Produced in the 1980s at the peak of Cold War paranoia, this Grumman Aerospace film discusses the theoretical first five days of air combat that would occur in the event of an outbreak of hostilities between NATO and the Warsaw Pact. It emphasizes the EF-111A electronic warfare and penetrating aircraft's capabilities as part of the tactical package, performing jamming of Soviet radars. The film showcases the capabilities of the USAF and its high tech weapons and examines the Soviet threat. It features a great deal of footage taken from Soviet propaganda films from this era to show the Warsaw bloc's capabilities. It includes assessments by General Thomas Swaim of the U.S. Air Force's Tactical Air Warfare Center. According to Swaim, the pressure that would be brought to bear on NATO forces by the Soviets would be immense in terms of numbers, with the Soviets holding a considerable advantage in strength. The USAF's high tech F-111, F-4, and F-16 aircraft and their technological edge would be key to fending off an enemy offensive. The first five days of the war would determine the winner in a non-conventional war in Europe.

Features images of Soviet ICBMs at 2:10 on parade in Red Square, Soviet aircraft including tactical fighters at 2:30, and electronic weapons, radars and air defense systems at 3:00. The EF-111A is also shown at 4:10, used to block Soviet electronic systems. MiG aircraft are shown at 5:27 scrambling. The EF-111A ECM platform is seen being built at 6:00, from the original F-111 aircraft. At 7:22 a Soviet aircraft is seen being destroyed in air-to-air combat (likely Vietnam war footage).

The General Dynamics–Grumman EF-111A Raven was an electronic warfare aircraft designed to replace the B-66 Destroyer in the United States Air Force. Its crews and maintainers often called it the "Spark-Vark", a play on the F-111's "Aardvark" nickname.

The USAF contracted with Grumman in 1974 to convert some existing General Dynamics F-111As into electronic warfare/electronic countermeasures (ECM) aircraft. The USAF had considered the Navy / Marine Corps Grumman EA-6B Prowler, but was reluctant to adopt a Navy aircraft. The EF-111 entered service in 1983 and served until it was retired in 1998. Afterwards, the Air Force began depending on Navy and Marine Corps EA-6Bs for electronic warfare support.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit [ Ссылка ]

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