Israeli F-4 vs North Korean MiGs details unconfirmed 1973 Yom Kippur War encounters where IAF Phantoms intercepted MiG-21s piloted by North Koreans in Egyptian airspace south of Cairo. In one dogfight, F-4s fired Sidewinders, damaging a MiG that Egyptian SAMs later downed, amid coalition support against Israel despite official denials.
BACKGROUND
A fair warning must be given, that the following claims have not been confirmed by the Israelis, but have nevertheless circulated for many years amongst pilots and enthusiast, initially from claims made by the Egyptians.
The story begins with Egypt strengthening relations with friendly nations to form a coalition against Israel who had captured the Sinai Peninsula in 1967. However, when Anwar Sadat became president of Egypt in 1971, relations with the Soviets soured, as Sadat re-orientated his country to the West. Nevertheless, the Egyptian leadership strove to improve this relationship for the sake of their economy and military supplies – the Egyptians desired to push the Israelis out of the Sinai Peninsula, which would become the Yom Kippur War in 1973.
As with the western bloc alliance, nations in the eastern bloc would occasionally send personnel to their allies, to train or fight alongside them. This was reported to be the case in the middle east during the Yom Kippur war. This was an Egyptian and Syrian led offensive to reclaim the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights, and it’s highly possible that Soviet and Cuban pilots had flown within the ranks of the Syrian Air Force in that October of 1973. There is evidence suggesting that Soviet pilots flew reconnaissance flights over Israel in their new MiG 25.
What we are more sure of, however, is that North Korean pilots were sent to Egypt, and reported by Israeli military intelligence to the press on August 15th 1973, just months before the start of the war. The Israeli claim was that 10 to 20 North Korean pilots were already in the country, likely training. The following day, the US state department confirmed that the Israeli claim indeed held merit, as well as suggesting that the actual number of North Korean pilots may have been higher.
THE FIGHT
The Israeli F4 encountering MiGs during the Yom Kippur War, goes something like this –
Two pairs of Israeli F4 phantoms make their way south into Egyptian airspace. Leading the flight was Meir Gur, of 69 Squadron. The sortie briefing suggesting suspicious activity somewhere south of Cairo, and the flight was to execute a high-altitude combat-air-patrol over the area. Gur recalls being over the target area in bad weather with poor visibility, having depleted most of their fuel. Then, flying at 25,000 feet, the phantoms were vectored onto a possible contact by radars on the ground. Closing in, Gur picked up two faint blips on his radar, flying the same bearing but at a far lower altitude. Struggling to hold a lock against the ground clutter, and lacking clear visibility to identify the contacts, Gur and his wingman closed in.
Suddenly, both aircraft – MiG 21s – broke separate ways, having spotted the Israelis. The phantoms engaged, dropping fuel tanks and attempting to lock up the MiGs. The lead MiG became lost in the clouds, whilst the second continued to engage both phantoms alone. Gur recalls that the Mig pilot was particularly good at avoiding radar-lock. He recalls that the MiG pilot had attempted to pull the phantoms into a low speed fight, but keeping in afterburnerAfterburner (Reheat): An additional combustion component utilized in many supersonic military jet engines to provide a significant, temporary increase... More, both the phantoms managed to manoeuvre with enough separation to fire sidewinders. Gur fired first, followed by his wingman, who – as Gur recalls – “fired in poor visibility from behind the lead phantom, which was still in afterburner”. Nevertheless, both missiles tracked the enemy aircraft. Both missiles hit their target. However the MiG emerged well enough intact, beyond trailing white smoke. It then broke off and descended.
With both F4s critically low on fuel, the decision was made to leave the fight, since the MiG evidently posed little threat at this point. However, as the pair turned north to head home, they noticed a surface-to-air missileSurface-to-Air Missile: A ground-based or ship-launched guided missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy enemy aircraft, helicopters, crui... More launch in their rear mirror, followed by an explosion high in the sky. Following their arrival back at base, they were told that the MiG they had engaged, having survived their sidewinders, had been shot down by an Egyptian SamSurface-to-Air Missile: A ground-based or ship-launched guided missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy enemy aircraft, helicopters, crui... More site on its way back to base. They had shot down their own aircraft.
REALITY
So is this claimed combat story actually true? Despite the initial claims of North Korean pilots operating within Egypt made months earlier, following the conflict, the Israelis denied that their pilots had shot down any Korean aircraft or personnel. This came in response to a claim put forward by the then leader of North Korea – Kim Il Sung – who said that North Korean pilots had indeed engaged the Israelis during the war. Benny Paled – an Israeli Air Force chief – refuted these claims, instead suggesting that the North Korean pilots and their aircraft had remained out of the fight, stationed at Bir Arida Air Base.
However, the book “Phoenix over the Nile” (recounting the history of the Egyptian Air Force) makes the same claim noted in the combat story; that North Korean pilots did indeed engage in a fight with Israeli phantoms south of Cairo.
Another book, “Israels Quest for Recognition and Acceptance in Asia”, also makes mention of a similar event, noting that a supposed dogfight took place between Korean and Israeli pilots south of Cairo. The book also mentions Egyptian lieutenant general Sa’adeddin Shazli, who said that North Korean pilots with MiG-21s took part in multiple combat missions with the Egyptians during the war.
But the main source for most of this information comes from the book “Hammers69 Squadron (Hammers): An Israeli Air Force squadron established in July 1948 during the War of Independence to operate three B-17 Flying Fortresses a... More: Israels Long Range Heavy Bomber Arm – The Story of 69 Squadron”, written by two Israelis – Shlomo Aloni and Zvi Avidror. The event is recalled by Meir Gur, along with quotes from the flight leader, in which he details the unfolding events mentioned earlier.
I think there is reason to take the Egyptian claim more seriously than the Israeli denial. Given the context, Israel had more to lose geopolitically if they were to announce that they had (albeit unknowingly) killed pilots from a foreign military. Egyptians associated with the story probably had less reason to deny the claims. If a true event, it makes for a great war story – who knows how many other lesser known military clashes there have been, yet kept quiet for political reasons?
