{"id":57745,"date":"2024-11-13T22:19:28","date_gmt":"2024-11-13T21:19:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=57745"},"modified":"2025-11-13T04:33:55","modified_gmt":"2025-11-13T03:33:55","slug":"the-flight-of-two-soviet-made-migs-with-two-f-22-fighters-over-a-us-air-base","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2024\/11\/13\/the-flight-of-two-soviet-made-migs-with-two-f-22-fighters-over-a-us-air-base\/","title":{"rendered":"The flight of two Soviet-made MiGs with two F-22 fighters over a US air base"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Thursday, Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada witnessed an unusual scene that many will find strange.<\/p>\n

The Soviet MiG fighters that ended up in the United States Air Force Museum<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe F-35A of the 65th AGRS: US stealth fighters that pretend to be Russian and Chinese fighters<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

Over the US Air Force (USAF) base, two US F-22 Raptor stealth fighters were seen flying in formation alongside two Soviet-made MiG fighters<\/strong>. The scene was captured in this photo by William R. Lewis posted by DVIDShub.net<\/a>. All four aircraft were flying in the typical wedge formation.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Curiously, leading the formation was a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 \"Fishbed\" with red Soviet stars<\/strong> on its wings. Next to it, as seen in this enlarged photo, was a MiG-29 \"Fulcrum\"<\/strong> in black, grey and white camouflage.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

DVIDShub.net posted this photo of a MiG-29<\/a> taxiing at Nellis AFB before takeoff. It is one of two MiG-29s purchased by US company Ravn Aerospace from Kyrgyzstan in 1996.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This flight was a USAF tribute to Colonel Gaillard R. Peck Jr.,<\/strong> better known as Gail Peck, who flew F-4 Phantom II fighters during the Vietnam War. Peck (seen below) was assigned in 1972 to the Nellis AFB Fighter Weapons School,<\/strong> the US Navy's Top Gun team in the USAF.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Peck was the creator of the Constant Peg (CP) program<\/strong> to improve the training of Navy and Air Force pilots in aerial combat. This program used two Soviet-made MiG-17 and MiG-21 fighters,<\/strong> some of them Syrian fighters obtained through Israel. A little-known fact is that the Air Force operated a total of 26 MiGs<\/strong> (MiG-17, MiG-21 and MiG-23) during the Cold War, both in evaluation roles and as aggressor aircraft for training pilots in aerial combat tactics.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

These aircraft were often decorated like Soviet aircraft,<\/strong> with red stars. The American MiGs were operated by the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (4477 TES), nicknamed the Red Eagles. This unit was based at the famous Area 51<\/strong> in Groom Lake, Nevada. Colonel Peck was the first commander of this unit. Below these lines we see two USAF F-5s flying alongside a MiG-17 and a MiG-21 of the 4477 TES in 1979.<\/strong> Above these lines we see the photo of a MiG-21F-1 of the 4477 TES in the 1980s.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Colonel Peck, nicknamed \u201cBandit 1,\u201d retired in 1988,<\/strong> after amassing more than 5,000 flight hours<\/a> in the T-33, T-38, F-4, RF-4, F-5, F-15, MiG-17, and MiG-21 (an unusual track record) and after 26 years of service in the USAF. Peck passed away on October 10, 2024. Rest in peace.<\/p>\n

---<\/p>\n

Photos: U.S. Air Force.<\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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