Aerial combat training is an essential element in the training of military pilots. It is for this purpose that the air forces of many countries set up dedicated squadrons, so-called “aggressors”, whose task it is to imitate the enemy during exercises.
Usually, the role of enemy fighters is performed by domestically manufactured aircraft that have similar technical characteristics to those of the relevant foreign planes. However, there have been exceptions to this rule. For example, during the Cold War, the Americans secretly created a squadron of real Soviet MiGs.
Every little helps
In 1977, as part of the so-called ‘Constant Peg’ program, Colonel Gail Peck and General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Jr. set up the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, also known as the Red Eagles. Disappointed with how the U.S. Air Force had performed during the Vietnam War, the two commanders were convinced that American pilots must be given “realistic training”, i.e. practice aerial combat (albeit in sparring) with real aircraft of a potential enemy.
