国家地理:Wings Over The Gulf 波湾战机 - 1

January 1991, an F-15 pilot on combat-air patrol sweeps the skies of Iraq.

"Sheridan, I'm Captain Medrimans, Captain in the 27th fighter squadron, flying in F-15 over Iraq. Today's been a mixed sweep, we started from the central, swept up for Bagdad, hung a right(slang: turned right) to the east, looked at several airfields¹ in the southeastern and eastern sector², ran the Iranian border, and repeated that a couple of times, and then I came back to Saudi Arabia to refuel, and then we have our gas, we'll... shortly, we head back at north to do the same thing one more time."

Although its political significance is still being debated, the war in the Persian Gulf³ was a turning point in military history. For the first time, a massive strategetic air campaign led to a decisive victory over a well-defended opponent. The first goal of the campaign was to quickly gain control of the skies. For that, no plane was better suited than the F-15 Eagle.

"I christen the Eagle, and may you reign⁴ supreme⁵ in your domain⁶."

First flown in 1972, the F-15 Eagle was a major advance in high-performance fighter aircraft. But it was only developed because the US thought the Soviet⁷ Union had a better plane, for the F-15 was a direct response to MiG-25 Foxbat, a fast flying high-altitude fighter that seemed far superior to the West stop jet, the F-4 Phantom⁸.

Years later, western analysts⁹ discovered the Foxbat was not the stellar leap in aviation technology that it seemed to be. But in the 1960s, the threat seemed very real. So the US air force called for many manufacturers to design a super fighter, a plane that could outshoot and outfly anything in the sky. McDonnell Douglas won the contract with the two-engine, single-seat powerhouse, incorporating every cutting-edge electronic system available. the new plane, designated F-15, was big and expensive, about 30 million per plane in today's dollars. But it was the fastest, most maneuverable fighter ever built. It was also the deadliest, for the heart of the F-15 is its APG-70 Pulse-Doppler radar¹⁰, which can locate targets a hundred miles away. This is critical, for an air combat spotting your opponent first can make a life-or-death difference.

When the time to fight arrives, an Eagle pilot has four weapons to choose from. He can fire long-range radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. He can deploy¹¹ AIM-9 Sidewinders, deadly close-range weapons that lock on the hot exhaust. AIM-120 missiles known as AMRAAMs are medium-range weapons, similar to but more powerful than AIM-7s. Lastly, the M-61 cannon¹². The F-15 has gone through 3 major upgrades since it entered air force service in 1974.


hang a right: slang: turned right
christen: To name and dedicate ceremonially 正式命名和落成典礼

1 airfields   

n.（较小的无建筑的）飞机场( airfield的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• For several days traffic fromthe Naples airfields was partially interrupted. 那不勒斯机场的对外交通部分地停顿了数天。 来自辞典例句
• We have achieved a great amount of destruction at airfields and air bases. 我们已把机场和空军基地大加破坏。 来自辞典例句

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

4 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

5 supreme   

adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的

参考例句：

• It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。
• He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

6 domain   

n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围

参考例句：

• This information should be in the public domain.这一消息应该为公众所知。
• This question comes into the domain of philosophy.这一问题属于哲学范畴。

7 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

8 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

9 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

10 radar   

n.雷达，无线电探测器

参考例句：

• They are following the flight of an aircraft by radar.他们正在用雷达追踪一架飞机的飞行。
• Enemy ships were detected on the radar.敌舰的影像已显现在雷达上。

11 deploy   

v.（军）散开成战斗队形，布置，展开

参考例句：

• The infantry began to deploy at dawn.步兵黎明时开始进入战斗位置。
• The president said he had no intention of deploying ground troops.总统称并不打算部署地面部队。

12 cannon   

n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮

参考例句：

• The soldiers fired the cannon.士兵们开炮。
• The cannon thundered in the hills.大炮在山间轰鸣。