역사 1967년 - AIM-7로 이집트 군함을 공격한 이스라엘 공군의 F-4

[위종민]

1973년 10월 욤 키푸르 전쟁 당시 이스라엘 공군의 107 비행대대 소속 F-4가 수에즈만 동쪽 라스 수다르에서 오피르에 이르는 공역에서 CAP를 하던 중 오피르를 포격하는 이집트 함선을 공격하라는 명령을 받았다고 합니다. 

공대공 무장만 갖추고 있었고 적함이 SAM으로 무장하고 있었는지 알 수 없었기 때문에 접근을 망설이다가, 베트남전 당시 미군이 AIM-7으로 대함공격을 했다는 기사를 에비에이션 위크에서 읽었던 적이 있어서 AIM-7로 대함공격을 시도했다고 하네요. 

2만 피트 상공에서 수평을 맞추고 기수를 낮춰 레이더를 비췄는데, 해상에서는 클러터가 약해 레이더 화면에서 배를 포착할 수 있었다고 합니다. 두 세 차례 연습 후 미사일을 발사했지만 10~15마일 떨어진 바다에 떨어졌다고 합니다. 하지만 배가 도주하기 시작했고, 이를 추격하던 중 수에즈만 북쪽 구역에서 포착된 미확인 비행물체 추적으로 임무가 바뀌었다고. 

https://theaviationgeekclub.com/israeli-air-force-f-4-navigator-recalls-when-he-and-his-pilot-attacked-an-egyptian-warship-with-an-aim-7-sparrow-air-to-air-missile-during-the-yom-kippur-war/

Israeli Air Force F-4 Navigator recalls when he and his pilot attacked an Egyptian warship with an AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air miss

Israeli Air Force F-4 Navigator recalls when he and his pilot attacked an Egyptian warship with an AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile during the Yom Kippur War

By Dario Leone

Oct 9 2023

Sponsored by: Schiffer Military

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“The missile hit the water some ten to fifteen miles from the ship; maybe we scared a shark, but the ship panicked, or maybe not, and turned away, so we felt like heroes and started to pursue the ship, strafing it from long range,” Israeli Air Force F-4 Kurnass navigator Micha Oren.

Despite the ability of the American manufactured F-4 to perform both the air-to-ground and air-to-air roles with equal success the Israeli Air Force (IAF) reliance on the Mirage III and Nesher delta fighters meant that the Phantom II was used most regularly in its air-to-ground role.

During the Yom Kippur War, protection from the air of the sector from Ras Sudar to Ophir, along the east coast of the Gulf of Suez, was emphasized during the night of Oct. 6-7, 1973, because the Israel Defense force (IDF) presence in this area was limited to mostly second line units. Until the arrival of the first line reserve forces, the Ras Sudar to Ophir sector was extremely vulnerable to Egyptian airborne or seaborne assaults.

As the IAF’s nighttime interception force, it fell on the shoulders of Kurnass crews to defend the Ras Sudar to Ophir sector during the first night of the war. Squadron 107— the fourth Israel Air Force (IAF) Kurnass Squadron, which had already defended Ophir at noon and Ras Sudar at dusk—maintained a presence of CAP crews over the Ras Sudar to Ophir sector throughout the night from Day 1 to Day 2. Kurnass navigator Micha Oren recalled in Shlomo Aloni’s book Ghosts of Atonement, Israeli F-4 Phantom Operations during the Yom Kippur War:

“We flew a CAP over the Gulf of Suez when we were ordered to attack an Egyptian ship that shelled Ophir. Trouble was, we were in air-to-air configuration and had no bombs. We flew there—scary pitch-black night—and we saw the ship shelling. What kind of ship was it? Was it armed with SAM? Nobody knew.

“We hesitated to get closer, but then I remembered that I once read in Aviation Week that during the Vietnam War, Americans utilized an AIM-7 to sink a ship. We were armed with Lavid [IAF name for AIM-7 Sparrow, pronounced la-vid, translation Plywood], so I suggested to Gordon that we give it a shot.

“We leveled at 20,000 feet and dropped the nose down. Over land, echo from the ground would have blinded radar, but over sea, the returned echo was weaker and we acquired the ship on our radar screen. I was afraid the missile would home on the echo of the sea so I planned dive angle and speed in such a way that the missile would lock onto the ship. We flew two or three practice passes, decided that we were ready, then entered another pass and launched a missile.

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“The missile hit the water some ten to fifteen miles from the ship; maybe we scared a shark, but the ship panicked, or maybe not, and turned away, so we felt like heroes—like a dog chasing a running cat—and started to pursue the ship, strafing it from long range.

“While we were playing with the ship, RCU notified us that an unidentified radar contact was crossing the Gulf of Suez from west to east, in the north sector of the gulf. We rushed over there really quick and I managed to spot on radar an echo of a slow-flying object: a light aircraft or a helicopter. I requested permission to open fire, but RCU hesitated and by the time permission was granted, the flying object had completed the crossing of the Gulf of Suez and entered Sinai. For as long as it flew over water, we had a fair chance to shoot it down, but once it was over land, the prospects of a successful interception were slim. Still, somehow I managed to accomplish a radar lock and we flew five, maybe six passes, but during all passes the missile did not launch; luckily for all involved because it was an Israeli helicopter.”

Ghosts of Atonement, Israeli F-4 Phantom Operations during the Yom Kippur War is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo credit: Israeli Air Force, Bukvoed and AHMED XIV own work via Wikipedia 

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[백선호]

1968년 6월 베트남전쟁 때 오스트렐리아해군 Tartar DDG인 Hobart가 미국공군 F-4가 쏜 AIM-7 3발을 맞은 일도 있었죠.

https://www.navalofficer.com.au/hobart1/

[백선호]

Early on the morning of June 17th Hobart detected an aircraft approaching her from the vicinity of Cap Lay and evaluated it as 'friendly'. In the meantime whilst Hobart had been trying to establish the identity of the aircraft it launched a missile which hit her amidships on the starboard side, immediately aft of the boat davit. The warhead passed through 01 Deck and penetrated the Chief Petty Officers Pantry, Radar Room 3, the Missile Director Control Room and severely damaging the Emergency Conning Platform.

[백선호]

The body of the missile then passed through the outer skin of the after funnel, damaging its uptakes, and finished up in the forward funnel. In its passage it killed Ordinary Seaman R. J. Butterworth and wounded AB Parker and OrdSmn Davidson.

Hobart's crew clambered to Action Stations, and 3 and a half minutes later another two missiles fired from close range slammed into her. Again, on the starboard side. The 2nd missile entered her transom just below 1 Deck wrecking the Gunner's Store and Engineers Workshop, luckily the warhead did not explode.

[백선호]

The 80 Man Aft Seamen's Mess wore a large part of this missile! The 3rd missile hit her very near the site of the first and the warhead passed through the Fan Space, Missile Director Equipment Room and No 2 Missile Director. Chief Electrician Hunt was killed and several sailors wounded by part of the missile warhead. The Ikara Missile Magazine was also seriously damaged.

[위종민]

명중까지 시켰으면 스패로를 끝까지 록온시켰다는 얘긴데, 어떻게 그런 일이 생길 수 있나 했는데 야간에 저공비행하는 헬기를 추격하는 상황이면 있을 수도 있겠다 싶기도 하네요. 참 별별 일이 많이 생긴다 싶고, 수상표적을 록온시키고 명중시킬 때까지 록온을 유지한 팬텀의 RIO도 대단하단 생각이...