Top 10 Biggest Air Battles in War History

 El Mansoura

Israel’s military is often viewed as a scrappy underdog winning battles it should lose. The air battle over El Mansoura would damage that reputation. In October 1973, a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. On October 14, the Israeli Air Force launched 160 aircraft in an attempt to cripple the Egyptian Air Force. Their targets were the Egyptian airbases of Tanta and El Mansoura. Their goal was to bomb the runways, rendering the Egyptians incapable of taking off. Egyptian radar detected Israel’s F-4 and A-4 aircraft, and 62 Egyptian MiG-21s scrambled to counterattack. Led by future president Hosni Mubarak, the MiGs darted toward the formation of Israeli fighters. Israel’s heavy bombs proved to be a significant liability in the ensuing dogfight. To regain the maneuverability and speed needed to compete with the MiGs, the Israeli pilots were forced to jettison their bombs. 17 Israeli fighters were shot down during the 53 minute dogfight. Egypt only had three of their own aircraft shot down, although another three ran out of fuel and crashed after the battle. Not one of Israel’s objectives were achieved.