Bitburg Air Base F-15 Zulu Alert Take-Off

A Zulu Alert consists of two or four fully armed F-15s with full tanks and weapons ready to go 24 hours per day, 7 days a week. The aircraft and crews were housed at an Alert Facility at the end of the runway. Within a couple of minutes from the time the call came the F-15s would be airborne and headed toward the intruder. The aircraft would usually fly through a pre-arranged corridor. In this corridor they are not restricted to anything and were able to go as fast as needed without the fear of a mid-air collision. During this time they would get their target info either from ATC or an airborne AWACS and directed to the possible threat.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Bitburg
• Air
• Base
• F-15
• Zulu
• Alert
• Take-Off

[tomhat9]

I miss that base, it was a great assignment. I was there from 90-92

[dcs0582]

Excellent!

[PeoplesWar]

@colindhowell Thank you so much! This documentary sounds worth checking out. Definitely up my alley.

[colindhowell]

@PeoplesWar This is from Gwynne Dyer's "War", a television miniseries released in 1983. I'm not sure which episode it was. "War" actually has an overall antiwar theme, but it's also one of the best war documentaries ever made. It does a wonderful job of explaining the historical development of war, and specifically "total war", as well as the nature of being a soldier and the experience of combat. While it's surely dated now, it's still worth watching as long as you keep its era in mind.

[colindhowell]

@camarotx You sure about the starting year? The miniseries from which this was taken was released in 1983.

[colindhowell]

@chug26 Must be early 1980s, probably around 1981-1982, since it was taken from Gwynne Dyer's miniseries "War", which was released in 1983.

[ArianaRoxSox]

193MDS Lived Off base across from the HOSPital next to Harkees....Best Assignment of My Air Force Career!!!

[hamwallet13]

it's funny that the narrator calls the F-15 "delicate"

[PeoplesWar]

Awesome videos. I love these late-'70s, early-'80s Cold War videos. Anyone know the exact year of this documentary?

[michaelfski]

I was there from 85 - 88 (A-Shop, 525). Loved every minute of it.

[FrozenMinnesotan]

@camarotx My uncle was there from 83-87, I bet he would know you. He said that Bitburg was his best assignment by far too, and that he would give anything to go back there.

[drnone88]

@NocredRS You wuss. You sound like a piece of shit fat LIFER!