Ethiopea v Eritrea 1999

Eritrean-Ethiopian War (1999) wikipedia

ethiopia_v_eritrea_1999.zip

All scenarios in one zip file (updated 3/28/08)

1stkill.btl

On February 26, 1999, a lone Su-27S, reportedly flown by female pilot Capt. Aster Tolossa, was escorting several MiG-21s on a strike mission when a single aircraft was detected closing from the direction of Asmara. Capt. Tolossa turned to intercept and identified the target as an apparently unarmed Eritrean MiG-29UB. After some maneuvering, during which there was some kind of communications exchange between the pilot of the MiG and the Sukhoi, the Ethiopian was high at enemy's 6 o'clock, when she realized that the pilot of the aircraft in front of her was her former instructor. Capt. Tolossa immediately warned him that she was about to shot him down and requested that the Eritrean land at Debre Zeit. He disobeyed and Tolossa pulled the trigger. Exactly which weapon was used remains unknown but it is highly likely that the Ethiopian used at least two air-to-air missiles, both of which were evaded, and then finished the target with 30mm gunfire. The Eritrean pilot was certainly experienced enough to evade both missiles and he also knew who and where the enemy was. While it remains unknown if anybody ejected from that MiG-29UB, it is certain that Capt. Tolossa was given a hero's welcome back at her base; with right as she was the first female fighter-pilot to shoot down an enemy fighter-jet in the history of air warfare.

This account is adapted from ACIG: http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_189.shtml

The authenticity of this account is in dispute. If it is true, it would be the first example of a woman scoring a jet-to-jet air-to-air kill. I have given the MiG-29 some armament to make this encounter at least a bit of a challenge. a bit of a challenge.

m29vs27b.btl

On 25 February 1999 four MiG-29s were sent to intercept two Su-27s which were patrolling along the front-lines at Badme. Both Sukhois, flown by Ethiopian pilots, detected their opponents in time and attempted to disengage, when suddenly they came under attack by several R-27/AA-10 missiles. None of the weapons fired by the Eritreans hit. After evading them the Ethiopians decided to turn back and fight. The lead, Maj. Workneh, acquired the enemy and fired what was reported as a "salvo" of R-27s, targeting one MiG-29 after the other. However, all the missiles missed and the only result was that the Eritreans were forced to break their attack only to be pounced upon by the faster Su-27s. The result of the following dog-fight was one Eritrean MiG-29 shot down, probably by an R-73/AA-11 IR-homing, short range air-to-air missile.

Another account of this combat suggests that a second pair of Su-27s surprised the MiGs during the height of the combat. It was one of these Su-27s that destroyed the MiG with an AA-11 missile.

Text abridged from ACIG: http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_189.shtml and

http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/archive/index.php?t-5852.html

m29vss27.btl

On 25 February 1999 four MiG-29s were sent to intercept two Su-27s which were patrolling along the front-lines at Badme. Both Sukhois, flown by Ethiopian pilots, detected their opponents in time and attempted to disengage, when suddenly they came under attack by several R-27/AA-10 missiles. None of the weapons fired by the Eritreans hit. After evading them the Ethiopians decided to turn back and fight. The lead, Maj. Workneh, acquired the enemy and fired what was reported as a "salvo" of R-27s, targeting one MiG-29 after the other. However, all the missiles missed and the only result was that the Eritreans were forced to break their attack only to be pounced by the faster Su-27s. The result of the following dog-fight was one Eritrean MiG-29 shot down, probably by an R-73/AA-11 IR-homing, short range air-to-air missile.

Text abridged from ACIG: http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_189.shtml /artman/publish/article_189.shtml