1/31/2023 0 Comments Ace combat 3 aircraftI have not been able to find any independent verification of the veracity of this story, but if any of our readers have any such sources, please let us know in the Comments section! Meanwhile, Russia’s ongoing quagmire in Ukraine continues to cast doubt on the believability of their propaganda machine. in 1984 in exchange for two Soviet diplomats arrested for espionage in 1975. Recent Revisionist Russian Claims of Successįast-forward to 1 April 2018, and the self-described “ alternative aviation magazine” Hush-Kit cited a press conference wherein Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation spokesperson Alexei Obmanov shared images and documents that (allegedly) “conclusively prove a US SR-71 Blackbird spyplane was downed close to a remote Siberian village in 1983.” MiG-31s were indeed the platform credited with the shootdown, scoring two hits out of three missiles fired, though the Blackbird’s pilot and reconnaissance systems officer (RSO) safely ejected.įrom there, the report claims that the incident was covered up in order to prevent a further flareup of Cold War tensions, and that the downed spy plane’s pilot and RSO (who conveniently remained nameless) were returned to the U.S. It was obvious that a combination of circumstances facilitated this event: good weather that was rare in the north, clear air and unusual atmospheric conditions, when the contrail was clearly visible at an altitude of 23,000m. “…This was the only occasion in my 14 intercepts when I saw the SR-71 with my own eyes. Our speed remained in the order of Mach 1.6… Failure to do so might result in cracking or catastrophic failure during subsequent altitude reduction. During flight at speeds in excess of Mach 2, the skin, including the canopy, heated up to 800☌. This was the so-called ‘area for canopy cooling’. We dropped down to 15,000m, transitioned to horizontal flight, and engaged a stopwatch. Therefore the vectoring station gave the command to turn onto a course for our airfield. “The Blackbird was flying its normal route, over neutral waters, and it made no sense to follow it. I passed under the spyplane: it was 3,000-4,000m above us, and even managed to make out its black silhouette… I reported the heading to my WSO over the SPU, ‘I have visual!’ A contrail at 22,000-23,000m is very rare, but on this day the weather was excellent and the air was transparent, and the contrail was clearly visible. After closing to 60km I spotted the contrail of the SR-71 on an intersecting course. “As usual, we executed an ‘aiming run’ from 16,000m, gaining altitude to 18,900m. The SR-71 was proceeding on the ‘return loop’, from east to west, so we began the intercept immediately. A feminine voice in the earphones announced, Attack’, and a symbol was illuminated on the SEI. ![]() The WSO lowered and turned on the OMB and within five seconds had captured the target. At 16,000m we were flying at Mach 2.3 and made a left turn to a combat course of 360°. “…We went for altitude again, up to 16,000m. Everyone began to talk in frenzied voices, to scurry about, and react to the situation with excessive emotion… After the take-off order from the command post we lit the afterburners and took off… The appearance of an SR-71 was always accompanied by nervousness. To this day I have been averse even to ordinary school bells, because a bell was the first signal for a burst of adrenaline. They sounded the alarm with a shrill bell and then confirmed it with a loudspeaker. ![]() They alerted us for an SR-71 intercept at approximately 11:00. I drew my personal weapon in the morning and then headed for the on-duty crew hut. “I went on combat alert on 31 January 1986 as normal. Military 1st Class Pilot Mikhail Myagkiy, Guards Major (ret.), who flew the Foxhound between 19 as a commander with the 174th Gvardeiskaya Istrebeitel’nyi Aviatsionnyi Polk (GvIAP, Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment), tells his story:
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