NoaIzumiAnime Classroom: The Planes of Area 88, Part 3
January 27th 2009 13:25
The Planes of Area 88 series concludes, with the aircraft flown by the enemy. As is traditional in military fiction of the late 20th century, the enemy here flies mainly Soviet/Russian built aircraft.
One theme in the OVA is the arms trade and the Cold War. The anime is set in the 80s, so the Asranian civil war is portrayed as a proxy battlefield for the Americans and Soviets. The real Cold War, of course, had too many examples of proxy conflicts to count. Both superpowers kept close tabs on these conflicts, and not just for political reasons. Air combat tactics and fighter designs were modified based on the real life combat experience in these wars.
MiG-21 Fishbed
Probably the most famous Soviet-built plane ever, and definitely the most widely exported supersonic aircraft in history, the delta-winged MiG-21 Fishbed is bad news for Shin Kazuma and his fellow Area 88 pilots. While not sophisticated compared to its Western counterparts, it is fast and maneuverable, and many air forces still use them today.
The MiG-21 is most familiar to Americans for its use in the Vietnam War. Most of the American planes lost in air combat during the war fell to MiG-21s. The highest-scoring ace of the war (on either side) was a North Vietnamese MiG-21 pilot named Nguyen Van Coc, with nine confirmed victories over American aircraft.
MiG-21 had the bulk of air-to-air duties in the Arab-Israeli conflicts as well. The highest scoring Arab pilot was Bassam Hamshu, a Syrian with seven kills in the MiG-21.
MiG-17 Fresco
The MiG-17 Fresco was the predominant rebel aircraft in the first part of the TV anime, before they switched to MiG-21s. Like the MiG-21, the MiG-17 saw extensive service in both Vietnam and the Middle East. In spite of its relatively slow speed, many pilots preferred it to the MiG-21 because of its better maneuverability and bubble canopy. As portrayed in the anime, the Fresco also served as a fighter-bomber, and excelled in this role. Egyptian MiG-17s attacked Israeli airfields on the first day of the Yom Kippur War, and North Vietnamese Frescoes successfully attacked American ships in 1972, damaging the destroyer USS Higbee.
Tu-95 Bear
This four-engine bomber is used for strategic bombing and transport in the TV anime, but in the real world its main role is maritime reconnaissance, and its impressive range has kept it in Russian service for decades. The Tu-95’s use by the rebels, however, is something of a goof by the animators. Not only is it slow, it’s hard to maintain, and not the best choice for this kind of war. Jet bombers (the Soviets made and exported a number of them, some supersonic) are faster and carry an equal or greater payload. I suspect aesthetic reasons for the choice. Whatever its qualifications, the Tu-95 looks like a proper bomber.
MiG-23 Flogger
This fighter, featured in one episode of the TV anime, was the first Soviet-built aircraft with a variable-sweep wing like the F-14 Tomcat’s. The wing automatically changes its angle to the airplane body for maximum efficiency at different speeds. The MiG-23 Flogger was built to replace the MiG-21, and has improved electronics and longer range. However, the MiG-21 is more maneuverable, which is why many countries kept their Fishbeds rather to upgrade to Floggers. The MiG-23 still found several customers, and saw action in the Middle East and Africa.
MiG-27 Flogger
Making a memorable appearance in the OVA as the plane of the Wolf Pack mercenary group, the MiG-27 is a ground-attack variant of the MiG-23, and considered one of the most sophisticated fighter-bombers the Soviets produced. Many of them were based in Europe to face off against NATO, so it’s a natural choice for the German-manned Wolf Pack. MiG-27s weren’t sold to as many foreign customers as the MiG-23, but they have seen action in Afghanistan during the 80s and more recently against Tamil rebels as part of the Sri Lankan air force.
One theme in the OVA is the arms trade and the Cold War. The anime is set in the 80s, so the Asranian civil war is portrayed as a proxy battlefield for the Americans and Soviets. The real Cold War, of course, had too many examples of proxy conflicts to count. Both superpowers kept close tabs on these conflicts, and not just for political reasons. Air combat tactics and fighter designs were modified based on the real life combat experience in these wars.
MiG-21bis of the former Yugoslav Air Force
MiG-21 Fishbed
Probably the most famous Soviet-built plane ever, and definitely the most widely exported supersonic aircraft in history, the delta-winged MiG-21 Fishbed is bad news for Shin Kazuma and his fellow Area 88 pilots. While not sophisticated compared to its Western counterparts, it is fast and maneuverable, and many air forces still use them today.
The MiG-21 is most familiar to Americans for its use in the Vietnam War. Most of the American planes lost in air combat during the war fell to MiG-21s. The highest-scoring ace of the war (on either side) was a North Vietnamese MiG-21 pilot named Nguyen Van Coc, with nine confirmed victories over American aircraft.
MiG-21 had the bulk of air-to-air duties in the Arab-Israeli conflicts as well. The highest scoring Arab pilot was Bassam Hamshu, a Syrian with seven kills in the MiG-21.
MiG-17F
MiG-17 Fresco
The MiG-17 Fresco was the predominant rebel aircraft in the first part of the TV anime, before they switched to MiG-21s. Like the MiG-21, the MiG-17 saw extensive service in both Vietnam and the Middle East. In spite of its relatively slow speed, many pilots preferred it to the MiG-21 because of its better maneuverability and bubble canopy. As portrayed in the anime, the Fresco also served as a fighter-bomber, and excelled in this role. Egyptian MiG-17s attacked Israeli airfields on the first day of the Yom Kippur War, and North Vietnamese Frescoes successfully attacked American ships in 1972, damaging the destroyer USS Higbee.
Tu-95 Bear escorted away by F-14 Tomcat
Tu-95 Bear
This four-engine bomber is used for strategic bombing and transport in the TV anime, but in the real world its main role is maritime reconnaissance, and its impressive range has kept it in Russian service for decades. The Tu-95’s use by the rebels, however, is something of a goof by the animators. Not only is it slow, it’s hard to maintain, and not the best choice for this kind of war. Jet bombers (the Soviets made and exported a number of them, some supersonic) are faster and carry an equal or greater payload. I suspect aesthetic reasons for the choice. Whatever its qualifications, the Tu-95 looks like a proper bomber.
Egyptian MiG-23
MiG-23 Flogger
This fighter, featured in one episode of the TV anime, was the first Soviet-built aircraft with a variable-sweep wing like the F-14 Tomcat’s. The wing automatically changes its angle to the airplane body for maximum efficiency at different speeds. The MiG-23 Flogger was built to replace the MiG-21, and has improved electronics and longer range. However, the MiG-21 is more maneuverable, which is why many countries kept their Fishbeds rather to upgrade to Floggers. The MiG-23 still found several customers, and saw action in the Middle East and Africa.
MiG-27 Flogger
Making a memorable appearance in the OVA as the plane of the Wolf Pack mercenary group, the MiG-27 is a ground-attack variant of the MiG-23, and considered one of the most sophisticated fighter-bombers the Soviets produced. Many of them were based in Europe to face off against NATO, so it’s a natural choice for the German-manned Wolf Pack. MiG-27s weren’t sold to as many foreign customers as the MiG-23, but they have seen action in Afghanistan during the 80s and more recently against Tamil rebels as part of the Sri Lankan air force.
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