A military expert reveals the secret of the Egyptian military superiority over Israel in the October war

A military expert confirmed that Egypt's military superiority over Israel in the October war came due to the use of Soviet anti-aircraft and anti-tank missiles, and because of the efficiency of planning and the courage of the fighters.

The Egyptian military expert, Major General Samir Ragheb, added, in a statement to "Russia Today" channel: "In the October war, Israel relied on the superiority of its air forces and the achievement of air sovereignty over the theater of operations, through its ability to carry out air raids on forces at the front line of defenses, and to the depths of The following formats and close reserves, as well as reaching targets in the depth, while working to prevent the Egyptian fighters from working against the defenses of the Israeli forces east of the Canal, including the extensive use of anti-tank aircraft against armored and mechanical elements, with a water barrier and a fortified confrontation with a height of 20 meters in a line Barlev".

On the other hand, he continued: "But on the other hand, the Egyptian army surpassed the difference in armament with the efficiency of planning, the ability and courage of the individual fighter, and surprise at all levels, especially in the individual and the new weapon, through the use of a huge amount of Soviet anti-aircraft missiles (surface-to-air), anti-aircraft artillery, artillery and missiles. anti-tank".

Ragheb pointed out that "the Egyptian army was able, with the available armament, most of which were Soviet weapons, to change the rules of engagement with the Israelis. Instead of using warplanes to destroy missile batteries, these planes became like unable to participate, and for the first time in the history of battles, an individual stood In front of a tank and down an individual plane, which changed the methods and tactics of fighting with after October 73 until now."

The military expert said: "Egypt began the October war against Israel, after building an air force according to the available armament, comprising about 620 warplanes, and more than 100 helicopters, most of which were Russian-made, and Egypt had only Western-made planes available from Arab support planes, Such as the Iraqi support, the English-made Hawker Hunter, and the French Mirage 5, from Libya, "according to the public source", which indicates that this force included 220 MiG-21 combat aircraft, and 200 combat aircraft and MiG bombers. 17, 120 Su-7 fighters and bombers, 18 Tu-16 bombers, and 10 Il-28 bombers.

The Egyptian Air Force included 40 to 50 "Ilyushin Il-14" and "EN-12" military transport planes, in addition to between 100 to 140 "Mi 1, 4, 6, 8" helicopters.

Ragheb continued, "The MiG-21 fighters, on which the Egyptian Air Force relied, as a striking air force, were armed with "air-to-air" missiles and 23 mm machine guns, while the efforts of engineers and technicians in the Egyptian Air Force were equipped with MiG-17 and "MiG-17" aircraft. The Su-7 was armed with bombs to launch attacks against ground targets, in addition to having machine guns, while the Tupolev Tu-16 bombers were relied upon to launch missile and heavy bomb attacks against ground targets from the air.

The military expert confirmed that: "The Israeli air superiority was matched by superiority in the Egyptian air defense missile wall, with a Russian system that includes missiles, radars and anti-aircraft artillery, covering range and altitude, to secure the theater of operations and strategic depth. The Egyptian army succeeded in building a huge missile wall during the war. Attrition, and the effort intensified in cooperation with civil contracting companies and experts in completing the system, and the Egyptian missile shield included about 150 missile battalions, and 2500 anti-aircraft guns, before the first of October, it succeeded in securing the crossing to the east of the Suez Canal and the establishment of bridges, as it secured those The forces were about 10 km east of the canal, and succeeded in shooting down dozens of Israeli warplanes in the early days of the war.”

Ragheb pointed out that: “SAM-6 missiles. These Russian missiles are the latest and most important weapon in the Egyptian air defense, as these missiles are characterized by their great capabilities to maneuver against air targets, regardless of their speed or ability to maneuver, and this medium-range, self-propelled system works to confront air targets.” Hostile hostilities at various air altitudes, from very low to very high, and provide a defensive umbrella for the advanced ground forces, deep in the head of the bridge, the presence of larger numbers of that system was enough to inflict greater losses on the Israeli side, and the system succeeded in depriving the Israeli planes from approaching a distance of 15 How far east of the canal.

The military expert stated that the SA2-75 Dvina S weapons had several versions, including:

SA-75 Dvina, S-75 Desna, S-75M Volkhov/Volga A Soviet missile used to launch an interceptor missile at an enemy aircraft, as the defensive missile was used in a missile wall.

The S-125 Neva/Pechor Pechora is a Soviet-made surface-to-air missile. This program was designed to overcome the shortcomings of the SA-2 missiles, which operate at lower altitudes, at lower speeds, and with a more effective response to the electronic system. against measurement.

Ragheb said that "the Pechora anti-air missile system ensures that all means of air attack are addressed, as it can deal with great effectiveness compared to other anti-aircraft missile systems and small-sized targets that fly at low altitudes."

The military expert confirmed that the “Strella” defense system is one of the most important weapons used in the October War, and it is a shoulder-borne anti-aircraft missile, characterized by infrared and heat guidance and the high ability to explode in the air. It was surprising in its use in ambushes of low-altitude aircraft, and in forcing aircraft to rise to the level of the missile field."

Ragheb said that "the Russian "Shilka" system is an air defense system against low targets with the purpose of forcing them to rise so that they do not enter the field of air defense missiles, and it works with ground formations and in anti-armor armament."

Ragheb pointed out that the "9K11 Malyutk" anti-tank missile "Malyutka" surprised the Israeli tanks with a small Egyptian weapon, which the Israeli intelligence was not aware of with the Egyptian forces, the mobile anti-tank gun "Malyutka" as well. The Israeli forces were surprised that the soldiers crossed the channel in the first waves armed with anti-armor missiles, some of which are well-known and some of them are surprising, whether in the type of weapon or the individual combatant’s competence and courage in using weapons, and they set him up in many places to confront any attack by Israeli tanks. Egypt obtained "Sager" shortly before the October War, which prevented Israeli intelligence from obtaining information about it, especially since it was newly produced in Russia.

And thus, Egypt gathered a huge armored force that was on the night of October 6, 1973, its number reached in numbers (2000 tanks and 2000 armored vehicles). And a high combat level for the Egyptian fighter.”

Ragheb pointed out that "Soviet tanks formed the main armament of the Egyptian armored force. Egypt possessed 100 T-34 battle tanks that entered service in 1955 and were armed with an 85 mm cannon, followed by the most famous T-54 and T-55 tanks." In the 1960s with a 100-mm cannon, then the T-62 tank joined in 1972 with "Algerian support". In addition, Egypt possessed a limited number of Joseph Stalin's heavy tanks with heavy guns of 122 mm caliber, only 30 tanks were used as fixed artillery in the pre-fire phase. ".

He continued, "In addition to a light amphibious tank of the "BT-76" model, armed with a 76-mm cannon and a 6.72 machine gun, produced in 1955, with a total of only 75 tanks of this type, the Egyptian Armored Corps also possessed cars and other armored reconnaissance vehicles, as well as tracked and wheeled troop carriers traveling on Wheels of BTR/40, 50, 60 and 152 models, Soviet-made, with 2,000 armored vehicles and other armored vehicles.

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