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Germans Land Russian MiGs At Nellis
Las Vegas Review-Journal |
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By Keith Rogers, Review-Journal Five Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets flown by German pilots landed safely Friday at Nellis Air Force Base after a historic flight through U.S. airspace to reach combat training ranges in Nevada. 'The ATC (air traffic control) was calling us 'MiG' traffic to airliners. That's a special feeling. And it's a special feeling to fly over your country,' said Col. Knut Rtze, shortly after he descended from the cockpit to greet a swarm of U.S. and German air force personnel on the Nellis ramp. Befitting what's called the Red Flag aerial combat training exercises, the MiGs for the first time ever will take center stage as the aggressor 'red team,' which will portray enemy aircraft to challenge the U.S. and allied aircraft 'blue team' in simulated combat at Nellis Air Force Range for two weeks ending Nov. 6. Acting commander Lt. Col. Billy Horn said, 'This is obviously an exciting time for Red Flag. 'We simulate MiG-29s on a daily basis,' he said. 'But for them to actually fly and for us to fight against them, it's actually what we faced in Iraq, Bosnia and Kosovo. 'It's one of the most widely exported fighters in the world,' Horn said about the MiG fighters. Rtze led a team of 12 pilots and some 220 ground crew members of the 73rd Steinhoff Fighter Wing from Laage, Germany, most of whom arrived by air transport before the five MiG-29 'Fulcrum' jets taxied down the runway with parachutes in tow to slow them down. In all, six MiGs hopscotched from Germany to islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, then flying to Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, on to Burlington International Airport in Vermont and then to Scott Air Force Base, Ill., and Colorado Springs, Colo. One of the MiGs remained in Colorado Springs for maintenance and was expected to arrive at the Nellis base during the weekend. One MiG pilot, Lt. Col. Hans Koeck, said having a MiG-29 squadron to use for training 'is something special. It's good to fly an airplane that we're trained to fly against. 'Flying in this exercise means flying against the best of the best,' he said, noting that 'in close range they (MiG-29s) are one of the best in the world.' |
 In all, the German squadron has 23 MiG-29s obtained from East Germany on Oct. 3, 1990, after the country's reunification following the Cold War. They are armed with Russian radar-guided and heat-seeking missiles and 30mm cannons. While Horn said there will be live munitions demonstrations during Red Flag, all combat exercises will be simulated by tracking hits from missiles with radar. 'They go to the east. We go to the west, and we all meet in the middle. It's an actual air-to-air war. We're trying to kill as many of the blues as we can,' said Horn, the Red Team leader. Theoretically, he said, 'If we die, it doesn't matter. It's great because it means they (blue team members) are successful.' Lt. Col. Bob Lemmon, the 48th Operational Support Squadron commander at Nellis, said the exercise with MiGs and a mix of U.S. craft is important because 'you're going to see exactly the same thing that we'll have the possibility of seeing in real combat.' Horn said despite the MiGs' tight maneuvering capabilities, the U.S. Air Force with its F-15s, F-16s and F-17A stealth craft is 'most definitely' superior. 'We are still the best trained, most capable air force in the world,' he said. For more on the modern Luftwaffe go to MiG News MiG-29 Mikoyan-Gurevich 'Fulcrum'
Source: Jane's All The World's Aircraft Join a discussion forum on this article by clicking HERE.
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