Ramon Lopez/WASHINGTON DC
The first air-to-air engagements between US and Iraqi fighters since 1992 were inconclusive after all six missiles fired at MiG-25 interceptors in the no-fly zone over Iraq missed their targets in two incidents on 5 January.
The US Department of Defense said it would not be able to explain why the advanced missile armament used had been ineffectual until the US fighter pilots involved had been fully debriefed and gun-camera film reviewed.
In the first incident in the Iraqi southern no-fly zone, two USAF Boeing F-15 Eagles were illuminated by MiG-25 Fox Fire radars. The US aircraft fired one AIM-7 Sparrow and three AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM).
The second incident also occurred in the southern no-fly zone with two Grumman F-14s from the USS Carl Vinson. They fired two AIM-54 Phoenix missiles at two MiG-25s. The long-range air-to-air missiles also missed their intended targets. Media reports claimed that one of the Iraqi fighters crashed after running out of fuel, a claim Iraq denied.
The last dogfight over Iraq took place on 27 December, 1992, when a US Air Force Lockheed Martin F-16 shot down an Iraqi air force Mikoyan MiG-25 Foxbat.
Source: Flight International
