From the late 1960s until the end of the Cold War, the United States Air Force acquired and flew Russian-made MiG jets, culminating in a secret squadron dedicated to exposing American fighter pilots to enemy technology and tactics.
"Red Eagles" tells the story of this squadron from the first tests of MiGs following the Vietnam War when the USAF had been woefully under-prepared in aerial combat. These initial flights would develop into the "black" or classified program known internally as "Constant Peg,"
At a secret air base in Nevada, ace American fighter pilots were presented with a range of differnet MiG jets with a simple remit: to expose "the threat" to as many of their brethern as possible. Maintaining and flying these "assets" without without spare parts or manuals was an almost impossible task, putting those flying the MiGs in mortal danger on every flight.
Despite these challenges, in all more than 5,900 American aircrews would train against America's secret MiGs, giving them the eskills they needed to face the enemy in real combat situations.
For the first time, this book tells the story of "Constant Peg" and the 4477th Red Eagles Squadron in the words of the men who made it possible.

When two Navy F-14 Tomcats engaged and shot down two Sukhoi Su-22 jet fighters in 1981, they drew on experience and tactics that they had learned from a previous encounter with Russian-made MiG jet fighters. The difference between the two encounters was that in the first, the enemy fighters were flown by American pilots assigned to a top secret squadron hidden at a remote airfield in the ultra-secret Tonopah Nuclear Test range, Nevada. In the second, the Sukhoi fighters were flown by Libyan pilots attempting to enforce Colonel Qadaffi's 'Line of Death' over the Gulf of Sidra. In all, more than 1,600 American fighter pilots would train against America's secret MiGs between 1974 and 1989.
The squadron of MiGs - the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron - was perhaps the single most important US Air Force unit in the Cold War; not just because it operated clandestinely acquired MiGs, but because it took the concept of an Aggressor training force to the ultimate in fidelity. It allowed American pilots to validate their tactics and techniques, and many of these men went on to apply them to great advantage in real combat situations. Declassified in winter 2006, some 17 years after the unit flew its last sortie, there is much more to the 'Red Eagles' than meets the eye. This is their story.
Contents:
Foreword by Col. John Manclark, USAF Ret. 4477th TES commander 1985-1987
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 - Have MiGs, 1968-1969
- Chapter 2 - The Aggressors, 1972-1977
- Chapter 3 - Laying the Ground Work - Tonopah and Constant Peg, 1977-1979
- Chapter 4 - The Red Eagles' First Days and The Early MiGs, 1979-1981
- Chapter 5 - Expanded Exposures and Red Flag, 1982-1985
-Chapter 6 - Losses: Mark "Toast" Postai, and Melvyn "Hugh" Brown
- Chapter 7 - The Final Years, 1986-1989
- Chapter 8 - Killing MiGs - Peg Proves its Worth
- Chapter 9 - Still Black
- Apendix A - Where Are They Now?
- Appendix B - Early Attempts To Get A MiG, 1953-1968