4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia The 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (4477 TES) was a squadron in the United States Air Force under the claimancy 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron of the Tactical Air Command (TAC). It is currently inactive.[1] The product of Project Constant Peg, the unit was created to expose the tactical air forces to the flight characteristics of fighter aircraft used by Soviet Union during the Cold War.[1] The declassified history of the squadron shows that it operated MiG-17s, MiG-21s and MiG-23s between 1977 and 1988, but it was not formally disbanded until July 1990.[1] The mission of Constant Peg was to train Air Force, United States Navy and United States Marine Corps pilots and weapon systems officers, in air combat tactics against these foreign aircraft and was instrumental in the re-development of Dissimilar air combat training (DACT) methods developed after the end of the Vietnam War. Today's USAF Aggressor training squadrons can symbolically trace their histories back to the 4477th, as well as the paint motifs on their aircraft, which were used by the aircraft of the squadron in the 1970s and 1980s. Contents Members of the 4477th Test & Evaluation Squadron in front of a MiG-21F-13 1 History Fishbed C/E, "85 Red", USAF serial 014. 1.1 Origins This airframe is now displayed at the Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, 1.2 MiGs Florida. Active 1 May 1980–15 1.3 Aggressor training July 1990 1.4 Establishment of the 4477th Country United States 1.5 4477th TEF/TES Mishaps Branch United States Air Force 1.6 End of operations Type Flight/Squadron 1.7 Ongoing Foreign Technology Evaluation Role Foreign Technology 1.8 Lineage Evaluation Garrison/HQ Air Force Flight 1.9 Assignments Test Center (Detachment 3), 1.10 Stations Nevada 1.11 Aircraft Tonopah Test Range Airport, 2 References Nevada Nickname(s) Red Eagles Disbanded Last sorties on 4 History March 1988. Commanders The longest continuing United States classified military airplane program is the testing and evaluation of Foreign Aircraft Notable Gaillard Peck, Technology. During the Cold War, secret test flying of Mikoyan-and-Gurevich Design Bureau (MiG) and other Soviet aircraft was an ongoing mission dating back to the acquisition of the first Soviet-built Yakovlev Yak-23 in 1953. This effort has commanders George Gennin continued to the present day. Unlike the other "black" airplane programs, such as the Have Blue, Lockheed U-2, or SR-71 Insignia Blackbird, Foreign Aircraft Technology operations still remain classified. Despite the declassification of the Constant Peg Emblem of the program in 2006, the evaluation of foreign aircraft likely continues.[1] 4477th Test and Evaluation It is not known exactly the actual number or types of aircraft involved, where they came from, or the complete history of the Squadron. Regular program. It is estimated that in 1985 the USAF had 26 MiGs (MiG-21s and MiG-23s as MiG-17s had already been phased out) Patch and by the end of the program USAF had mainly MiG-21s. It is known that the activities of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron brought about a fundamental change in United States Air Force and United States Navy / United States Marine Corps air combat tactics. They revitalized the art of Emblem of the dogfighting at a time when, seemingly, it had nearly been forgotten. The knowledge gained from testing the aircraft the 4477th Test and squadron flew was reflected in the success of United States air operations during the Vietnam War, as well as the founding of Evaluation [2] the Air Force's Red Flag program and the United States Navy's TOPGUN school. Squadron (Subdued or camouflaged) Origins In the late 1950s, a new generation of United States fighters was being developed. As a result of the development of air-to-air Aircraft flown missiles, fighter aircraft, such as the U.S. Navy's F4H Phantom II, were developed. Later redesignated the F-4 in 1962, the Fighter Mikoyan- aircraft was the first fighter designed from the start with only air-to-air missiles, carrying both radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow Gurevich MiG- III and the shorter-range AIM-9 Sidewinder infrared-guided missiles. With the new missiles came the new attitude that dog- 17, MiG-21 and fighting was obsolete. The air-to-air training given to new Navy and Marine Corps F-4 crews was extremely limited. It MiG-23. involved about ten flights and provided little useful information. By 1964, few in the Navy and Marine Corps were left to carry on the tradition of classic dogfighting.[3] Trainer Northrop T-38 Talon Then came the Vietnam War. The early years of the air war over North Vietnam showed the faith placed in missiles was Transport Cessna 404, terribly in error. Between 1965 and the bombing halt in 1968, the USAF had a 2.15 to 1 kill ratio. The U.S. Navy was doing Mitsubishi MU-2 slightly better with a 2.75 to 1 rate. For roughly every two North Vietnamese MiG-17 Frescos or MiG-21 Fishbeds shot down, an American F-4 Phantom II, F-105 Thunderchief, or F-8 Crusader would be lost. This was far worse than the 10-plus to 1 kill rate during the Korean War. More serious, the percentage of United States fighters being lost in air-to-air combat was growing. During 1966, only 3 percent of U.S. aircraft losses were due to MiGs. This rose to 8 percent in 1967, then climbed to 22 percent for the first three months of 1968.[3] The emphasis on air-to-air missile interception meant the fighter combat crews had only the sketchiest knowledge of dogfighting. Originally conceived as a naval fleet air defense aircraft, and later adapted as an Air Force fighter-bomber, the design of the F-4 made it ill-suited for a tight-turning dogfight. In contrast to the lighter MiG-17, the F-4 was large and heavy. When a tight turn was made, the F-4 would lose energy and airspeed. The MiG-17's superior turning capability then allowed it to close to gun range. All too often, hits from the MiG-17's "outmoded" cannons would then destroy the F-4.[3] Under the HAVE DOUGHNUT and HAVE DRILL programs, the first MiGs flown in the United States, were used to evaluate the aircraft in performance and technical capabilities, as well as in operational capability, pitting the types against U.S. fighters.[1] The data from the Have Doughnut and Have Drill tests were provided to the newly formed United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) at NAS Miramar, California. During the remainder of the Vietnam War, the Navy kill ratio climbed to 8.33 to 1. In contrast, the Air Force rate improved only slightly to 2.83 to 1. The reason for this difference was TOPGUN. The Navy (to include the Marine Corps) had revitalized its air combat training, while the Air Force had stayed stagnant. Most of the Navy MiG kills were by TOPGUN graduates.[1] By 1970, the Have Drill program was expanded; a few selected fleet F-4 crews were given the chance to fight the MiGs. The most important result of Project Have Drill is that no Navy pilot who flew in the project defeated the MiG-17 Fresco in the first engagement. The Have Drill dogfights were by invitation only. The other pilots based at Nellis Air Force Base were not to know about the U.S.-operated MiGs. To prevent any sightings, the airspace above the Groom Lake portion of the Nellis Range was closed. On aeronautical maps, the exercise area was marked in red ink. The forbidden zone became known as "Red Square".[3] The idea of a more realistic training program for the Air Force was devised by USAF Colonel Gail Peck, a Vietnam veteran F-4 pilot, who was dissatisfied with his service's fighter pilot training. After the war, he worked at the Department of Defense, where he heard about the HAVE DRILL and HAVE DOUGHNUT programs. He won the support of USAF General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, Jr. and launched "Constant Peg," named after Vandenberg's callsign, "Constant," and Peck's wife, Peg.[1] MiGs Tactical Air Command established the 4477th Test and Evaluation Flight as the formal USAF testing unit on 1 April 1977. It began with three MiGs: two MiG-17Fs and a MiG-21 loaned by Israel, who had captured them from the Syrian Air Force and Iraqi Air Force. Later, it added MiG-21s from the Indonesian Air Force and other sources.[1] By the late 1970s, United States MiG operations were undergoing another change. In the late 1960s, the MiG-17 and MiG-21F were still frontline aircraft. A decade later, they had been superseded by later-model MiG-21s and new aircraft, such as the MiG-23. Fortunately, a new source of supply of Soviet aircraft became available, Egypt. In the mid-1970s, relations between Egypt and the Soviet Union had become strained, and Soviet advisers were ordered out. The Soviets had provided the Egyptian air force with MiGs since the mid-1950s. Now, with their traditional source out of the picture, the Egyptians began looking west. They turned to United Two USAF F-5Es flanking a States companies for parts to support their late-model MiG-21s and MiG-23s. Very soon, a deal was made. According to one account, MiG-17 and MiG-21 of the two MiG-23 fighter bombers were given to the United States by Egyptian president Anwar Sadat.