By Kevin Seabrooke
Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Rob Zettel, veteran who flew MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters in the mid-1980s, shares an inside view of the U.S. air-combat training program known as “Constant Peg.” Following the less-than-expected performance of U.S. air combat forces against the MiG-21 in Vietnam, this top-secret program was launched in the 1970s following to improve fighter pilot training. Flown by the best-of-the-best from the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, the Red Eagles MiG Squadron—flew secretly obtained Soviet MiG-21s and MiG-23s in the remote Nevada desert to train a new generation of pilots. The success of U.S. air power in operations such as Desert Storm in the Gulf War were a direct result of this secret program.
American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top Secret USAF “Red Eagles” MiG Squadron (Rob Zettel, Osprey Publishing, New York, NY, 368 pp., 16-page color section, February 10, 2026 $30 HC)
Join The Conversation
Comments
View All Comments