- 6/2/2025
For educational purposes
In October 2000, US F/A-18s took the chance to do a joint training (red October exercise) with the German MiG-29s after the German reunification.
The German Luftwaffe inherited the MiG-29s from the Air Forces of the National People’s Army (East German Air Forces).
So they became the first NATO MiG-29s and allowed the NATO members to study the top weapon of the former Warsaw Pact countries.
A lot of rumours have been spread about the capabilities of this top fighter jet – now they had the possibility to check and verify them.
In October 2000, US F/A-18s took the chance to do a joint training (red October exercise) with the German MiG-29s after the German reunification.
The German Luftwaffe inherited the MiG-29s from the Air Forces of the National People’s Army (East German Air Forces).
So they became the first NATO MiG-29s and allowed the NATO members to study the top weapon of the former Warsaw Pact countries.
A lot of rumours have been spread about the capabilities of this top fighter jet – now they had the possibility to check and verify them.
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LearningTranscript
00:00Thank you for listening.
00:30In the 5th century BC, the Chinese military philosopher Sun Tzu observed there are three keys for a nation to be victorious in war. Soldiers willing to do battle. Weapons ready for use. And perhaps most important, the wisdom to win without fighting.
00:57But wisdom is born of experience. Without war, without enemies to fight, experience must come from training in conditions as real as possible.
01:07For a squadron of U.S. Navy F-18 Hornet pilots, the war games are about to begin against a very real and threatening opponent, the Russian-built MiG-29 Fulcrum.
01:22For these peacetime pilots, the price of wisdom just went up.
01:33It's called Red October.
01:41The United States Navy's F-18 training syllabus covers all aspects of flying and combat.
02:05The fighter weapons phase typically occurs at this training squadron's home field in Virginia or on a detachment to Key West.
02:13But some of this year's pilots are about to get an unheard of opportunity, paired with a daunting challenge.
02:21It requires one of the longest peacetime flights a Navy fighter pilot will ever make.
02:33Nine hours across the Atlantic Ocean to meet the most widely exported threat aircraft in the world, the MiG-29.
02:41But these MiGs are different.
02:47They are flown by an ally and provide real-world training against the actual threat.
02:53Not a computer, not a simulation, and not a Hornet pretending to be the Fulcrum, but a living, breathing, real MiG-29.
03:02Flown by the best-trained, most experienced, and toughest Fulcrum pilots on the planet, the German Luftwaffe's 73rd Fighter Wing.
03:23Red October is two weeks of training over the forests of the former East Germany, where the first jet aircraft was built.
03:30The Navy trains against the MiG-29, because it is the MiG-29 that they will most likely see in combat.
03:37Shark 1 is dead. Shark 1 is dead.
03:40Coffee. Shark 1 is dead.
03:43Widely sold by the Soviet Union and then Russia, the Fulcrum is inexpensive.
03:48Two aircraft can be had for the price of a single Hornet.
03:54Named for Mikoyan and Garevich, the creators of the original Soviet jet fighters,
03:59over 1,400 MiGs have been built since 1984, with over half for export.
04:06U.S. pilots have seen combat with the Fulcrum over Libya, Iraq, and Yugoslavia.
04:11Flown by other nations such as Cuba, Syria, Iran, and North Korea,
04:16the Fulcrum represents the prime future airborne threat to American pilots.
04:20The chance to see it up close in the mock dogfights of Red October is unparalleled.
04:26In a simple comparison, plane versus plane, the Boeing-built Hornet comes out on top.
04:42But the advantage over the MiG is less clear when the jets come to the merge,
04:47an engagement's initial meeting where the aircraft pass 1,000 feet apart
04:51at speeds that can exceed 1,000 miles per hour.
04:54The formations and presentations of the battle may be pre-set,
04:59but the outcome is anything but certain.
05:03In the end, it is the quality and experience of the pilots that matters most.
05:08Dogfighting is like a night fight.
05:10It is close combat, and nowhere in the world will you find a better MiG-29 pilot than here in Germany.
05:16They fight with an Eastern weapon, but have adapted Western tactics.
05:21They are trained to use independent, creative thinking,
05:25and benefit from NATO support and maintenance,
05:27flying upwards of 150 hours a year.
05:30These German MiG pilots are the best trained, best equipped, and most dangerous opponents
05:37the F-18 pilots will ever face.
05:45Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach
05:47is home to 11 Hornet fighter squadrons,
05:51two of which are headed for Red October.
05:53VFA-106, a replacement air group, or RAG squadron,
05:58training new F-18 pilots how to fly,
06:00while giving veteran Hornet pilots practice on the latest strategies.
06:04And VFC-12, an adversary squadron whose role in air combat training
06:11is to simulate a MiG-29, duplicating the MiG tactics with the F-18.
06:23But a simulated dogfight between two F-18s is like shadowboxing.
06:29That's where the U.S. Navy hopes Red October will make a difference.
06:32Training to fly against real MiG-29s
06:36will take the air combat knowledge and readiness of its pilots to peak efficiency.
06:42I was against an instructor flying another Hornet,
06:45and we ended up two-circle on the deck.
06:48And one of the things I talk about against a MiG-29
06:50or a higher thrust-weight aircraft
06:51is it'll translate aft on your canopy.
06:54I am looking more over my shoulder as it gets more and more offensive.
06:58And you fight another Hornet, and you're both kind of just doing this,
07:01and they say, well, I was translating aft on your canopy.
07:03And you're like, okay, sure.
07:06Flying the same jet, I have no idea.
07:08And that was one of the, just one of the, a small point,
07:10but it's something I noticed.
07:11And then I got on the deck against a MiG-29,
07:13and I watched him go, wow!
07:14And I went, that's what translating aft on my canopy is.
07:17Since before Sun Tzu's time,
07:20the same strategy has been used in training master warriors.
07:25The purpose is to prepare them
07:26so that by the time they step on the field of battle,
07:29they know their opponents' every move
07:31before the first move is made.
07:34The warrior's knowledge of an enemy becomes so precise
07:37that at critical moments he is able to act swiftly on instinct,
07:41knowing what to do and what not to do,
07:43calmly, without the burden of thought.
07:48For the pilots of Red October,
07:50gaining real-world knowledge of the MiG-29 Fulcrum
07:53will sharpen their instinct
07:54should they ever face one in combat.
07:56F-18 missions rarely last more than two hours.
08:04But the nine-hour transatlant from Oceana to Laga, Germany
08:06for Red October is no ordinary mission.
08:10To stay focused during the long flight,
08:12the pilots keep each other company,
08:14talking, even singing Academy fight songs.
08:20They wear five layers of clothing
08:22should they have to ditch into the frigid North Atlantic.
08:26The crossing is so long
08:30and so much fuel is needed
08:31that two tankers are required.
08:40In fact, even the Boeing KC-10 needs refueling.
08:45But for the invaluable training of Red October,
08:48it's worth it.
08:51Your concern is the update on the weather.
08:54The latest weather we had is about an hour.
08:56The first wave of F-18s flew through Hurricane Michael,
08:59forcing them to refuel several times
09:01under difficult conditions.
09:04Understood, sir.
09:05And the weather is getting worked by the other jet.
09:09This second cell departs the next day
09:11and finds clear skies.
09:15Okay, stand by with them.
09:17Let's get this guy here to the basket,
09:18then we'll talk.
09:19Press my deck.
09:20Drawing within 50 feet of the KC-10
09:23at 400 miles per hour
09:25with a fuel basket dancing in a crosswind,
09:29the in-flight procedure looks difficult,
09:31but for the pilots,
09:32it is a welcome break
09:33from the monotony of flying and formation.
09:35I'm on the line, clear to contact.
09:37F-18s have limited internal fuel capacity,
09:40so-called short legs.
09:42Each jet is outfitted
09:44with three external fuel tanks,
09:46maximizing their range
09:47at nearly 1,400 nautical miles.
09:50Each Hornet will use 4,700 gallons of fuel,
09:54enough for a car to drive
09:55each of the 50,000 miles of interstate
09:58in the United States three times over.
10:03In order to preserve enough fuel
10:05to reach a divert base in an emergency,
10:07they will top off their tanks six times
10:09while crossing the Atlantic.
10:12The fuel flows quickly,
10:14and a single minute,
10:15the tanker transfers as much gas
10:18as a typical American car needs
10:19for a year.
10:22Compared to the aerial war games
10:24waiting for them in Red October,
10:26the Translant is an endurance test.
10:29But there are no complaints.
10:31Bragging rights come with flying
10:33nine hours in a Hornet,
10:35and pilots will wear it like a metal.
10:37I'm going to put my wingman in there
10:38just to get a little gas.
10:40Roger, go ahead.
10:41Disconnect.
10:42Disconnected.
10:43Disconnected.
10:43A dogfight can be over
10:53in the blink of an eye.
10:54The pilots record the action
10:56as seen through the heads-up display.
10:58After the flights,
11:00the videotapes are reviewed.
11:02That's when the kills are validated
11:03and the tactics are evaluated.
11:06Here, Cesar explains
11:08what happened on his mission.
11:09Okay, what we're looking at here is
11:11I'm approximately 50 degrees,
11:14nose low, inverted.
11:15And I think one of the interesting things
11:17about BFM is, you know,
11:19we're pretty much people,
11:20horizon's good,
11:21level's good,
11:22you're driving your car.
11:23Once you're in a fight,
11:24you have no idea which way is up.
11:25You get fleeting glimpses
11:26of the ground, the sky.
11:28I had no idea which way I was heading.
11:29I knew my altitude.
11:30I knew it was 50 degrees,
11:31nose low.
11:32I knew where the hard deck was,
11:33i.e. our minimum altitude.
11:35Now in combat,
11:35our minimum altitude
11:36would be the ground.
11:37But that's a little dangerous
11:38to train too.
11:39In this case,
11:40our minimum altitude
11:40is 8,000 feet
11:41because of the floor
11:42of our operating area.
11:44But I know I've got
11:44plenty of altitude
11:45and I'm pushing them around
11:46offensively here
11:48that I feel like
11:49I can do anything
11:50I need to do.
11:50And here I am inverted,
11:51coming through 50 degrees,
11:52nose low.
11:53I've got G right here.
11:54I'm under 3.2 Gs.
11:55Apologize for the quality of that.
11:57And I've got my time in here,
11:59which is good
11:59for reconstruction purposes.
12:01And I'm at 2,100 feet of range
12:02and 240 knots velocity,
12:05or V sub C,
12:05we call it closure.
12:07In this instance,
12:08I don't have a radar lock
12:08on a MiG-29
12:09with guns selected.
12:11And this is our funnel.
12:13The radar's not getting a lock,
12:15but the funnel means
12:16that bullets,
12:16if I pull the trigger,
12:17are coming out.
12:18And as I transcribe
12:19through the sky,
12:20through that arc,
12:21the bullets are going
12:23down through there.
12:23And if I do pull the trigger
12:25with a radar lock,
12:26it switches from the funnel
12:27to the director mode.
12:29I've got a TD box,
12:30target designator box,
12:30that says,
12:31hey, the target's in there.
12:32Actually,
12:32it's a little bit lagging
12:33right there.
12:34And this is where
12:34my PIPR is right now.
12:35If I pull the trigger,
12:37that's where the bullets
12:38would go.
12:39So my job is to maneuver
12:40this out in front of him
12:41along his flight path
12:43and just rake him
12:44over the coals.
12:46So we're working
12:47those low here.
12:48Okay, right there was one
12:52fleeting.
12:53It's a radar lock,
12:55but it's a snapshot.
12:56What we mean snapshot,
12:57I mean it is instantaneous,
12:59quick shot.
13:00It's a valid snapshot
13:01from the aspect of,
13:02I'm pulling the trigger
13:03a little earlier here,
13:03but I'm seeing his flight path
13:04coming this way.
13:05I'm trying to bring
13:06the director reticled down
13:07and to intersect
13:08his flight path.
13:09So if you watch closely,
13:12there's the event marker.
13:13The trigger's down.
13:13I'm spraying bullets
13:14in front of him.
13:15And right there,
13:19not a great shot,
13:20but I did take out
13:21about three or four feet
13:22of his left wing tip.
13:23Will that affect him?
13:24I think so.
13:25But I'm just spraying
13:26bullets downrange here.
13:27Again,
13:28the fangs are out.
13:29I'm really,
13:29you know,
13:29it's a MiG-29.
13:30It's a fall curve.
13:31And here I am fighting him.
13:32And I'm not really
13:34disciplined on my trigger.
13:36Don't have a ton of bullets.
13:38578 bullets in this case.
13:39These are all simulated here.
13:41But you don't want to be
13:42sitting here
13:42hosing bullets on downrange.
13:44We shoot at 4,000 rounds
13:45per minute.
13:464,000 to 6,000 rounds
13:47per minute.
13:47And that'll go really quickly.
13:49So there he is.
13:51Yeah,
13:51I've just gunned him once.
13:52So he's half dead
13:53in this case.
13:56We continue.
13:58Here comes the fight.
13:59You can see
13:59now what he's doing.
14:00He initially tried
14:02to defeat my gunshot.
14:03And we're only
14:04about 1,300 feet apart.
14:05And he's just trying
14:06to get above me
14:07and pull into me.
14:08And what might cause
14:09is an in-close overshoot.
14:11And what happens there?
14:12Boom.
14:12Shalem.
14:13Low call.
14:13Here comes the archer.
14:14I'm dead.
14:15And that's a BFI mirror.
14:16I think what I do here
14:18is I unload slightly,
14:19let him translate up
14:19and up into the right
14:20to the horizon,
14:21get some energy back
14:22and follow him back on up.
14:23And this right here
14:25is what makes
14:26it all worth it.
14:29You know,
14:29to be able to come back
14:31from the dead
14:31and have a pipper
14:32right on the cockpit
14:32with the trigger down
14:34and this guy pretty much
14:35blowing up right in front of you
14:36as makes it that worth it.
14:37I could go home now.
14:38You know,
14:39it's only been three days.
14:42Few American pilots
14:43have trained
14:43against the MiG-29
14:45and even fewer
14:46have faced it
14:47in real combat.
14:52Its reputation
14:53as a deadly adversary
14:54is legendary.
14:55And for nearly all
14:56the pilots
14:57of Red October,
14:58this exercise
14:59is their first chance
15:00to see the fulcrum
15:01up close.
15:10Here we're standing
15:11in front of the MiG-29,
15:13the German version
15:14of the MiG-29.
15:15The German Air Force
15:16got these aircraft
15:17in 1990,
15:18right after unification.
15:20The East German forces
15:21had 24 of these jets
15:22and the West German Air Force
15:23of course took over
15:25all of those aircraft.
15:26It was a very,
15:27very interesting aircraft
15:28to German Air Force
15:30and to NATO in general
15:31because it was
15:32the first Russian aircraft
15:33that had the maneuverability
15:35to counter
15:36the modern NATO jets
15:38and it had a new radar,
15:40a pulse Doppler radar
15:40that was capable
15:41of detecting
15:42low-flying aircraft.
15:43When the MiG-29
15:49first appeared,
15:50its radar
15:50was reputed
15:51to be equal
15:52if not superior
15:53to the Hornets.
15:57The Luftwaffe MiGs
15:58dispelled that rumor
16:00to the great relief
16:01of the West,
16:02but the fulcrum
16:02proved to have
16:03a few tricks
16:04up its sleeve.
16:07Most fearsome
16:08for the Hornet pilots
16:09is the MiG's
16:09helmet-mounted sight,
16:11a retractable reticle
16:12with a heads-up display
16:14for the Archer
16:14infrared missile.
16:16The F-18
16:17has nothing comparable.
16:19An American
16:19has to point
16:20the nose of the Hornet
16:21at the opponent
16:22to achieve missile lock.
16:24But in the MiG,
16:25the pilot merely
16:25turns his head.
16:27For the Americans,
16:29the Schlem radio call
16:30means the end.
16:31The North and Hornet
16:32is dead.
16:32The North and Hornet
16:33is dead.
16:33Copy, kill, kill
16:34is too late.
16:37If you take a closer
16:38look at the aircraft,
16:39we find the cannon,
16:41which is right here.
16:42It's a very big cannon
16:42it's a 30 millimeter cannon.
16:45And right in front
16:45of the aircraft
16:46we can take a look
16:47at the ammunition.
16:48This would be
16:48the typical load
16:49of the gun.
16:50It's 150 rounds.
16:52When you compare
16:53it to the Hornet,
16:53the Hornet carries
16:54a couple hundred.
16:56But these rounds
16:57are a lot bigger.
16:58So if you need
16:59just one of these rounds
17:00to blow up a Hornet,
17:02well, a Hornet
17:03would need several rounds
17:04to blow up a MiG-29.
17:06The gun is still
17:07a very valuable weapon
17:10in the dogfighting today.
17:12It's the only weapon
17:13that you cannot jam
17:14or decoy
17:15with other decoys.
17:20While the Hornet
17:21may have superior
17:22slow speed maneuverability,
17:24the Americans
17:25are dazzled
17:25by the Fulcrum
17:26pilot's final surprise.
17:32In the very back
17:34of the aircraft
17:34we have two
17:35very powerful engines.
17:37And a very important
17:39aspect in dogfighting
17:40is to have
17:41a lot of thrust.
17:42It is best
17:43to have more thrust
17:44than the aircraft weighs.
17:46So we're talking
17:46about a thrust
17:47to weight ratio
17:48bigger than one,
17:49which would theoretically
17:50allow the aircraft
17:51to climb straight up
17:53like you've probably
17:54seen before.
17:55And this helps us
17:56to keep up the speed
17:57when we are flying
17:58tight turns,
17:59fighting for example,
17:59a Hornet.
18:00And that way
18:01we have a very,
18:02very slight advantage
18:03over most
18:04of our opponents.
18:06Being a fighter,
18:07the aircraft of course
18:08needs something
18:09to shoot.
18:10We not only
18:11just want to fly around,
18:12our task is
18:13to shoot down
18:13other aircraft.
18:15And therefore
18:15we have not only
18:17the gun
18:17but also missiles.
18:19And here we have
18:19an older
18:21infrared version.
18:22It has an infrared
18:23seeker head
18:24which is looking
18:25for heat sources,
18:27mainly for the
18:28engine exhaust
18:28which is normally
18:29very high temperature.
18:31So this
18:31seeker head
18:32will lock onto
18:33the exhaust
18:34of the target
18:34aircraft
18:35and then steer
18:36itself toward
18:37the aircraft.
18:38It's a so-called
18:39fire and forget missile.
18:41The second missile
18:42we have is
18:42the so-called
18:43Archer.
18:44It's also an
18:45infrared missile.
18:46It's a fire and forget
18:47missile also.
18:48So it will lock onto
18:49the heat source
18:49of the enemy target,
18:51of the enemy aircraft.
18:52And this is
18:53the missile
18:54that makes
18:54the MiG-29
18:55so dangerous
18:56in close-in dogfights.
18:58Whenever we get
18:59close with other
19:00fighters,
19:00we have a big
19:01advantage due to
19:02this missile
19:02because the
19:04seeker head
19:04can look very
19:05far to the sides
19:06and lock up
19:07targets where
19:08other missiles
19:09would not be
19:10able to do this.
19:13The MiG-29
19:14also carries
19:15a radar missile.
19:16It tracks targets
19:18similarly to the
19:19Hornets'
19:19AMRAAM
19:19but with far
19:20less range.
19:23Out at range,
19:24we had a very
19:24big disadvantage
19:25and have to
19:26think of
19:27crazy tactics
19:29to get close
19:30to the Hornets
19:31and then use
19:32our superiority
19:33with the short-range
19:34weapons we have
19:35and the maneuverability.
19:37In contrast
19:38to the physically
19:39demanding MiG,
19:40the F-18
19:41has flown on
19:42stem power,
19:43as in brainstem.
19:45It means being
19:46able to pilot
19:47the Hornet
19:47the same way
19:48they're able
19:48to breathe or walk
19:49without having
19:50to think about it.
19:53They have the
19:53advantage of technology,
19:55fly-by-wire controls
19:57and the glass cockpit
19:58where computer-driven
19:59displays have replaced
20:00dozens of steam gauges.
20:02You may hear
20:04that the issue
20:05of speed
20:05in a fighter jet
20:06is incredibly important
20:08in order to get somewhere
20:09and that is true
20:10but the best thing
20:11about the Hornets
20:11is its slow speed
20:12handling characteristics.
20:13It's very forgiving,
20:15it's very dynamic,
20:16you can get slower,
20:17faster than any
20:18other airplane.
20:19What that allows me
20:20to do though
20:20is to point my nose
20:21at the bad guy
20:22and take him out
20:23with a missile or a gun.
20:27The intentionally
20:28unstable design
20:29of the modern fighter jet
20:31allows the superb performance
20:33and maneuverability
20:34of the Hornet.
20:36Computerized flight controls
20:37keep the jet in the air
20:38but they aren't
20:40lightning-fast supercomputers.
20:42They are comparable
20:43to early 1980s-era desktops
20:46albeit ones that can withstand
20:487.5 G turns,
20:50hundreds of carrier landings
20:52and still never freeze up.
20:55Back here,
20:56probably one of the keys
20:57to the Hornet performance
20:58besides the leading edge
20:59and trailing edge flaps
21:00is the stab.
21:01It's an all-moving stabilator,
21:02differential as well,
21:03helps with roll control
21:04and pitch authority.
21:06The F-18 Hornet
21:07has probably the best pitch rate
21:09of any aircraft out there,
21:11so much so
21:12that you could almost
21:13gray yourself out
21:14or black out
21:14under the commanded G forces
21:16if you're at
21:16a high enough airspeed.
21:18A classic dogfight
21:19requires a close-range weapon,
21:22the 20mm M61 Vulcan Cannon.
21:24But beyond visual range,
21:28the Hornet,
21:29with its advanced radar capability,
21:31is superior to the MiG.
21:33An AMRAAM can be launched
21:34at an opponent
21:35many miles away,
21:37well before either pilot
21:38could make a visual identification.
21:40We've got nine stations
21:43on the aircraft,
21:44two on the wing,
21:44one on the center line,
21:45two on each cheek,
21:47and then the wingtip stations.
21:49These gentlemen and lady
21:51are about to download
21:52an AIM-9 CADAM,
21:54a captive air training missile
21:55from aircraft station nine.
21:56In red October,
21:58the AIM-9s won't be real.
22:00The computer will simulate
22:02these short-range
22:03sidewinders' capabilities
22:04when the pilot pulls the trigger
22:06and calls Fox 2 on the radio.
22:09Besides actually carrying weapons,
22:10probably the most important station
22:11on a Hornet
22:12is the left cheek station.
22:14Left cheek station,
22:15while we're in combat,
22:16but 99% of the time
22:17carries a flare pod.
22:19That flare pod is paramount
22:21for getting battle damage assessment,
22:23for lazing for targets,
22:25acquiring targets,
22:26responding to tasking,
22:27and it is not loaded
22:28on our ragjets,
22:29but every fleet bird
22:30that goes out on deployment
22:31will have one of those,
22:32and that is our bread and butter.
22:34So taking off
22:35from the carrier land
22:35and the carrier makes you
22:36a cool Navy pilot,
22:37having your flare allows you
22:38to get the BHA
22:39to actually employ,
22:39as we're told to do,
22:41and allow you to use
22:41those smart weapons.
22:57The ritual never varies.
22:59The signals between the pilot,
23:01plane captain,
23:02and ground crew
23:02are part of a well-choreographed
23:05ballet that emphasizes safety.
23:08Red October is more
23:09than just training for pilots.
23:11Nearly the entire squadron
23:13goes to Laga.
23:14150 ground crew,
23:16maintenance staff,
23:17and support personnel.
23:19They practice the takeoff
23:20and landing procedures,
23:21and perform maintenance
23:22and support
23:23under real-world conditions.
23:24while executing the basic
23:41fighter maneuvers,
23:42the pilots communicate
23:45with each other
23:45in the ground controllers
23:46by radio,
23:48using words such as
23:49crank, notch, flow,
23:50and flank,
23:52top-secret codes
23:53for specific offensive
23:54and defensive maneuvers.
23:57Temporal times two,
23:58Kudas notch right,
23:59reference 150.
24:02Copy,
24:03Kudas 22 is engaged,
24:05left-hand turn,
24:05offensive,
24:07with an F4.
24:12Copy,
24:12visual armature,
24:13right three,
24:14a little high.
24:15Visual.
24:15Copy,
24:20Kudas 22 is well.
24:22Just as few pilots
24:23have ever flown with a MiG,
24:25few civilians have ever
24:27heard these tactical calls.
24:29Red October affords
24:30many prized opportunities.
24:33Kudas 22,
24:33wind to masser degrees
24:35at nine knots,
24:36you're clear to land,
24:37runway to eight in sequence.
24:38Code lane right side
24:39at a possible expedite,
24:41locating traffic behind.
24:43On this flight,
24:44Lieutenant Dave Koss,
24:46call sign Mongo,
24:47an instructor pilot
24:48with VFA 106.
24:51I waited my whole life
24:52to do that,
24:53and I'm a little sad
24:54it's over.
24:55It was,
24:56I'm always studying
24:57the capabilities
24:58of the airplane,
24:59and I got to see it,
25:00and it was eye-watering.
25:02It was amazing.
25:05Who won?
25:07One for one.
25:09He got the first one,
25:10I got the second one.
25:11So,
25:12at least I learned something.
25:15So,
25:15you're starting out
25:160-6-0 heading.
25:18At the debrief,
25:19Mongo meets with
25:20Major Fred Schmidt,
25:21his MiG adversary pilot.
25:24Also in attendance,
25:25Lieutenant Spanko Hanlon,
25:27a VFC-12 adversary pilot,
25:29who got a backseat ride
25:30in the MiG on this flight.
25:33Today,
25:33Mongo and Fred
25:34had two engagements
25:35against each other.
25:37The debrief covers
25:38every detail
25:39of both flights,
25:40from their departure plan,
25:41to the tactics used,
25:43to the actual BFM.
25:48Breaking down
25:49the first engagement,
25:50Fred illustrates
25:51what happened.
25:54The red arrows
25:55are the actions
25:56of the Hornet.
25:57The MiG is in blue.
25:59They mark the headings,
26:00the missile shots,
26:01the nose direction
26:02of the jets,
26:03even the velocity
26:04and relative energy packages
26:06of the engines.
26:08The first engagement
26:09ended with Mongo
26:09crashing into the hard deck,
26:11the simulated ground.
26:12So, outgun, neutral,
26:13you're going through the floor.
26:14Tough luck.
26:17So, the second setup.
26:20Now, Fred outlines
26:21the second engagement.
26:23The two-seat MiG
26:24is slower and less maneuverable
26:26than the single-seat model.
26:27This limited
26:28the extreme high-G turns
26:30that Fred would normally
26:31have used.
26:32Mongo was able
26:33to force him
26:33through the hard deck,
26:34defeating the MiG.
26:35dead, yes.
26:37So, on this one,
26:38actually,
26:38after the second scissor,
26:41I'm checking the floor.
26:43Both engagements
26:44ended with the pilots
26:45breaking the hard deck,
26:46an 8,000-foot buffer
26:48between a training mistake
26:49and a very real disaster.
26:51Really quick
26:52and giving me
26:53a lot of problems
26:53coming around.
26:55I didn't really realize
26:56the full extent
26:57of how dangerous it was,
27:00and it is dangerous,
27:00and I've lost
27:02quite a few of my friends.
27:03I can count
27:04at least 13
27:05who have lost
27:06to the business.
27:07So, you have to realize
27:08there's an element
27:09of danger in it.
27:11The things I got out of it
27:12were the helmet-mounted sight
27:14and the Archer.
27:15That scares me,
27:15and I have newfound
27:16respect for it.
27:18And then,
27:18exactly like you said,
27:19a high OA,
27:20slow airspeed
27:21is my fight.
27:22And seeing with
27:23how much power you have,
27:24even at the end there,
27:25you might be able
27:26to power through that.
27:27Whereas I can maintain
27:28high alpha,
27:28I have no airspeed.
27:29You can just plug the blowers
27:30and go somewhere else.
27:31So, I think that's
27:32what I learned today.
27:33You guys do have the power
27:34that we thought you did.
27:35Thanks a lot.
27:36Yeah, thank you.
27:37That was awesome.
27:38I had a blast.
27:39Thanks.
27:39Thanks.
27:42U.S. military pilots
27:44are involved
27:45in at least one accident
27:46per week on average.
27:48Most occur
27:48during training missions.
27:50During today's sortie,
27:52one of the pilots
27:53crosses the line
27:53between simulation
27:54and reality.
27:56It's called
27:56a departure
27:57from controlled flight.
27:59Looking through
28:05the heads-up display,
28:06the Hornet peaks
28:07at over 16,000 feet
28:09and its airspeed
28:10drops to less than
28:1150 miles per hour.
28:13The jet begins
28:14falling like a leaf
28:15from a tree
28:16towards the earth.
28:17Except the Hornet
28:18falls 10,000 feet.
28:21I'm, uh,
28:22deported here.
28:24Copy.
28:24Watch your altitude.
28:29Watch your altitude.
28:30I'm out of control.
28:31To survive the departure,
28:33the pilot must relinquish
28:34control of the aircraft
28:36to the flight computers.
28:37Watch your altitude.
28:37Yes, I'm okay.
28:38I'm recovered, recovered,
28:39recovered.
28:39Altitude.
28:40Copy that.
28:42Only the pilot's training
28:43and the F-18's computer
28:45allow him to regain control,
28:47but only after crashing
28:49into the simulated ground.
28:50Fortunately,
28:55the incident occurred
28:56at Red October.
28:57The pilot will live
28:58to fly another day.
29:00Should he ever face
29:01a MiG in real air combat,
29:03he will know the risk
29:04of attempting
29:04a similar vertical maneuver.
29:06We are about the only squadron
29:14in the NATO
29:15or Western world
29:16that has MiG-29s.
29:19We have them in Lager.
29:20So we're the sister squadron
29:22flying the F-4s.
29:23I'm very lucky
29:24to have them there
29:24because they attract
29:25all the,
29:26a lot of other squadrons
29:28that are coming over
29:29for D-ACT,
29:31that is Dissimilar
29:32Air Combat Training.
29:34So also we,
29:35the Phantom squadron,
29:35the second fighter squadron,
29:37we have a lot of benefit
29:39from that too
29:40and for us
29:41it's awesome training.
29:44The Germans know
29:45their special place
29:46in the fighter pilot world
29:48and love the opportunity
29:50to demonstrate
29:50their abilities.
29:54But Red October
29:55is intended
29:55to be a training detachment
29:57for the American students.
29:59The U.S. instructors
30:00require the Germans
30:01to present
30:01specific combat scenarios,
30:03even placing restrictions
30:05on their tactics
30:06in order for the students
30:08to complete
30:08the training syllabus.
30:12Today we're going to fly
30:14one F-18
30:15together with MiG,
30:16plus two additional F-4s
30:18and we're going to fly
30:19against two other F-18s
30:21with varying scenarios
30:23and they have put
30:24a few handcuffs
30:25to what we are doing
30:26but it's going to be
30:28in all altitude
30:29and a full-up war basically.
30:33The restrictions
30:34placed on the engagements
30:35are a necessary evil
30:37but sometimes
30:38without warning,
30:39the Fulcrum pilots
30:40deviate from the plan
30:41and change tactics
30:42to fool the students.
30:44The Germans are proud.
30:46They are the best
30:47aggressor pilots
30:47in the West
30:48and they want to show
30:49what they can do.
31:09MiG-1, Fox 2.
31:11We 3 and Shark 1.
31:12You are merged
31:13with two shipping
31:1315,000 and 21,000.
31:163.
31:18Oh, sir.
31:18And the MiG-1
31:19here on two phantoms
31:21right overhead on us.
31:22Mind you, the
31:23both phantoms
31:24on top of MiG-1
31:24and two are dead.
31:26Tropic health
31:27is delayed.
31:28More removed.
31:31Shark 3 or 4.
31:33One of you is dead.
31:38You learn from
31:39every flight
31:40and the thing is
31:43the MiG is not
31:45the most sophisticated
31:47system,
31:47so what we learn
31:49is just how to
31:51defend versus
31:51the good weapons
31:53in the NATO stock
31:54and how to
31:57perform the MiG
31:58to the Max X-10.
32:04The next mission,
32:05the 2v4.
32:07Two Hornets are headed
32:08for an engagement
32:09with four adversary aircraft.
32:10As the instructor,
32:30Mongo flies wing.
32:32The lead pilot
32:33is a category 3 student,
32:35Lieutenant Commander
32:35Tim Carr,
32:37callsign cowboy.
32:38Their challenge,
32:41track and kill
32:41multiple targets
32:42at long range.
32:44Cuda 2 on,
32:45fly ready for takeoff.
32:47Roger Cuda 2-1,
32:48wind is 2-3-0 degrees
32:49at 8 knots.
32:50You're cleared for takeoff report.
32:51Leaving way.
32:53Cuda 2-1, walk down.
32:54Unlike a 1v1 dogfight,
32:57today the engagement
32:58with the enemy
32:58will begin at long distance,
33:00beyond visual range.
33:01The view we have
33:13right now
33:14is the same formation.
33:15If you can imagine,
33:16we're flying this way
33:17right now
33:17and the camera's
33:18right in front of us
33:18pointing back at us.
33:19So we're looking
33:20at both of us
33:21from me,
33:22more of a head-on view,
33:23him from kind of the side.
33:24And when I'm flying
33:25in formation,
33:26you can see my aircraft
33:26back in there.
33:27So that's kind of
33:28what we're looking at.
33:28We're at about 5,000 feet.
33:32This layer's
33:33about 3,000 feet thick.
33:36And it's pretty much
33:37clear above 8,000 feet
33:38on this flight.
33:41We can train down
33:42at those low altitudes,
33:43but we burn a lot of gas.
33:44So we like to get up
33:45on top of it,
33:46get a lot better
33:47gas mileage up there.
33:49Now we're just accelerating.
33:50We're going to get a G-warm.
33:52That's a maneuver we do
33:55just to put some G-forces
33:57on the jet
33:57to get our bodies
33:58used to fighting
33:59under high G-loads.
34:01It's required
34:01before doing any ACM.
34:03It's two 90-degree turns,
34:05just 4 Gs in the first one
34:07and then 6 Gs
34:08in the second one.
34:09It gives me a chance
34:10also to lock onto
34:11my wingman
34:11with my weapon system
34:12and get my weapon systems
34:14checked
34:14because he's been able
34:15to do that
34:16on the join-up.
34:18When you hear that tone,
34:19it's just,
34:20I've selected my weapon system
34:22as we're getting ready
34:23to pull into this G-warm.
34:25A rough ride
34:26on a roller coaster
34:26will reach 5 Gs
34:28for a few seconds.
34:29Anything more
34:30would cause
34:31an immediate loss
34:31of consciousness.
34:33Training and a G-suit
34:34keep the pilots safe
34:36at up to 7 1⁄2 Gs.
34:40Yeah, the G-warm,
34:40like he said,
34:41is just to get our bodies
34:42acclimated to it.
34:43And no kidding,
34:43the more Gs you pull,
34:44the better at it you get.
34:45And also check in
34:46to make sure
34:47that our G-suit is plugged in.
34:48You can feel the pressure
34:49on your legs
34:49that it is inflating.
34:50That's the standard call.
34:57We've told everybody
34:58we're set up
34:59where we are.
34:59The bandits have called
35:00set in the south
35:01to get our tapes on call.
35:03So we're recording
35:04our radar picture
35:05and HUD picture
35:06and call the fights on.
35:10And start heading at them.
35:11He's basically just told us
35:21we've got two groups.
35:23Anytime somebody's
35:24more than a few miles apart,
35:25they call them a separate group.
35:26And now he's told us
35:27there's two of them.
35:27And I've just picked up
35:28this near group
35:30that's on my radar.
35:31I've asked GCI
35:32to declare that group
35:34whether they're friendly,
35:35hostile, or unknown,
35:37which would be bogeys.
35:38And they declared them hostile.
35:40I was kind of expecting bogeys.
35:43So I'm going to ask
35:44for another declaration here
35:45just to make sure
35:46they're the bad guys.
35:47We've already targeted
35:48into this group.
35:50And we're taking shots
35:52into this near group.
35:53Different mindset.
35:54When you get a bogey call,
35:56you can't shoot those guys.
35:57When you get a bandit call,
35:58you can shoot them.
35:59So if they call them bogey,
36:00we have a totally
36:01different mindset going in.
36:02We're not shooting
36:02long-range missiles.
36:03Whereas if they call them
36:04bandit,
36:05we're shooting long-range.
36:06Again, bogey,
36:07you can't shoot them
36:08until you visually ID
36:09that they are a bad guy.
36:10Hike range 12 to McDonals.
36:12Temporal times two.
36:13Kudos notch right.
36:14Reference 150.
36:16We've supported our missiles
36:18for a while here.
36:19Now we're doing
36:20some defensive maneuvering.
36:21We're looking good here.
36:24You're looking very good.
36:25Very good.
36:26We're both upside down,
36:27pulling about five Gs,
36:29going real nose low,
36:31getting into the notch.
36:32The warble Antonia here
36:34means that they have targeted
36:35a missile into us.
36:37But this should,
36:39hopefully,
36:39our defensive tactics
36:41are going to work
36:42and we'll be able
36:43to come back in
36:43off of this.
36:45We descended
36:46probably about 10,000 feet
36:48in, you know,
36:50five to 10 seconds.
36:51Just,
36:52it's a pretty aggressive maneuver.
36:54It's a lot of fun.
36:56It takes a lot of practice
36:56to get your fingers moving
36:58where they need to be
36:58while you're doing it.
37:00Trying to maintain
37:01that same formation
37:02while we're maneuvering
37:02the jet five or six Gs,
37:04trying to get our radar
37:04looking in the right piece of sky
37:05so that we come back
37:06to get these guys.
37:08Hopefully, our sensors
37:08pick them up
37:09before our eyeballs
37:10have the ability.
37:11You can't kill somebody
37:12you don't see.
37:12And if your sensors
37:12don't pick them up,
37:14then you need the eyeball
37:14to do it.
37:17We had good missiles
37:18into this group.
37:19We were feeling pretty offensive.
37:20We were on our timelines
37:21and things were
37:23going along pretty good.
37:25We could have done
37:25a better job
37:26cleaning up this merge,
37:27but we had high confidence
37:28and our lethality going in,
37:30so we decided to flow
37:31on to the next group here.
37:322-2, copy.
37:34And there's another group
37:35about 20 miles away
37:36that GCI has told us about,
37:38so we're flowing
37:38in their direction.
37:42The southern group
37:43is tactical.
37:431-9-0-21-21-21-000.
37:47Hot two-ship.
37:492-2-2.
37:502-1.
37:51Situational awareness.
37:52It's your overall sense
37:54of what's going on.
37:55So if you have high SA,
37:57you pretty much have that picture
37:58we talked about earlier
37:58in your head.
37:59If you have low SA,
38:00you can be what we call
38:01tumbleweed,
38:02where you're the tumbleweed
38:04blowing in the dust
38:05where you don't see anybody,
38:05you're not talking to anybody.
38:08I'm a little tumbleweed here
38:09and you're helping me out
38:10by making calls.
38:11He's engaged with
38:12a couple of F-4s here.
38:14I'm trying to regain sight of him
38:16and his engaged communications
38:19are allowing me
38:20to get my head back
38:21where it needs to be
38:22to see him
38:22and pull back in with him.
38:24We just came in
38:27with two F-4s.
38:28They came in
38:29at an altitude split,
38:30so I'm going to split off
38:30and go for the high one
38:31and shortly thereafter
38:33we're going to pick up
38:33the low one.
38:34That tone you hear
38:35is me getting a lock
38:36on this guy
38:36and I just killed
38:37one of the F-4s
38:38and Cowboy will take care
38:40of the other F-4.
38:41Fox three, kill,
38:42ban him, let him,
38:43turn low.
38:44Copy, clear.
38:47Now we're just,
38:48you can see us looking around
38:49making sure we're not
38:50going to hit anybody
38:51because there's been
38:53four airplanes
38:53in really close proximity
38:55doing a lot of turning
38:56here for a couple of seconds.
38:58And let's terminate this.
39:01On turn, terminate.
39:03A kid or two on terminating.
39:07Two, two, terminate.
39:09One, two, copy, terminate.
39:11For two weeks,
39:18Red October has taken
39:20the Hornet pilots
39:20through a training regimen
39:21of simulated air combat,
39:24giving them first-hand experience
39:25against the MiG-29.
39:27They've been challenged
39:28to evade its weapons,
39:30forced to confront
39:31its vertical thrust maneuver,
39:33dared to defeat it
39:34in both long-range
39:36and close combat.
39:37We did what we set out to do.
39:41We validated our tactics.
39:44And I'm comfortable knowing
39:46that if I launch off the ship
39:48in this jet,
39:49I can take it up against
39:50the best the enemy's
39:52got to throw at us.
39:53I'm going to dig
39:53inside the turret
39:54and bleed a little bit
39:55trying to get back up to it.
39:56The lessons learned
39:57at Red October
39:58are too valuable
39:59to be left
40:00in the debriefing rooms.
40:01He actually has to come off
40:03and give us a little bit.
40:04I'm actually going to dig
40:05down inside the turret.
40:06In between flights,
40:07the pilots swap
40:08their war game stories
40:10with a mix of adrenaline
40:11and relief.
40:16They reenact
40:17their successes
40:18and their failures.
40:20And now he comes down
40:21and he starts popping stuff.
40:23All right.
40:26Live and learn.
40:28I got my work
40:29fed out for me.
40:30Yeah, it's very impressive.
40:32The exchanges
40:33may be part bravado,
40:34but there is no mistaking
40:36something new
40:37in their eyes.
40:38A clear look
40:39of self-awareness.
40:40And I'm freeing him.
40:42And I'm getting under him.
40:43All of a sudden,
40:43he just goes.
40:45And he goes.
40:47And he settles
40:48into the deck.
40:49Woo-hoo!
40:49Yeah, it's done.
40:54For the German pilots,
40:55this exercise may be over,
40:57but their role continues.
40:59They alone can provide
41:01this type of realistic
41:03adversary training.
41:04They are sharing
41:05their wisdom.
41:06Up, right press start.
41:17If you look at history
41:18and the history
41:19of the Vietnam War,
41:21if a pilot got through
41:22his first 10 missions,
41:24he had a higher probability
41:25of surviving.
41:26And it's interesting
41:27that this is something
41:28similar to the Air Force
41:30program, Red Flag,
41:31where they try to simulate
41:32those first 10 missions
41:33so that when a pilot
41:35goes into combat
41:36for the first time,
41:38yes, it's truly
41:38his first mission in combat,
41:40but hopefully he has
41:4110 other missions
41:42to fall back on
41:43and increase his chance
41:44of surviving.
41:45By flying in Red October,
41:53the American pilots
41:54have passed a critical
41:55entrance exam for survival
41:57should they ever have
41:58to face a MiG-29
42:00when the air combat
42:02is real.
42:03¶¶
Recommended
53:25
48:32