Two Israeli aces Moshe Melnyk and Eitan Ben-Eliyahu became the first to make combat interceptions of enemy aircraft in June 1979.
The F-15 Eagle twin-engine all-weather fighter of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) has scored more than 100 aerial victories without losing a single battle.
Focus translated article by Peter Suchiu about the combat baptism of an F-15 fighter in the Israeli IAF.
On June 27, 1979, Israeli Air Force ace Moshe Melnyk made history as the first Eagle pilot to shoot down a Syrian MiG-21 by Rocket Python 3.
Twin-engine all-weather fighter F-15 Eagle — one of the most successful
's ever createdIn the same combat, IAF pilot Eitan Ben-Eliyahu achieved the first downing of an F-15 gun. Baz fighters continued to prove their prowess by downing scores of Syrian aircraft in subsequent operations over Lebanon.
1979: First combat shoot down of an F-15 Eagle by Air Force ace Moshe Melnyk
Twin-engine all-weather fighter F-15 Eagle – one of the most successful fighter jets in history. He already has more than 100 aerial victories and so far no defeat in aerial combat. Most of the victories belong to the Israeli Air Force, including the first downing on the Eagle's account.
Meet: Israeli Air Force ace Moshe Melnyk
The F-15 Eagle was designed primarily for the US Air Force as an air superiority fighter, but its combat prowess has been put to full use by the Israeli Air Force. Almost 45 years ago, the ace of the Israeli Air Force Moshe Melnyk entered the history of aviation. On June 27, 1979, he inflicted the first damage in a battle with Syrian fighters on an F-15 Eagle.
As we have already reported, four Israeli F-15s, known as Baz (in Hebrew – “falcon”), participated in the mission against the Palestine Liberation Organization. F-15s provided cover. Two orders of four MiG-21 interceptors of the Syrian Air Force flew to meet them. IAF pilots were cleared to open fire on enemy MiG-21s.
It didn't take long for IAF fighters to prove that the Baz was best not to engage.
Only 30 seconds after the start of the battle, Melnyk, who had already become an ace, chose his missile with infrared guidance – Israeli-made Python 3 – and opened fire on one of the MiG-21s. The Python 3 missile effectively broke the Soviet plane in half, and the F-15 scored its first hit.
Second hero of the day
Although Melnyk went down in history that day, he was not actually the main character of the day. Another IAF pilot, Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, used his F-15's M61 Vulcan Gatling Gun to shoot down another Syrian fighter jet during a sortie. For the F-15, it was the first hit by gunfire and the third hit in the air, as another Syrian aircraft was shot down during takeoff.
Eitan Ben-Elijah used his F-15's M61 Vulcan Gatling Gun to shoot down a Syrian fighter jet
These airstrikes in June 1979 were not the last for Baz of the IAF in the skies of Lebanon. During subsequent raids against Palestinian groups in Lebanon in 1979-1981, F-15s shot down more than a dozen Syrian MiG-21s and at least two MiG-25s.
About the author
Peter Suchiu &ndash ; journalist from Michigan. During his twenty-year journalistic career, he participated in the work of more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites, publishing more than 3,200 materials. He writes regularly on military technology, firearms history, cyber security, politics and international affairs. Peter has also contributed articles to Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. Email the author at: Editor@nationalinterest.org.