Air Combat History: SAAF Mirage Pilot Prepares for MiG Interception, 1982

The Last Mirage F1CZ Combat Sortie of 1982. SAAF Mirage F1CZ was scrambled from Ondangwa Air Force Base to intercept a Cuban-flown MiG-21. The interception culminated in the destruction of the MiG-21. The pilot interviewed, Major Johann Ranken, mentions that he and his squadron were on standby for a ”scramble" to counter a possible ”MiG activity approaching the Angola border." The footage confirms the successful engagement, showing the missile launch and the pilot's account of the event. The 1982 sortie was the last time a SAAF Mirage F1CZ successfully engaged an enemy aircraft in air-to-air combat, marking a turning point in the SAAF's air strategy and the operational history of the Mirage F1CZ fleet. ---- The media is shared for education purposes and is shared under the "FAIR USE" (in US copyright law) the doctrine that brief excerpts of copyright material may, under certain circumstances, be quoted verbatim for purposes such as criticism, news reporting, teaching, and research, without the need for permission from or payment to the copyright holder. #Mirage #Bushwar #grensoorlog #borderwar #Military #History #LestWeForget #Education #MilitaryHistory #UDF #SADF #SANDF #SAAF #SANavy #za_special_forces