MiG Killers – Eagle Country

The name Mig Killers was founded in the Korea war when countless Migs were shot down by American P-80 Shooting Stars and F-86 Sabres. This name was again used by the American pilots during the Vietnam conflict. During the Gulf war USAF F-15 units achieved air superiority from off Day one. The following aerial victories were credited during the Gulf War.

DATE	CALLSIGN	UNIT	PILOT	AIRCRAFT	SERIAL/BUNO	TARGET(S)	ORDNANCE
17 Jan 91	PENNZOIL 63	58 TFS/33 TFW	Kelk	F-15C	85-125	MiG-29	AIM-7
17 Jan 91	CITGO 65	58 TFS/33 TFW	Graeter	F-15C	85-105	Mirage F-1 Mirage F-1	AIM-7 AIM-7
17 Jan 91	QUAKER 11	71 TFS/1 TFW	Tate	F-15C	83-017	Mirage F-1	AIM-7
17 Jan 91	ZEREX 71	58 TFS/33 TFW	Magill	F-15C	85-107	MiG-29	AIM-7
17 Jan 91		58 TFS/33 TFW	Draeger	F-15C	85-119
19 Jan 91	CITGO 21	58 TFS/33 TFW	Tollini	F-15C	85-099	MiG-25	AIM-7
19 Jan 91	CITGO 22	58 TFS/33 TFW	Pitts	F-15C	85-101	MiG-25	AIM-7
19 Jan 91	CHEVRON 26	58 TFS/33 TFW	Underhill	F-15C	85-122	MiG-29	AIM-7
19 Jan 91	CHEVRON 25	58 TFS/33 TFW	Rodriguez	F-15C	85-114	MiG-29	Ground
19 Jan 91	RAMBO 03	525 TFS/36 TFW	Prather	F-15C	79-069	Mirage F-1	AIM-7
19 Jan 91	RAMBO 04	525 TFS/36 TFW	Sveden	F-15C	79-021	Mirage F-1	AIM-7
26 Jan 91	CITGO 25	58 TFS/33 TFW	Draeger	F-15C	85-108	MiG-23	AIM-7
26 Jan 91	CITGO 26	58 TFS/33 TFW	Schiavi	F-15C	85-104	MiG-23	AIM-7
26 Jan 91	CITGO 27	58 TFS/33 TFW	Rodriguez	F-15C	85-114	MiG-23	AIM-7
27 Jan 91	OPEC 01	53 TFS/36 TFW	Denney	F-15C	84-025	MiG-23 MiG-23	AIM-9 AIM-9
27 Jan 91	OPEC 02	53 TFS/36 TFW	Powell	F-15C	84-027	MiG-23 Mirage F-1	AIM-7 AIM-7
29 Jan 91	CHEVRON 17	58 TFS/33 TFW	Rose	F-15C	85-102	MiG-23	AIM-7
29 Jan 91	BITE 04	32 TFG	Watrous	F-15C	79-022	MiG-23	AIM-7
2 Feb 91	RIFLE 01	525 TFS/36 TFW	Masters	F-15C	79-064	Il-76	AIM-7
6 Feb 91	ZEREX 53	53 TFS/36 TFW	Dietz	F-15C	79-078	MiG-21 MiG-21	AIM-9 AIM-9
6 Feb 91	ZEREX 54	53 TFS/36 TFW	Hehemann	F-15C	84-019	Su-25 Su-25	AIM-9 AIM-9
7 Feb 91	CHEVRON 21	58 TFS/33 TFW	Parsons	F-15C	85-124	Su-7/17	AIM-7
7 Feb 91	CHEVRON 22	58 TFS/33 TFW	Murphy	F-15C	85-102	Su-22 Su-22	AIM-7 AIM-7
7 Feb 91	KILLER 03	22 TFS/36 TFW	May	F-15C	80-003	Mi-24	AIM-7
11 Feb 91	PISTOL 01	525 TFS/36 TFW	Dingee	F-15C	80-012	0.5 x Helo	AIM-7
11 Feb 91	PISTOL 02	525 TFS/36 TFW	McKenzie	F-15C	79-048	0.5 x Helo	AIM-7
14 Feb 91	PACKARD 41	335 TFS/4 TFW	Bennett/Bakke	F-15E	89-487	Hughes 500	GBU-10
20 Mar 91	AMOCO 34	22 TFS/36 TFW	Doneski	F-15C	84-014	Su-22	AIM-9
22 Mar 91	ZEREX 21	53 TFS/36 TFW	Dietz	F-15C	84-010	Su-22	AIM-9
22 Mar 91	ZEREX 22	53 TFS/36 TFW	Hehemann	F-15C	84-015	PC-9	Ground

NOTES17 Jan: Magill. CPT Chuck “Sly” Magill was a Marine exchange pilot serving with the 58th TFS.

19 Jan: Rodriguez. After Underhill shot the first MiG-29, both Rodriguez and Underhill had the remaining MiG-29 bracketed. In an attempt to dive into an escape window that had already closed, the Iraqi MiG-29 pilot attempted to execute a split-S from a starting altitude of about 2,000 feet. Rodriguez, who was the engaged low man, recognized the problem and took it upstairs; the MiG-29 attempted to follow through with the split-S and hit the desert floor.

Sgt. Bradley Russell, crew chief, secures Capt. Cesar Rodriguez into the cockpit of a 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron F-15 Eagle aircraft prior to a mission during Operation Desert Storm.

The Underhill-Rodriguez engagement occurred as CHEVRON was clearing the six of CITGO flight, which had just killed its pair of MiG-25s and was retreating south to the tanker track. It is said to have been the only turning fight of the war. In post-war interviews, Rodriguez expressed his opinion that they had been extremely lucky in the intercept, since AWACS did not call the pair of MiG-29s approaching from the left beam until they were roughly 13 miles away. Prior to that call, CHEVRON had been unaware of the MiGs’ presence.

26 Jan: Draeger-Shiavi-Rodriguez. This triplet of kills was a “textbook” BVR offensive sweep, with the four CITGO F-15Cs (the fourth was flown by Bruce Till) picking up four MiG-23s and bouncing three (one of them returned to H-2 early in the intercept, presumably because of mechanical problems). The targets were sorted and shot at by all four F-15s at over 13 miles (Till’s AIM-7 arrived slightly after the others and thus he did not receive a kill credit).

29 Jan: Watrous. CPT Watrous was a 32nd TFG pilot detached to the 525th TFS/36th TFW during the war.

7 Feb: Parsons. COL Rick Parsons was the commander of the 33rd TFW, flying a 58th TFS aircraft on this date.

11 Feb: Dingee-McKenzie. This was a shared kill.

14 Feb: Bennett-Bakke. This was the famous laser-guided-bomb kill. The helicopter was on the ground at the time that PACKARD 41 released the GBU-10, but took off while the bomb was in flight. The WSO kept lasing the helicopter anyway, and the bomb guided straight through the rotor disc, destroying the Hughes 500 instantly. The kill was witnessed by a Special Forces team on the ground.

22 Mar: Hehemann. The PC-9 pilot ejected immediately after observing the immediately preceding Su-22 kill by ZEREX 21 During Operation Allied Force the USAF F-15’s encountered Serbian Air Force MiG-29, and the response was as always, Sure, Swift and Accurate, The following aerial victories were credited during operation Allied Force

DATE	CALLSIGN	UNIT	PILOT	AIRCRAFT	SERIAL/BUNO	TARGET(S)	ORDNANCE
24 Mar 99	KNIFE 13	493 FS/48 FW	Rodriguez	F-15C	86-0169	MiG-29	AIM-120
24 Mar 99	EDGE 61	493 FS/48 FW	Shower	F-15C	86-0159	MiG-29	AIM-120
26 Mar 99	DIRK 21	493 FS/48 FW	Hwang	F-15C	86-0156	MiG-29	AIM-120
26 Mar 99	DIRK 21	493 FS/48 FW	Hwang	F-15C	86-0156	MiG-29	AIM-120

24 Mar: Rodriguez. This was Lt.Col. Rodriguez 3rd aerial victory having previously shot down a MiG 23 and MiG 29 during the Gulf War.

Departing on their first operational mission “Allied Force” from Cervia AB, Italy on the 24th March 1999. From left to right Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez (element Leader), Anthony “K Bob” Sweeney (Wingman), “Wild” Bill Denham (wingman), Robert “Criket”Renner (Flight Leader) 493rd Fighter Squadron Grim Reapers

Col. Jeffrey Hwang, 123rd Fighter Squadron commander and F-15 fighter pilot prepares for an afternoon training flight, Nov. 7, 2012 at the Portland Air National Guard Base, Portland, Ore. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John Hughel, 142nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs/Released)

Col. Jeff Hwang, 142nd Fighter Wing Vice Commander, pauses on the ladder of his F-15C Eagle following his ‘Fini Flight’ with the Oregon Air National Guard, Sept. 19, 2014, Portland Air National Guard Base, Ore. Painted on the Eagle are two green stars, which were added to Hwang’s aircraft for his final flight in the Air Force, and reference the two Mikoyan MiG-29’s that he shot down over Kosovo on March 26, 1999.

Capt. Anthony Murphy, an F-15 Eagle aircraft pilot, returns to base after downing two Iraqi SU-22 aircraft during an Operation Desert Storm mission.

CAPT. Chuck “Sly”Magill was a USMC exchange pilot serving with the 58th TFS. On January 17th 1991 he shot down a MiG-29 during the opening round of Operation Desert storm (ZEREX 71)

Capt. Donald “Muddy”Watrous back at Soesterberg AB (May 1991). Muddy was deployed to Incirlik AB and shot down a MiG-23 on January 29th, 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. (Rnlaf fotodienst)

Capt. John K. Kelk, 58th Tactical Fighter Squadron pilot, stands in front of an F-15C Eagle at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. Kelk is credited with the first Iraqi MiG-29 aerial kill of Operation Desert Storm

Capt. Rick Tollini,58 TFS credited with a MiG-25 Kill on January 19th, 1991 while flying 85-0099 “CITGO 21”

Capt. Craig “Mole” Underhill, 58 TFS was flying together with Ceasar “Rico” Rodriguez as “CHEVRON 26” on the 19th of January 1991. While flying 85-122. He shot down a MiG-29 on this mission.

Capt. Dave “Rose” Logger while with the 60th TFS at Eglin AFB. Capt. Logger was flying F-15C 85-0102 “CHEVRON 17” on January 29th, 1991 when he shot down a MiG-23

Capt. Anthony “Kimo” Schiavi 58 TFS, shot down a MiG-23 on January 26th, 1991 while flying 85-0108 “CITGO 26”

Capt. Rob “Cheese” Graeter 58 TFS, scored a double Mirage F-1 kill on the opening night of Operation Desert Storm

Steve “Tater” Tate’s interview with CNN the day after the first night when he shot down an Iraqi F-1.