic emissions from Pakistani and Chinese military communication networks. On an average they flew 10-15 missions a month.
The MiG-25 was Russia's secret weapon against American bombers and therefore was not supplied to even its closest Warsaw Pact allies. However, the defection of the traitor Viktor Belenko in 1976 compromised the aircraft's secrets and it was made available for export, including to India in August 1981. Aviation expert Shiv Aroor of LiveFist quotes former IAF chief Idris Latif: "I was shocked and delighted to learn that the Soviets were actually offering MiG-25 Foxbats to us in 1980. I phoned up Mrs (Indira) Gandhi and she told me to go ahead and make a decision...The Foxbat was the best in the world and it was made available to us."
Tough as nails ::
Although the photographs taken by the Trisonics remain classified, legendary aviation author Yefim Gordon offers a glimpse into the secretive world of these high-performance jets.
The Foxbat had no defensive armament but relied on its maximum Mach 3 speed and its high operating ceiling to escape any attacker. In his book 'MiG-25 Foxbat, MiG-31 Foxhound: Russia's Defensive Front Line' Gordon writes: "The MiG-25RB (reconnaissance/strike version) and its versions were popular with their crews due to their exceptional performance: high speed, excellent picture quality, the ability to reconnoiter large areas in a single sortie and low vulnerability to enemy fire."
The Foxbat spy plane could detect parked aircraft, trains, ships and visualise the condition of bridges and similar structures. The IAF often flew special missions for the Indian Army when it sought intelligence on Pakistani armoured assets. The picture generated by the radar was developed on the ground in a specially equipped van. Former IAF Wing Commander Alok Chauhan told LiveFist: "These aircraft can map a country the size of Pakistan in a single-digit number of missions..."
Flying into the sunset ::
With India acquiring high resolution remote sensing satellites with the capability to read even the licence plate of a parked army truck, there was no longer a need for reconnaissance aircraft to overfly enemy territory. The MiG-25R began to look like a Cold War relic.
The other reason was the issue of spare parts from Russia. IAF officers report that the Russians had closed down the plants that made Foxbat parts. They had even got rid of the blueprints.
The Trisonics are gone but hopefully one day the IAF will release the stories of their missions that will detail how they ran rings around the Pakistanis.
https://www.businesstoday.in/opinio...unchallenged-over-islamabad/story/325072.html
cannonfodder
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He has trained his entire life to take down that F-16. It must have not taken more than 5 minutes in dog fight to make all the decision with adrenaline rush of getting lock on. Respect to him, he is living legend.
Kazah
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Look at these idiots, becoming heroes without doing anything. They can claim credit of downing our Mig but where is the 2nd jet they are talking about.
“Two Indian planes were shot down by Pakistan Air Force on February 27,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told parliament Wednesday.
He named them as Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui and Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan, saying he wanted to “pay tribute” to them both.
Siddiqui had been widely named in unverified comments on social media.
They are naming these pilots because their names got floated in social media
sorcerer
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Looks like we are going for the kill in some time.
Ordnance Factory looks to revive production of Anti-Aircraft Guns
“There has been demand for some items which cannot be revealed and we are fulfilling (them),” Saurabh Kumar, DGOF and Chairman, Ordnance Factory Board, told newspersons on the sidelines of CII Eastern Region annual meeting here on Wednesday.
He was responding to a query on whether there was some ‘extra activity’ in the OFB plants post the Pulwama terror attack.
https://www.thehindubusinessline.co...ion-of-anti-aircraft-guns/article26449397.ece
Islamic state of NOTAM will extend their NOTAM
Ordnance Factory looks to revive production of Anti-Aircraft Guns
“There has been demand for some items which cannot be revealed and we are fulfilling (them),” Saurabh Kumar, DGOF and Chairman, Ordnance Factory Board, told newspersons on the sidelines of CII Eastern Region annual meeting here on Wednesday.
He was responding to a query on whether there was some ‘extra activity’ in the OFB plants post the Pulwama terror attack.
https://www.thehindubusinessline.co...ion-of-anti-aircraft-guns/article26449397.ece
Islamic state of NOTAM will extend their NOTAM
Initially, only the pilot who downed Abhinandan's Mig-21 was named. Then they realized that they need another pilot's name for the phantom plane that they downed......and went ahead and picked another name few days later.
Look at these idiots, becoming heroes without doing anything. They can claim credit of downing our Mig but where is the 2nd jet they are talking about.
“Two Indian planes were shot down by Pakistan Air Force on February 27,” Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi told parliament Wednesday.
He named them as Squadron Leader Hassan Siddiqui and Wing Commander Nauman Ali Khan, saying he wanted to “pay tribute” to them both.
Siddiqui had been widely named in unverified comments on social media.
They are naming these pilots because their names got floated in social media
How conspicuous do these morons make of their own idiocy?? Well, for a nation bred to be idiots, I guess they can make it quite conspicuous and still get away with it!!!!
tomato
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Agree with one thing what he says here... its 100% true as my "good friend" told me ..our boys are sitting on something very big and they are only waiting orders.
WARREN SS
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Nope there AMRAAMS were fired distance from basically 50-40 Km
Gives enough time to make MKI'S statergic manuver using flares and Countermeasures
sorcerer
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In the history of air combat the rarest kill is an air-to-air missile kill, so the failure of the missile barrage by the F-16s isn't such a big deal. However, if the report of the downing of an air-to-air missile by a Sukhoi is true, it is a truly astounding event because that's like hitting a bullet with a bullet.
Business Today
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