Unique footage of a joint flight of US Air Force F-22 Raptor fighters and Soviet-made MiG-21 and MiG-29 aircraft has been published on social networks, NOVA reported.
The flight is dedicated to the memory of retired US Air Force Colonel Gale Peck, commander of the legendary 4477th test squadron "Red Eagles", which in the 1970s and 1980s carried out top-secret missions with the help of Soviet aircraft.
The footage from the memorable flight, which took place on November 7, 2024 over "Nellis“ Air Force Base in Nevada, were posted on the social network X by pilot-astronaut and businessman Jared Isaacman. During the flight, Isaacman flew his own two-seat MiG-29UB fighter jet, which previously belonged to Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen. The plane was used as a platform for taking photos during the flight.
In addition to the MiG-29, there was another Soviet aircraft in service - the MiG-21UM. This is a two-seat aircraft that was previously operated by the Polish Air Force. The joint flight also involved F-22 aircraft from the 422nd and 433rd squadrons of the US Air Force, which are part of the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group and the 57th Wing at Nellis.
In the late 1970s The United States Air Force launched a unique and top-secret program codenamed Constant Peg, which became one of the most ambitious initiatives for the research and development of potential enemy fighters. A key role in this operation was played by the 4477th Test Squadron, better known as the "Red Eagles".
The squadron was based at a remote airfield in Nevada, a corner of the range where the strictest secrecy was maintained. The goal was to give American pilots real combat experience against Soviet fighters such as the MiG-21, MiG-23 and the Chinese F-7.
At the beginning of the project, pilot Gail Peck insisted on a more systematic approach and personally convinced the Pentagon leadership of the need for a full-fledged Constant Peg program. In 1977, he organized the deployment of the 4477th Squadron to the Nellis base AFB, later moved to Tonopah Proving Ground, where hangars, a runway, and all the necessary infrastructure for operating the MiG were built.
Under the call sign Bandit 1, Peck himself trained pilots on the MiG-17, MiG-21, and F-5E. Later, the "Red Eagles" squadron became an important element of the Foreign Materiel Exploitation (FME) program, which analyzed and tested foreign weapons.