America's Secret MiGs
America's Secret MiGs: The Story Of The 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron

Summary
 

 The 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron operated Soviet-built MiG fighters to understand their capabilities and weaknesses. 
 The squadron sourced MiG-21s and MiG-23s from various countries and conducted over 15,000 sorties for pilot training. 
 Elite pilots and mechanics of the 4477th had to figure out how to operate and maintain MiGs entirely from scratch. 
 

 



The relatively unknown story of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron is one defined by bravery, courage, and unparalleled flying, one that truly showcased the prowess of American fighter pilots and aerospace engineers. This unique squadron, the stories of which have now been declassified following the conclusion of the Cold War, had a unique purpose as part of the Tactical Air Command.

The organization was tasked with operating MiG-17, MiG-21, and MiG-23 Soviet-built combat fighter aircraft to better understand how these jets functioned and under which conditions US pilots could gain an advantage in combat. This unique squadron was created as part of Project Constant Peg, a Cold War-era program that sought to identify the weaknesses in Soviet aerospace technology.




The most impressive thing about the squadron is that its elite pilots, mechanics, and leadership team had next to no understanding of how this supersonic fighter operated and had to figure everything out entirely from scratch. In this article, we will take a deeper look at the fascinating story of the now-defunct 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron of the United States Air Force.


 Background and origins 
The United States Armed Forces maintain dozens of programs for the evaluation of foreign military technologies, many of which continue operating today. Despite significant information declassification in 2006, the vast majority of these evaluation processes remain fully secretive.

   Photo: National Museum of the United States Air Force 




Understanding Soviet fighters proved critical in the Vietnam War when American F-4 Phantoms struggled against more nimbly designed MiG fighters. As a result, the US military looked into programs that would allow them to evaluate the capabilities of Soviet dogfighters in order to design the next generation of American fighters to best combat the USSR's weapons.



This evaluation of Soviet aircraft led to the establishment of programs like the Navy's TOPGUN unit, which completely revolutionized American dogfighting capabilities, according to the National Museum of the United States Air Force. However, what the Air Force really needed was some actual Soviet MiGs they could operate in order to simulate battle conditions and best understand how to combat offensive maneuvers from such aircraft. Soon, due to collapsing relationships between the USSR and allies it had armed with MiG fighters, the Air Force would get exactly what it wanted.




 Acquisition of MiG aircraft 
By the end of the 1970s, the United States Air Force finally began to acquire some Russian-built MiG fighters, which prompted the creation of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron. The organization received its first jets, MiG-17s, and MiG-21s, loaned from the Israeli military, which had captured them in conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Soon after, the Air Force received additional MiG-21 jets from the Indonesian Air Force, according to The National Interest.

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The elite unit looked across the globe for aircraft to evaluate, even procuring jets from scrapyards, remote crash sites, and many other air forces. By the 1970s, the organization had received upgraded MiG-21 models alongside the latest MiG-23 fighters through arrangements with nations including Egypt and Germany.

   Photo: National Museum of the United States Air Force 


Over the years, the program continued to grow, eventually including ex-East German jets and Chinese-built license fighters like the Shenyang F-7, which was added to the fleet in 1987. Throughout this entire period, the organization's operations remained strictly classified, and the squadron operated in heavily classified areas of the Nevada desert near the notorious Area 51. In 1982, the organization had all the following jets in its inventory:

Variant: Number in 4477th Squadron Inventory:  MiG-21F 6  MiG-21MF 2  MiG-23BN 1  MiG-23MS 2    






 Operations 
The 4477th Squadron's pilots tested MiG aircraft in aerial combat tactics over the course of an 11-year period. When the MiG jets arrived at the organization's Nevada base, Air Force mechanics immediately took them apart and reassembled them, ensuring that they were in peak functioning order and gaining extensive understanding of the planes' mechanics.

Furthermore, some modifications were made to the jets in order to make them flyable by American pilots, who were unable to read altitude in terms of meters or speed in terms of kilometers per hour. Aside from these slight adjustments, however, the MiGs were mostly identical to those created by the Russian Air Force.

   Photo: National Museum of the United States Air Force 




Over its years of operation, the squadron conducted more than 15,000 sorties, and over 370 pilots completed their training at Tonopah. The Air Force provided certain special designations for US-operated MiGs, in order to not confuse the jets with those operated by foreign adversaries and for paperwork purposes. Some examples include:

 YF-110 for USAF-operated MiG-21s  YF-113 for USAF-operated MiG-23s  

Two different Air Force commands were also involved in the program, with the Air Force Systems Command primarily concerned with understanding how the Russian aircraft functioned and the Tactical Air Command prioritizing fighter pilot training, according to Steve Davies' 2008 book Red Eagles: America's Secret MiGs. Throughout over a decade of testing, USAF pilots were able to understand some of the MiG-21 and MiG-23's key weaknesses. For instance, they identified that the weaker turn radius of both MiGs would give more nimble fighters like the F-15 Eagle an easy escape route in the event of a dogfight.


    Related What MiG Fighters Does Russia Still Use?  The Russian Air Force continues to operate three MiG-29 multirole variants and the fast MiG-31 interceptor.   
The pilots involved in this elite squadron were not chosen at random but were recruited among the best performers in a number of different specialized training programs. The mechanics involved in the process were also among the organization's best and managed to keep aging MiGs flying even without spare parts due to impressive feats of reverse engineering. When the 4477th Squadron was officially discontinued in 1988, it left behind a rich legacy of bravery and audacity that remains unmatched by most other US fighter units.

 