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00:00It's morning on January 19th, 1991,
00:03and a pair of F-15C Eagles are on an escort mission over Iraq
00:08as part of Operation Desert Storm.
00:11Captain Cesar Rico Rodriguez and his wingman Captain Craig Moll Underhill
00:16are clearing the skies ahead of a formation of 36 aircraft
00:21tasked with striking targets near Baghdad.
00:24Behind them, there are waves of F-16s making their runs,
00:28diving with 2,000-pound general-purpose bombs.
00:32They release them and the ordnance drops straight onto the Iraqi ammunition depots.
00:37Giant explosions rise from the desert.
00:40They're expecting anti-aircraft missiles and the F-16s pull hard up,
00:45releasing chaff and flares at the same time.
00:47But instead of missiles, the Iraqi Air Force has dispatched
00:51two pairs of the most advanced fighters at their disposal,
00:55MiG-29 Fulcrums.
00:58Outnumbered, the Iraqis have been keeping their distance,
01:01searching for an opportunity to strike,
01:03when they're told of two F-15s, perfect targets.
01:08It's their chance, and the pair of Fulcrums races to intercept.
01:13In the F-15, Rico gets a message from his AWACS controller, Mark White.
01:18Rico, you have two hostile contacts.
01:20One bearing 0-4-0 for 3-5.
01:22Second is 3-4-0 for 6-5.
01:24Roger, we'll pick the 0-4-0.
01:26Rico chooses the most threatening target, and they turn to engage.
01:30The F-15's front-facing radars detect the contact,
01:34and it appears on their screen, but it's not the only warning.
01:38On another screen, a 29 appears.
01:42It's his radar warning receiver, or RWR,
01:45a device that tells him when enemy radars can spot him.
01:49I'm being painted. MiG-29. I see it.
01:52Rico and Mole brace for action.
01:54The two pairs of enemies, both fourth-generation fighters,
01:58have each other in their sights,
02:00and are heading towards each other in a supersonic joust.
02:04Rico selects an AIM-7 Sparrow missile.
02:08But the Iraqis have a plan.
02:10They dive far below the F-15s,
02:12attempting to use the ground clutter to conceal themselves from the radar.
02:17But it doesn't work.
02:18Aboard his F-15, Rico sees the single fuzzy contact
02:22split into two well-defined targets.
02:25I gotcha. It's two versus two.
02:28Rico selects one of the contacts and locks it in.
02:31Aboard the fulcrum,
02:33the pilot sees his radar warning receiver light up
02:36with the wail of a lock alert.
02:37But the Iraqis have yet another ace up their sleeve.
02:40They bank to the side,
02:42and suddenly the warnings go silent.
02:45Rico's finger hovers over the weapon's release button
02:48when the radar contacts suddenly vanish from its screen.
02:52It's a blind spot in the F-15's radar.
02:55Objects moving perpendicular to them are invisible,
02:58and the MiG-29s are exploiting it perfectly.
03:01Rico's frustrated, but it's a known tactic.
03:05The enemy reappears on radar 12 nautical miles away.
03:08Contact!
03:09He locks it in one more time, but doesn't fire.
03:12The AIM-7 Sparrow needs him to maintain lock throughout the missile's entire flight,
03:17and he knows the enemy are going to re-enter the blind spot before the missile has a chance to
03:22catch them.
03:23Once again, the enemy disappears.
03:25Lost it again!
03:26The MiG-29s keep maneuvering across the sky, toying with the F-15's radar.
03:31Contact!
03:32Constantly blinking in and out from Rico's screen,
03:34keeping 12 nautical miles of separation.
03:37Lost it again!
03:38Rico can see what they're doing.
03:39The Fulcrums are dragging them along.
03:43Over at the AWACS, Mark White keeps an eye on the situation.
03:47As the F-15's make their move, they leave the airspace that Mark's responsible for,
03:52and following protocol, he hands over Rico and Mole to another AWACS controller.
03:58Rico and Mole keep up the chase across the sky when suddenly their RWR beeps with alarm
04:03and starts filling with detections up ahead.
04:07It's an entire field of S-125 NAVA surface-to-air missiles set up to defend Baghdad.
04:14The enemy's trying to pull them into a killing field.
04:18They're dragging us into the city's anti-air.
04:21What are we going to do?
04:22Rico checks in with a strike force and listens to the F-16's making their runs.
04:27If he and his wingman fly away, then the F-16's will be definitely intercepted by the MiGs.
04:32He makes a daring choice.
04:34Hold position.
04:35Keep pushing the bandits away until the strikes are done.
04:38Then we can get out of here.
04:40They hold their altitude and deliberately continue heading towards the enemy trap,
04:45buying the strike force the time it needs.
04:47The RWR clicks every time the enemy radars scan the F-15's,
04:52and they hear them getting more frequent by the second.
04:56But the Iraqis still have a cunning plan.
04:59They know the Americans can see the missiles.
05:01They're not the trap.
05:03They're the distraction.
05:05A third, MiG-29, charges towards the F-15's from their left side,
05:10out of view from the F-15's front-facing radar,
05:14and with its own radar turned off so as not to appear in the F-15's RWR.
05:19Despite the fight no longer in his area of responsibility, in his AWACS Mark White continues to take glances at
05:26the developing situation.
05:27He sees the new enemy approaching the scene and immediately realizes the danger.
05:32But for some reason the F-15's are not evading the incoming contact.
05:36They keep flying straight even as the bandit gets within 18 nautical miles.
05:42White gets nervous.
05:43It's well within the range of the R-27 missiles.
05:4716 miles and there's still no reaction from the F-15's.
05:50He thinks about saying something on the radio, but he worries that if he disturbs them in the middle of
05:54battle, it could make the situation worse.
05:5715 miles and still no reaction.
06:0014 miles.
06:01White decides to act.
06:02Papa, contacts, 330 degrees for 13 miles.
06:06It's right in the nick of time.
06:07Rico hears the call and instantly drops his fuel tanks and pulls hard towards the new contact, with vapor covering
06:14his wings.
06:14The moment his nose points towards the incoming fulcrum, it appears on his radar.
06:19Just 8 miles away, well inside the range of each other's missiles.
06:24At the same time, the Iraqi pilot, flying blind without his radar, is informed the Americans are right in front
06:31of him.
06:33He turns on his radar and Rico appears on his screen.
06:37With this act, the ominous 29 appears on Rico's RWR.
06:42The two cutting edge fighters are now aware of one another and are approaching at supersonic speeds.
06:48Rico selects the target on his display and locks it in, but he doesn't fire.
06:52The rules of engagement are that all contacts detected within 10 miles must be identified visually in cases of friendly
06:59F-117 Nighthawk.
07:01Even with the 29 on the RWR and the imminent danger, Rico holds fire and orders Mole to run friend
07:08or foe ID on the contact.
07:10But there's no time.
07:12The Iraqi selects Rico's aircraft and locks him.
07:16Rico's RWR screams with a lock alert.
07:19I'm getting spiked!
07:20He immediately turns upside down and dives, releasing radar reflective chaff.
07:25I'm getting low. The terrain will confuse his targeting system.
07:28But it doesn't work. The RWR continues screaming in his ear, warning him of impending doom as he races down
07:36from 30,000 feet at the speed of sound.
07:39Rico whips his head left and right, desperate to spot the enemy.
07:43Mole locks the target, his finger hovering over the weapon's release button as he runs an ID procedure with the
07:49help of intelligence aircraft.
07:50The seconds feel eternal as they finally clear him to engage.
07:55He's giving the all clear and presses the button.
07:58The aim 7 sparrow shoots off from under the F-15 in a plume of smoke.
08:03Rico sees it streak across the sky, the smoke trail passing between his tails.
08:07He follows the smoke trail with his eyes and finally sees the MiG-29 aiming his nose down towards him.
08:14But it never gets to fire. The sparrow rushes in and strikes it square on the nose.
08:21There's a giant flash and the MiG-29 disintegrates, tearing apart into a black smudge of oil and parts.
08:28Splash one.
08:30A wave of relief washes over Rico as he pulls out from the dive at just 500 feet high.
08:35But over at the AWACS, White can see it's not over.
08:39Second group, north, 10 miles.
08:42Rico scans the skies. He considers turning away.
08:45By now, the strike package of F-16s is already heading home, so they've no reason to hang about.
08:51But the enemy is too close for comfort. They could be shot from behind.
08:55They need to fight.
08:57Rico turns north and the enemy appears on his screen.
09:00It's just beyond 10 miles, so he's clear to shoot it down.
09:04He runs an identification procedure. It's hostile.
09:07He selects the contact on his radar screen and locks the target.
09:11In the enemy plane, the Iraqi hears the lock alert and he breaks into a sharp evasive maneuver.
09:17But it makes no difference.
09:19Rico's lock holds strong as his finger hovers over the button.
09:22He lights up as a diamond on my scope. Say again?
09:25It goes from a solid radar contact to a diamond which tells me he's friendly.
09:30Mole's systems have identified the contact as a friendly aircraft.
09:33In that moment, Mole is overtaken by a cold sense of dread.
09:37But Rico's confident. It has to be another MiG.
09:40But he needs to prove it with his eyes.
09:43The two prepare for the fight.
09:45Rico elects to identify the target and Mole gets ready to take the shot.
09:49Rico races towards the enemy which is coming straight towards and above him.
09:53He keeps low, letting the bogey get closer.
09:56Then he pulls up.
09:59Engines burning at full throttle.
10:02He can see the belly of the bogey right in front of him.
10:05But it's still hard to tell what it is with the bright sky as background.
10:09He holds his F-15 in his path until…
10:11Rico's F-15 roars within 50 feet of the bandit.
10:15And as he does, he finally gets a good view of the enemy's top side.
10:20With its green camouflage, which is proudly displaying the Iraqi flag.
10:26It's a MiG-29!
10:29Rico makes a wide turn left as he soars over the MiG.
10:32Looking down through his canopy, he sees the MiG performing a flat turn left, holding his altitude.
10:38In that instant, he spots an opening, and the fancy shooter eye formation goes out the window.
10:45It's a dogfight.
10:46He turns upside down and pulls hard on the stick, cutting into the MiG's circle.
10:50He's crushed by 10 Gs of force, pushing the F-15 to its limits.
10:55He sees the MiG roar past in front of him, and he pulls hard left to follow.
11:00Rico sees the MiG flying away, but he knows he has the advantage.
11:04The MiG pushes down, trading altitude for speed.
11:08Rico follows him, spiraling down towards the desert floor as the paths of both jets converge.
11:14Rico sees a MiG scream through the merge.
11:16He's getting closer!
11:19He pulls hard, feeling the blood rushing down from his head,
11:23as he does everything to bring the fulcrum into his sights.
11:28Far above, Mole can see his leader tangling with the enemy, and spots an opportunity.
11:33I can come in. Standby!
11:36But Rico can feel it. This one is his.
11:38He sees the MiG coming back, and they roar past one another.
11:42He almost has him, but they can't keep up this trajectory, as they're rapidly running out of altitude.
11:48Rico pulls with all he has, powering through 10 Gs of force.
11:52Through the crushing Gs, he sees the beautiful sight of the fulcrum moving into his sights.
11:58Rico selects an A9 Sidewinder, and starts to pull, aiming ahead of the MiG for the best chance of impact.
12:05But the Iraqi pilot sees it, and a desperate last-ditch attempt, he turns upside down, and pulls hard towards
12:11the ground.
12:12Rico's ready for the Iraqi to try something, but he's shocked to see the MiG dive straight for the sand.
12:18He doesn't even think of following, and pulls up to the left, letting the MiG go.
12:23The Iraqi pilot starts to pull up, and is crushed by extreme G-forces as his plane continues towards the
12:29ground.
12:29The sand fills his windshield as he pushes the afterburners to maximum, his MiG screaming as it pulls beyond its
12:35G limits.
12:36He's doing everything to bring the Moes up, but it's not enough.
12:43And the MiG 29 fulcrum, and its Iraqi pilot, crash into the desert sand.
12:52Rico's heart races, as he comes down from the adrenaline high.
12:56He's won.
12:58Mole appears two miles off his right, and Rico can finally afford to relax.
13:04Let's go home.
13:06Chesar Rico Rodriguez would tally up three victories total in his career, making him tied for the top spot of
13:13MiG victories for pilots after Vietnam.
13:16We hope both pilots like our film.
13:20It was close today. Two same-generation fighters.
13:23True. Not like when our F-16s ate Hawks for breakfast. Watch the full film here.
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