Israeli Air Force's 1970 Soviet fighter trap tactics

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said last week that he was ready to attack any defense system in Syria, whether "S-300 or S-700" if they targeted Israeli assets. Experts say this is not an empty threat, because the Israeli air force once showed its toughness when it shot down five MiG-21 fighters piloted by Soviet pilots within 90 seconds in Egypt in 1970, according toNational Interest.

After their defeat by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser sought to retaliate in the War of Attrition (1967-1970). Cairo mobilized artillery and special forces to attack a series of enemy strongholds along the Suez Canal. In retaliation, Israel sent F-4 Phantom fighters to conduct airstrikes deep inside Egyptian territory, forcing the country to deploy a network of air defense missiles along the Suez Canal.

The Soviet Union's provision of modern air defense systems to Egypt was considered by Israel to be crossing a red line. In addition, many MiG-21 squadrons of the Soviet Air Force also patrolled Egyptian airspace.

Initially, the Soviet Union and Israel were cautious, avoiding direct conflict. However, the Soviet Union repeatedly prevented Israeli airstrikes, even attacking Israel's A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft, causing severe damage. This prompted Tel Aviv to retaliate against Moscow with a meticulously planned operation codenamed "Rimon 20".

"Rimon 20 was essentially a feint to lure enemy aircraft. Four Mirage fighters of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) carried out a high-altitude reconnaissance mission in the area where Soviet MiG-21s were operating. The aircraft were fully armed and flew very close together, making the enemy radar crew think that this was a formation of two Mirage aircraft on a reconnaissance flight and had no combat capability," said historian Shlomo Aloni.

Meanwhile, other IAF Mirage and F-4 fighters secretly flew low over the Sinai Peninsula, controlled by Egypt, to avoid Egyptian radar. Their mission was to ambush and intercept Soviet fighters if they pursued the diversionary Mirage squadron.

The pilots involved in this operation were the best and most experienced in the IAF. Eavesdropping on Soviet communications also helped Israel to understand the situation of its opponents.

On the afternoon of July 30, 1970, 24 Soviet MiG-21 fighters took off from several airports in Egypt to intercept four Israeli "decoy" Mirage fighters, unaware that they had fallen into a trap set by the enemy. While chasing the Mirage formation, the Soviet aircraft quickly became the target of 16 Israeli fighters.

In just three minutes, five MiG-21s were shot down, one of which was hit by an F-4 fighter with an AIM-7 Sparrow missile from an extremely low altitude, beyond the technical limit. Another Israeli fighter chased the MiG-21 fighter from an altitude of 4,500 m to 600 m, before using an AIM-9D missile to shoot it down.

The Israeli Air Force was also lucky in this battle. Although caught by surprise, a Soviet fighter managed to tail the Israeli F-4 and launch a K-13 missile that hit its target. However, the missile failed to explode, allowing the F-4 to return to base safely.

The United States eventually brokered a treaty between Israel and Egypt ending the War of Attrition. Cairo continued to deploy air defense batteries along the Suez Canal. Three years later, the Israeli Air Force suffered a setback when its fighter jets were shot down by Egyptian and Syrian anti-aircraft missiles over the Suez Canal and the Golan Heights.