Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MS Flogger-E – Red 39 4477th TES Red Eagles, USAF

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA5316: Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23MS Flogger-E Red 39 of 4477th TES Red Eagles, USAF, Tonopah Test Range, NV, Project Constant Peg, 1980s. Production run of 600 models.

Length 9.25 inches Wingspan 7.75 inches

Project Constant Peg was a secret program to train US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps fighter aircrews to fly against Soviet-designed aircraft. The USAF’s 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES), nicknamed the “Red Eagles,” flew MiG-17 “Fresco,” MiG-21 “Fishbed,” and later MiG-23 “Flogger” aircraft. The Red Eagles gave American aircrews the skills and confidence to defeat these threats in aerial combat. Red Eagles pilots were selected primarily from the ranks of the Air Force Fighter Weapons School, Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun), and Aggressor squadrons. From 1977 to 1988, sixty-nine pilots flew with the squadron and each received their own unique “Bandit” number. Red Eagles pilots eagerly improved the level of instruction and scoured classified sources to improve their proficiency with the MiGs.

Designed as a heavier, more powerful improvement on the MiG-21 Fishbed, the MiG 23 first flew on June 10, 1967. This fighter/bomber had variable-sweep wings and could achieve speeds greater than Mach 2. It was the first Soviet aircraft capable of firing “beyond-visual-range” missiles, and the first to have look-down/shoot-down radar. As one of the most successful military aircraft built during the Cold War, MiG-23s were produced in large numbers, with more than 5,000 coming off of the production lines. Although retired from service in the former Soviet Union, many MiG-23s are still in service with various export customers.