The War of Attrition was an armed conflict in which the Egyptian army artillery constantly attacked the Israeli positions on the eastern side of the Suez Canal, with Israel employing its air force aircraft to protect its army units and carry out air strikes against Egyptian army elements. It took place on both sides of the Suez Canal and Sinai region, in the Middle East, from 1967 to 1970. By pounding the Israeli positions in the Sinai over a long period of time, the Egyptian government attempted to sap Israeli determination to hang onto the territorial conquest of the Six Day War (1967); however, Israeli doggedness prevailed.
Since the Israeli Defense Force did not have enough long-range, big-caliber artillery pieces, it resorted to their F-4 Phantom II, Mirage IIIC, and A-4 Skyhawk fighter and attack aircraft to counterattack and destroy the Egyptian artillery positions. To protect its army from the Israeli air raids, the Egyptian government imported from the Soviet Union surface-to-air missiles and radars. As the War of Attrition raged on, the conflict became an air duel pitting the US-made Israeli F-4 fighters against the Soviet-built Egyptian MiG-21s. The Israeli Air Force proved to be superior to the Egyptian as it had better pilots and aircraft. By mid 1970, the Egyptian government stopped the attacks on Israeli bases in the Sinai, since the Israeli counterattacks were more damaging and devastating.
