Interesting Story of PAF Vs Israel Air Force

This battle of PAF vs Israel Air Force happened after the Arab Israel War Yom Kippur 1973 which Pakistan Air Force pilots won because of Sattar Alvi’s superior talent.

Table of Contents

PAF Pilots Character

Those were the times when Pakistan Air Force was lead by Khaandani (aristocracy) officers who had:-

Character
Integrity
Professionalism
Dedication to the cause

Story of Captain Lutz Israel Air Force

Let me go straight into a blow by blow account of one aerial encounter between PAF Vs Israel Air Force after the Arab Israel War Yom Kippur 1973 and that too between:-

Squadron Leader Sattar Alvi of Pakistan Air Force
Against Captain Lutz of Israel Air Force:-

PAF’s Sattar Alvi’s Vs Captain Lutz of Israel Air Force

“On April 26, 1974, we were all returning to base after months of flying the same route Lebanon to Beirut then on to Israel border from the Mediterranean sea on our

Mig 21

4 bogies, 6 o’clock; 9 o’clock left, approaching fast!” said Air Traffic Control. Approximately 8 kilometers from the Israeli border. The leader ordered a turnabout.

Communications Jamming

As soon as the commander ordered the maneuver, the Israelis jammed the radio and radar signals, causing brutally sharp noises.

I was shifting my posture when I saw a glimmer from below in the corner of my eye. I couldn’t stand it any longer, so I turned to see what it was, and it was an

Israeli Mirage III aircraft

heading straight for me. I took evasive action, and the Mirage and his number 2 overshot (passed) me. By this moment, my formation had turned 180 degrees and was flying at Mach 1.2 (faster than the speed of sound) with no radio connection.

The new IDF Mirage III in action

I knew right away that I was alone: two Mirages vs. a single Mig-21. All other thoughts faded away as the fighter pilot’s training took effect. I carried on doing what I had been instructed.

Knowing and exploiting the limitations and strengths of your own and the enemy’s aircraft is a fundamental principle of air combat. A Mirage thrives in fast battle but struggles at slow combat.

The Mirage’s pilot made a fast pass at me, and when I forced him to overshoot, he pulled up high above me. His wing man joined in the attack, and I followed up with a hard reversal that forced the aircraft to stand on its tail. The speed was dropped to nothing.

Final Showdown

The wing man should have followed in the footsteps of his boss. To my surprise, he didn’t, and instead reversed getting into scissors with me at modest speeds. That was dangerous, and a Mirage should never have done that to a Mig-21.

However, the wingman’s role was probably to distract me while the leader wheeled around to sandwich and then shoot me.It was a brilliant strategy, but it was tough to implement.

The only issue with this method was that the second Mirage had to hold my attention.

The wingman couldn’t keep up with me after the second reversal, and there was a Star of David in my shooting sight.

Mirage High Speed Dive

Seeing his situation and frantic need to get out, the wing man attempted an escape with a steep high-speed dive. That simplified and streamlined my work.

As soon as the distance increased, I released a K-13 missile. The rocket takes one second to leave the rails, and that was the longest second of my life.It was a good thing he was on his way home.

The unfortunate death of a warrior

A second later, where the wing man had been, a ball of fire emerged, and I turned to face the leader, who was charging at me. We ran into each other, but he was on his way home, which was fortunate.

I was running on fumes and had run out of gasoline. At breakneck speed, I smacked onto the deck.

Capt. Lutz, who was flying as the unfortunate wing-man, was rescued and helicoptered to the military hospital. He died later in the hospital from his injuries, before I could speak with him one-on-one.“

Our aircraft were inferior and we were low on fuel always, due to the limitation of the aircraft. Radio and Radar were constantly jammed by them as there were jammers on top of Mount Heron.

Israeli aimed to beat at least one Pakistani pilot in the air to make a charade out of it. It would have deeply embarrassed Pakistan, not to mention the pilot himself. This did not happen.

This is just one of the several encounters between PAF Vs Israel in the Arab war.

PAF vs Israel Air Force 1967 Arab Israel War

The other was the three aircraft downed by Pakistan Air Force Pilot Saif Al Azam while flying for the Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF)

Dassault Mystere Fighter-bomber
Vantour IIA
Dassault Mirage III

PAF vs Israel Air Force Comparison

Lets compare front line fighter Aircraft

Israel Air Force has :-

84 F-15 Eagle
25 F-15E Strike Eagle
175 F-16C Fighting Falcon
39 F-35 Lightening II

Whereas , Pakistan Air Force has:-

20 J-10 Vigorous Dragon
135 JF-17 Block 1/2/3
F-16 A/B/C/D Fighting Falcon

Who will win Pakistan Air Force (PAF) vs Israel Air Force War?

Judging from the impressive front line fighters with Israel Air Force, and Pakistan Air Force’s niggling problems with JF-17 weapons, Israel will likely make minced meat out of PAF.

Was any Israeli pilot captured in Pakistan?

No Israeli pilot has ever been captured in Pakistan. Even if some pilot does come over, It takes cojones to hold back a captive from a country like Israel

Has Pakistan Israel gone to War in 2021 and 2024?

Pakistan and Israel have never gone to War.

Conclusion

Although Israel and Pakistan do not have contiguous border, if they did, Israel Defense Forces will defeat Pakistan Military hands-down because of better doctrine, professionalism and equipment.

Also see

PAF vs Indian Air Force (IAF)