Escort Airlift AAR

[Ruggbutt 45]

Beagle (my wingman) and I were tasked to escort a flight of C-17's that were delivering much needed supplies (and mail ;) ) to one of our forward bases. The weather report called for rainstorm and heavy cloud cover from 4,000 to 12,000 feet.

 

 

As Beagle and I climbed thru the clouds we joined up with our escorts. Visibility above the storm was 40 miles. Below, it was 300 feet.

 

 

AWACS calls out bogeys 50 miles to our 10 o'clock so Beagle and I go burner and climb to Angels 20.

 

 

I call nose hot and Beagle calls same. We're carrying '120's and 9's so I switch to TWS mode and tell Beagle to spread out line abreast. We want to spread out so that we can divide our work between us and make targeting more difficult for the enemy.

 

 

I bug the bogeys in TWS mode as I ask AWACS to declare. They come back with "Contact is hostile" just as my radar tells me what type of a/c they are.

 

 

I tell Beagle "weapons free" and to engage bandits. With 4 targets on radar Beagle calls the first pair. As he calls Fox 3, then Fox 3 again I see the '120's drop from the jet and fire their motors.

 

 

I call Fox 3. It takes the AMRAAMs about 17 seconds to reach their targets as we F-Pole and keep the targets bugged to provide datalink info for the 120's.

 

Splash two! The bandits didn't perform an evasive manuever and I doubt that they knew we had fired on them.

 

 

I turn back into the bandits as their flight path passes between me and my wingman. One more Mig 25 explodes as he vainly manuevers to avoid the AMRAAM. The seeker head going active didn't give him much time to jink as it set off his RWR.

 

 

Beagle calls out "engaged defensive", one of our 120's has missed. I see the smoke trail of a missile reach out towards Beagle as I put 6 g's on the a/c to get a firing solution on the last '25. I have a visual on him and the sun is to my 7 o'clock, so I switch the radar to sniff and I uncage a sidewinder. The bandit seems focused on Beagle and with no radar warning he doesn't "see" me. I hear the growl of the seeker change pitch and I fire.

 

 

I key up the mic and call Fox 2. The sidewinder does it's little dance as it streaks towards the Foxbat. The sidewinder hits the right side of the aircraft near the nozzle and explodes. I tell Beagle I splashed the bandit and the wing separates from the '25.

 

 

I call AWACS in case there are any bandits that we've missed. They come back with one word, "Clean". I do a quick sweep with my radar and request a vector back to our C-17's. The '17's thank us for the protection as Beagle forms up on me.

 

 

Control calls and says that they're vectoring another flight of Eagles to take over for the final leg of the flight. Beagle and I head for home plate as our big stick is gone, we've only AIM 9's left on our pylons.