Jameel Sayhood
Encyclopedia
Captain Jameel Sayhood was an Iraqi
pilot in the Gulf War
who it is claimed managed to attain one of the few aerial victories by the Iraqi Air Force
in his MiG-29B
, before being shot down by USAF
Captain Craig Underhill and Captain Cesar Rodriguez with their F-15Cs mere minutes after his air-air victory.
pilots Gary Lennox and Adrian Weeks were flying their Panavia Tornado
on a bombing mission at Tallil Airfield in Iraq. Sayhood spotted them and promptly brought them down with an R-60
missile from his MiG's arsenal. Weeks and Lennox were killed in the crash of their aircraft, serial ZA467. However this aircraft is recorded as having crashed on 22 January on a mission to Ar Rutbah.
. Underhill and Rodriguez were pursuing another pair of MiG-29s when they spotted Sayhood and his wingman. Sayhood and his wingman promptly engaged the two American aircraft and one of the most intense dogfights of the Gulf War
ensued. The two MiGs and F-15s flew straight at each other, each attempting to visually identify their aggressors. Underhill faced Sayhood's wingman, while Sayhood himself faced Rodriguez. Underhill fired an AIM-7 at Sayhood's wingman, hitting him head on and killing him. At the same time, Rodriguez sensed a radar lock by Sayhood, throwing him onto the defensive. Rodriguez dove down to the deck in order to confuse Sayhood's radar with ground clutter, hoping to shake the radar lock on his aircraft. After seeing his wingman killed, Sayhood briefly broke off the attack. Rodriguez and Underhill started heading south for a tanker, when Sayhood approached them from the north. Rodriguez and Underhill turned around to face Sayhood. Underhill got a radar lock on Sayhood with an AIM-7, but didn't fire because he wasn't sure if Sayhood was friendly or not. Sayhood sliced into their formation causing a "classic merge". Underhill climbed, keeping his lock on Sayhood, while Rodriguez stayed committed to the merge in order to visually identify the aircraft as hostile. As they passed each other, Rodriguez identified it as Iraqi, and each pilot turned left to engage the other. Sayhood was relying on the MiG's better turning radius to get onto Rodriguez's tail. They slowly spiraled towards the ground until Sayhood attempted to pull out using a split-s. Rodriguez didn't follow, and just before Sayhood could pull out, he crashed into the ground. He managed to eject from his MiG, however it is unknown if he survived.
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
pilot in the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
who it is claimed managed to attain one of the few aerial victories by the Iraqi Air Force
Iraqi Air Force
The Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...
in his MiG-29B
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
, before being shot down by USAF
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Captain Craig Underhill and Captain Cesar Rodriguez with their F-15Cs mere minutes after his air-air victory.
Initial engagement
Captain Sayhood was flying his MiG-29B in Iraq on the third day of the war in order to root out and shoot-down Coalition aircraft bombing Iraq. It is claimed that RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
pilots Gary Lennox and Adrian Weeks were flying their Panavia Tornado
Panavia Tornado
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft, which was jointly developed and manufactured by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy...
on a bombing mission at Tallil Airfield in Iraq. Sayhood spotted them and promptly brought them down with an R-60
Molniya R-60
The Molniya R-60 is a lightweight air-to-air missile designed for use by Soviet fighter aircraft. It has been widely exported, and remains in service with the CIS and many other nations....
missile from his MiG's arsenal. Weeks and Lennox were killed in the crash of their aircraft, serial ZA467. However this aircraft is recorded as having crashed on 22 January on a mission to Ar Rutbah.
Second engagement
Sayhood continued his mission defending Iraqi airspace and came across two F-15Cs piloted by Captains Craig Underhill and Cesar RodriguezCesar Rodriguez (USAF pilot)
Cesar A. "Rico" Rodriguez was a United States Air Force pilot from 1981 to 2006. His three air-to-air combat victories brought him closer to becoming an air ace than any American pilot since the Vietnam War. Rodriguez scored his first two kills in 1991, during the first Gulf War, against a MiG-29...
. Underhill and Rodriguez were pursuing another pair of MiG-29s when they spotted Sayhood and his wingman. Sayhood and his wingman promptly engaged the two American aircraft and one of the most intense dogfights of the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
ensued. The two MiGs and F-15s flew straight at each other, each attempting to visually identify their aggressors. Underhill faced Sayhood's wingman, while Sayhood himself faced Rodriguez. Underhill fired an AIM-7 at Sayhood's wingman, hitting him head on and killing him. At the same time, Rodriguez sensed a radar lock by Sayhood, throwing him onto the defensive. Rodriguez dove down to the deck in order to confuse Sayhood's radar with ground clutter, hoping to shake the radar lock on his aircraft. After seeing his wingman killed, Sayhood briefly broke off the attack. Rodriguez and Underhill started heading south for a tanker, when Sayhood approached them from the north. Rodriguez and Underhill turned around to face Sayhood. Underhill got a radar lock on Sayhood with an AIM-7, but didn't fire because he wasn't sure if Sayhood was friendly or not. Sayhood sliced into their formation causing a "classic merge". Underhill climbed, keeping his lock on Sayhood, while Rodriguez stayed committed to the merge in order to visually identify the aircraft as hostile. As they passed each other, Rodriguez identified it as Iraqi, and each pilot turned left to engage the other. Sayhood was relying on the MiG's better turning radius to get onto Rodriguez's tail. They slowly spiraled towards the ground until Sayhood attempted to pull out using a split-s. Rodriguez didn't follow, and just before Sayhood could pull out, he crashed into the ground. He managed to eject from his MiG, however it is unknown if he survived.