Two F-15Cs , piloted Motion by Captains Craig Underhill and Cesar Rodriguez gave Giving chase to a pair of MiG-29s detected Know by AWACS .

Underhill was facing Sayhood 's wingman , while Sayhood himself was facing Rodriguez .

Underhill fired Use_firearm an AIM-7 at Sayhood 's wingman , scoring Getting a head-on hit and killing Killing the opposing pilot instantly .

Considering the engagement over , Rodriguez and Underhill turned Change south to rendezvous with a KC-135 tanker in order to refuel , but Sayhood reversed Change course and set off Departing after them , prompting Causation them to reengage .

With the now lone MiG-29 closing head-on with the pair of F-15s , Underhill gained Getting radar lock-on , but did not fire due Causation to a glitch in his IFF interrogator system keeping him from being certain he was n't about to shoot down Use_firearm a Coalition aircraft .

Underhill initially thought he shot down Use_firearm an allied aircraft .

Underhill kept Sayhood locked-on and climbed Motion , while Rodriguez committed Commitment to the merge in order to visually identify Check the opposing aircraft as hostile .