Middle East Database
Egyptian Air-to-Air Victories since 1948
By ACIG Team
Sep 25, 2003, 03:44

Last Update: 11 August, 2004

Notes:

Note 1: the loss of two F-4E Phantoms on 8 June 1970 was credited to two EAF MiG-21 pilots by inofficial Israeli sources; according to official Israeli records not a single F-4E Phantom II was lost in the month of June 1970. Also, no pilots with given names are known within the Egyptian Air Force.

Note 2: Egyptian plane exploded in front of the Mirage IIICJ, forcing the Israeli pilot to land in Refidim.

Confirmed entries are in GREEN

New entries are in RED

Corrected entries are in YELLOW

Fratricide entries are in LIGHT BLUE

Claims and unconfirmed entries are in WHITE

Damaged and Close Calls entries are in VIOLET

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The first air-to-air victory by an Egyptian pilot was scored when a REAF Spitfire LF.9 intercepted a RAF Dakota transport, in May 1948. The Spitfire LF.9 was the mainstay of the RAF at the time, but the type suffered extensive losses during the war - especially on the hand of highly experienced mercenaries flying for Israel at the time. This example, serialled "661" was even captured intact at el-Arish AB, when this was taken by the Israelis, in early 1949. (all artworks by Tom Cooper)

From mid-1960s until well into the 1980s MiG-21 was the mainstay of the Egyptian Air Force. The type was foremost an interceptor but also used for air-to-ground missions. Eventually, over 350 were purchased from the USSR, but a considerable number remained impounded when relations between Cairo and Moscow were suddenly broken, in 1974. In the subsequent years the Egyptians invested heavily to revitalise their surviving MiG-21s with help of Western companies, and a number of MiG-21MFs remain operational with the EAF until today. With MiG-21 the Egyptian pilots scored also most of their air-to-air victories.

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