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NATO fighter pilots test their skills during a dogfighting competition

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NATO’s fighter pilots squared off for a series of intense, one-versus-one duels in the German skies during a first-of-its-kind dogfighting competition.

Synopsis

NATO’s fighter pilots squared off for a series of intense, one-versus-one duels in the German skies during a first-of-its-kind dogfighting competition.
The competition drew more than 30 jets from nine Allies, namely Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, to Ramstein Air Base in Germany. For each sortie, pilots would receive an envelope containing the time and location for a rendez-vous with their opponent. They didn’t know who they were fighting, or what aircraft they were facing, until the high speed “merge” with their adversary.
Usually, NATO’s fighter pilots train within their squadrons, facing pilots and aircraft they know well. Competitions like these give them a chance to truly test themselves against unfamiliar aircraft, forcing them to either adapt their tactics mid-air or face defeat. Following each sortie, pilots gathered to chat about their duel over cheeseburgers and hot dogs, giving them a chance to fill in knowledge gaps while forging meaningful friendships that could benefit them in the future.
This was the first dogfighting competition at Ramstein Air Base, but the US Air Force organisers said they hope to hold more iterations in the future.
Footage includes shots of pilots getting in fighter jets, taking off and landing, as well as an interview with a US Air Force officer.

Transcript

—SHOTLIST—

(00:00) LONG SHOT - F16 TAKING OFF

(00:13) LONG SHOT - F-35 TAKING OFF

(00:19) LONG SHOT - RAFALE TAKING OFF

(00:24) LONG SHOT - F-16 TAKING OFF

(00:28) LONG SHOT - EUROFIGHTER TAKING OFF

(00:36) LONG SHOT - RAFALE TAKING OFF

(00:41) LONG SHOT - F-35 TAKING OFF

(00:48) LONG SHOT - EUROFIGHTER TAKING OFF

(00:58) LONG SHOT - FROM LEFT TO RIGHT – A EUROFIGHTER AND AN F-16

(01:04) LONG SHOT - SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - FROM LEFT TO RIGHT - AN F-35 AND AN F-16

(01:14) LONG SHOT - SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - AN F-35

(01:22) LONG SHOT - AN F-35

(01:26) LONG SHOT - A RAFALE

(01:36) MEDIUM SHOT - SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - AN F-16

(01:50) MEDIUM SHOT - SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - GERMAN AND US FLAGS

(01:58) MEDIUM SHOT - SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - AN F-35 ON THE RUNWAY

(02:07) MEDIUM SHOT - SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - AN F-16 ON THE RUNWAY

(02:14) SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - CLOSE UP ON AN F-16

(02:17) SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - CLOSE UP ON AN F-16 WITH FLAGS IN BACKGROUND

(02:22) SLOW MOTION NO AUDIO - AN F-18 ON THE FLIGHT LINE

(02:27) MEDIUM SHOT - AN F-16 ON THE FLIGHT LINE

(02:41) MEDIUM SHOT - AN F-35 ON THE FLIGHT LINE

(02:46) SOUNDBITE IN ENGLISH, LTC Kyle Rutherford Weapons and Tactics Chief, USAFE US AIR FORCE

‘So we're at Ramstein Air Force Base and right now we've got 40 aircraft out on the ramp and we're fighting basic fighter manoeuvres between nine different NATO countries. We've got five different types of airplanes participating in this. The F-35, F-16, Rafale, the Eurofighter, as well as the F-18.’

‘So the point is to try to hone your skills, this is one of the first pilot skill sets that you learn. The real excitement is to try to fight against another airplane and another pilot from a different country because you get real tired of fighting against your own squadron or your own airframe type, that you get a false sense of security, that what you're able to do against F-16 versus F-16 is what's going to translate to success against maybe a Rafale. So fighting in these, you get the opportunity to test that assumption and see if that's still a valid assumption.’

‘What we're doing that's unique to this exercise is that you're flying out in the airspace, and you have no idea who you're going to fight against. It's one of five different airplanes that you may see, and you have about 1,000 miles an hour of closure that you're about to fly right against each other. And then once you see that airplane for the first time when they're a half mile away, you have about a two-second window to make a decision and then see if your gameplan works against that aircraft.’

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Reference
NATO935077
ID
2260