- Cesar Rodriguez (USAF pilot)
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Cesar Antonio Rodriguez Nickname "Rico"
"Last American Ace"[1]Born March 22, 1959-
Guaynabo, Puerto RicoAllegiance United States Service/branch United States Air Force Years of service 1981-2006[2] Rank Colonel Unit 33rd Fighter Wing Battles/wars Gulf War (Operation Desert Storm)
Air engagements of the Gulf War
1999 NATO bombing of YugoslaviaAwards Distinguished Flying Cross[2] Cesar Antonio 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 and a MiG-23 of the Iraqi Air Force. His third kill came against a MiG-29 of the Yugoslavian Air Force during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia.
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Gulf War
In the Gulf War, Rodriguez scored the first two air-air direct hits of his Air Force career. The first hit occurred when he and his wingman Craig "Mole" Underhill came across two Iraqi MiG-29s. The quickly locked up the two MiGs, which turned east to avoid them. However, an AWACS then reported two more MiG-29s coming in at them from the west a mere 13 miles away. The two F-15s and two MiG-29s charged straight at each other. Rodriguez's wingman quickly took out the lead MiG, however, the second MiG, piloted by Captain Jameel Sayhood, managed to lock up Rodriguez, who quickly executed a dive down to the deck to avoid the radar lock. After seeing his wingman killed, Sayhood decided to bug out briefly. Rodriguez rejoined with Underhill until Sayhood reappeared. Underhill locked him up, though his computer wouldn't let him fire the AIM-9 missile to destroy the MiG because of a glitch in his IFF which told him that the MiG was a friendly aircraft. Rodriguez and Sayhood then proceeded to merge, whereupon they both turned left and promptly got into a turning war. As they descended towards the ground, Sayhood attempted to execute a split-s maneuver. However he crashed into the ground. Rodriguez was credited with a maneuvering kill.[3]
His second kill came as he was flying in formation with three other pilots, Captain Rory Draeger with his wingman Captain Tony "Kimo" Schiavi, and Rodriguez with his wingman Captain Bruce Till. An AWACS picked up four Iraqi MiG-23s taking off from the airfield designated H2. The four F-15s turned ninety degrees, and spread out over a space of ten miles to maximize their radar and missile coverage. One of the four MiGs bugged out with mechanical difficulties. Draeger assigns the targets, he will take the lead MiG, while Schiavi takes the northern one, while Rodriguez was assigned the southern MiG. The three of them locked up the MiGs and all fired AIM-7 radar missiles at the MiGs. All three were destroyed within seconds of each other to for a "textbook" beyond visual range dogfight. The moment of the missiles impact in the MiG-23 was caught in the cockpit camera of that MiG, which was later recovered by a special forces team.[2][3]
Yugoslav War
During the Yugoslav War, Rodriguez was stationed there for the campaign against the Serbs. On the first night of the campaign, March 24, 1999, several Yugoslavian MiG-29s rose up to resist the air attacks. Two MiGs took off on the opening night from Nis Air Force Base in Yugoslavia. The first was damaged from a missile strike from a Dutch F-16 fighter, whilst the second flown by Yugoslav Major Ilijo Arizanov was engaged and shot down by Rodriguez in his F-15. The MiG-29s of the Yugoslavia Air Force were very old and suffering severe problems with their systems. Major Ilijo was having trouble getting his radar working when he was shot down by Rodriguez. This would be Rodriguez's final kill, making him the highest ranking pilot in terms of kills in the US since the Vietnam War, two short of "Ace" status.[4]
After war
After the wars, Rodriguez continued to serve with the US Air Force until November 30, 2006, when he retired with the rank of Colonel and the nickname "Last American Ace".
Aerial victory credits
Date # Type Location Aircraft flown Unit Assigned January 19, 1991 1 MiG-29 Iraq F-15C 33 FW, 58 TFS January 26, 1991 1 MiG-23 Iraq F-15C 33 FW, 58 TFS March 24, 1999 1 MiG-29 Yugoslavia F-15C 33 FW, 58 TFS References
- ^ Bowden, Mark (March 2009). "The Last Ace". The Atlantic. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2009/03/the-last-ace/7291/. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
- ^ a b c "Cesar A. Rodriguez, Jr.". veterantributes.org. http://www.veterantributes.org/TributeDetail.asp?ID=505. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
- ^ a b Dogfights of Desert Storm History Channel. accessed 11 September 2010
- ^ ACIG Team (30 November 2003). "Yugoslav & Serbian MiG-29s". acig.org. http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_380.shtml. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
Categories:- 1959 births
- Living people
- United States Air Force officers
- Puerto Rican people
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