The Air Force yesterday declassified one of its oldest “open secrets”—that it acquired, tested, and flew Soviet-designed fighters during the Cold War. The service said its 4477th Test and Evaluation squadron—the Red Eagles—based at Tonopah Test Range, Nev., flew the aircraft from 1977-88 both to understand their capabilities and to refine the tactics being developed by Air Force fighter pilots. The program, code-named “Constant Peg,” enhanced the development of aggressor-type air combat exercises, such as those flown in the Air Force’s Red Flag and the Navy’s Top Gun. The Air Force admitted to having MiG-17, MiG-21, and MiG-23 aircraft but declined to say how it acquired them. Officials did say the aircraft were “Communist-built.”
Amid NATO’s continued push to ramp up air defenses in Eastern Europe, Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall swung by seven allied countries to boost relations last week, including those on Russia’s and Ukraine’s doorstep.