The F-4 Phantoms have to take off during Zulu Alert Scrambles within five minutes of the horn going off
The stunning video in this post, which was shot in a West German air base in the 1970s, depicts a classic Cold War Era scramble carried out by a pair of U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-4E Phantoms on “Zulu Alert.”
Noteworthy Zulu Alert is the air-sovereignty mission where fighters scramble to intercept unknown ADIZ (Air Defense Identification Zone which actually is airspace over land or water in which the identification, location, and control of unidentified aircraft are performed in the interest of national security) intruders or anyone else who shouldn’t be where they are.
The video explains that the interceptors had to take off within five minutes of the horn going off, as opposed to the Phantoms’ typical loadout for missions of this nature, which included twenty M61 Vulcan cannons, nine AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles, and seven AIM-7 Sparrow semi-active radar homing (SARH) missiles.
It was so tense during Zulu Alert scrambles, according to the video description, that “sometimes during taxi and takeoff you were still trying to finish strapping in.”
Therefore, take a seat, enjoy the video, and experience the rush of a Cold War-era Zulu Alert Scramble.