Unguided Rockets and Missiles

Training sharp rocket fire of Czechoslovak and Czech fighters in the USSR, GDR and Poland 1960-2002.

Dogfights have always attracted attention. Since the First World War, their participants have been considered heroes, stories have been written about nothing, and they have become idols of generations. However, the reality of air combat is much more prosaic. Whatever the motivation of the pilots to fight, there was always a winner on one side and a loser on the other in a crippled or burning plane falling to the ground. This series deals with the struggle from their beginning to the modern age, when the sky is steadily ruled by jet engines.

During the Cold War, pilots of fully armed aircraft of both major powers, their allies or satellites, met many times in the air. Most of the meetings went without conflicts, although the participants mostly ran what is called " irritating the rattlesnake with their bare feet ". If nothing else, at least they tried to take a more advantageous position over the opponent. But sometimes it turned out differently.

The USSR developed a powerful MiG-25 fighter aircraft in the late 1960s. This aircraft was not originally to be exported, but after Lieutenant Viktor Belenko flew with one MiG-25P to the base of Hakodate in Japan, there was nothing to hide. The aircraft was released for export. Thus, although there was never a conflict between the great powers, the MiG-25 had the opportunity to fight, over Lebanon, with its counterpart, the American F-15. Although both aircraft flew under the insignia of other countries.

The one you don't see will take you down. Fighter alphabet. This is true even today in the age of the latest technologies. Perhaps even more than at a time when pilots had to rely only on their eyes. The growing emphasis on stealth technology only confirms this.

Tests of the new universal aircraft are currently underway, which should be unique in all respects. This is the largest contract in the history of the Air Force, in which many countries participate. It is assumed that after a long time, it will be an aircraft that will experience thousands of series. It has already received its combat name: F-35 Lightning II.

This text aims to provide all those who need it with an explanation of the various military terms
and the principles of operation of military installations.