The defeat of US fighters against helicopters in a 1978 exercise

In the late 1970s, the Soviet Union possessed a powerful helicopter force with the core being the Mi-24 multi-purpose combat helicopter. Concerned about the development of its opponent, the US Air Force decided to conduct a series of tests to evaluate the air combat capabilities of armed helicopters, according toWATM.

The test, called Joint Combat Helicopter Combat Exercise (J-CATCH), was divided into four phases. The first was a one-on-one engagement between helicopters on a NASA simulation system, with the participation of pilots from all branches of the military.

Phase two used real helicopters at Rucker base. The Blue Army was equipped with AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters and OH-58 reconnaissance helicopters, while the Red Army played the role of the Soviet forces with CH-3E and UH-1N transport helicopters. The difficulty was that the US needed a helicopter equivalent to the Soviet Mi-24 to evaluate its performance and develop countermeasures. However, the Mi-24 was a unique helicopter, with a large body like the CH-3E and the maneuverability of the AH-1 Cobra.

The task of playing the role of the red army was assigned to the 20th Special Forces Squadron of the US Air Force. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sent experts to convey the tactical and technical features of the Mi-24 helicopter to the American pilots. The second phase was very effective, many new tactics were developed, while the attack helicopter proved to be a formidable opponent in air battles.

However, the Pentagon was not satisfied with this result. The US military wanted to know the results of the confrontation between the US Air Force's advanced fighters and enemy helicopters. The US Air Force chose A-7, A-10 attack aircraft, F-4, F-15 fighters to confront US Army helicopters in the third phase of J-CATCH.

For two weeks, army helicopters unexpectedly gained an advantage over air force fighters. Using clever tactics, helicopter pilots repeatedly "shot down" their opponents in simulated battles.

The American fighter pilot did not know he had been shot down until he returned to base. This led to disputes between the two sides, because the helicopter pilot did not signal when performing the simulated attack..

To settle the dispute, the Pentagon ordered both sides to shout "Gun-gun-gun" (fire artillery) whenever they attacked the enemy. By the end of phase three, the US Air Force was defeated by a ratio of 5:1, meaning it had lost 5 fighters and attack aircraft for every army helicopter.

Phase 4 began in 1979 to evaluate the effectiveness of fixed-wing aircraft versus attack helicopters. The Pentagon concluded that the helicopter's maneuverability gave it a huge advantage in air-to-air combat within visual range of fighters.

F-15 fighters are capable of locking on helicopters from a distance of 65 km, but in this exercise, they were not allowed to fire from beyond visual range, but had to approach at a distance of 6-9 km to identify the enemy with the naked eye. At this distance, helicopters possess missiles that are capable of defeating fighters, while their flexible maneuverability allows them to hide much better than fighters.

After completing J-CATCH, the US Air Force concluded that fighters should avoid close-range engagements with attack helicopters, unless battlefield conditions allowed pilots to identify targets and fire from a distance or gain a high altitude advantage.

La Linh