Russian MiG Pilot Lost to a Yota

Posted by Christopher Eger Jun 21, 2008

A Russian pilot, most likely working a as a private military contractor (hip term for Mercenary) to the government of Sudan, lost his life while attacking a rebel column May 10, 2008. The pilot, listed by some sources as a flight instructor for the Sudanese Air Force, was shot down by medium caliber anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) the oldest form of anti-air weapon. Since the inception of the surface to air missile (SAM) in the 1960s it was thought that AAA had taken a back seat to the SAM. However AAA remains a viable alternative and is used as the working mans aircraft killer. Hundreds of modern combat aircraft have been swatted down from Vietnam to Syria to today's Iraq and Afghanistan by these easy to use weapons from another era.

The weapons involved in the Sudan incident were heavy machine guns (12.7mm and higher) on anti-aircraft mounts carried in the back of light civilian pick up trucks. These trucks, called 'technicals' have been a common sight in Africa from the Libyan-Chad conflict in the 1980s, and the epic civil wars in Liberia, Somalia, and elsewhere.

The Russian pilot, who has not been identified by in name apparently attacked a column of some 200 mixed vehicles at low level and paid the price. The fact that the Russian Defense Ministry refuses to even admit that one of its members was lost points to this pilot not being on active duty anymore with the Russian Armed Forces.

"The Russian defense ministry spokesman told Interfax that the pilot “was not in active service” during his time in Sudan.

"There are no fighter jet pilots in the Russian air group in Sudan" he said."