The Biggest Jet Battle of All Time

image via impdb

I've previously written about how dogfights in modern jet fighters rarely, if ever happen anymore. The bottom line is that the combination of missile range, radar technology, and pilot skill have rendered close-up, elongated dogfights essentially a thing of the past. But like every rule, there are a few exceptions, like the air battle over El Mansoura. Occurring during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, the El Mansoura air battle was the longest and largest jet battle.

Ever.

image via impdb

The likes of which wouldn't be seen again until Independence Day.

Egypt and Israel were at war again, like they were every few years or so. On October 14th, the Israeli Air Force launched a force of one hundred F-4 Phantoms and A-4 Skyhawks in an attempt to take out the enormous Egyptian El Mansoura Air Base. In response, Egypt launched forty of their own MiGs to deter the attack.

Realizing the jig was up, Israel launched a further sixty aircraft to support the operation whilst Egypt launched every aircraft they had available to fight it back. The grand total for both sides was approximately 180 Israeli jets flying against 62 Egyptian jets, for a mind-boggling total of over 240 jets flying straight for each other.

The two enormous forces finally met over the skies of El Manrsoura where they duked it out in a hailstorm of missiles and gunfire for fifty-three minutes of the most intense aerial combat seen since World War II.

image via WallpaperUp

And all of this predated Kenny Loggins.

Notice I said gunfire, that's because they were fighting at ranges way too close to even think of using missiles. There were cases of jets being downed by flying through the debris of a jet they themselves had just destroyed.

In at least one case, an Egyptian pilot found himself parachuting down to the ground literally next to the Israeli adversary he had just shot down.

image via StrangeHistory

Awkward.

The fight went on for so long that some jets would expend their ammunition, land to refuel and rearm, and then take-off again to rejoin the fight. In an age where the average dogfight lasted under a minute, this one raged on for nearly an hour.

In the end, the Egyptians emerged victorious, downing seventeen Israeli aircraft for a loss of six of their own. In observance, Egypt moved their "Air Force Day" to October 14th to commemorate the battle.

image via DailyMail

Traditionally celebrated with a homo-erotic volleyball game.