American MiG Pilot with Rob Zettel

Description

During the Vietnam War, North Vietnamese fighter pilots, flying Soviet-built MiG-17s and MiG-21s, were strong competition for control of the skies. Anxious to regain their advantage, both the US Navy and the Air Force launched air combat training programs to teach pilots the lost art of dogfighting—and in the most secret of these programs, they flew against an elite fighter squadron in actual Soviet aircraft! The program’s name was Constant Peg. The squadron was the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron. The pilots were simply known as Red Eagles. As a part of Constant Peg, the pilots learned to fly MiGs and replicate Soviet maneuvers in gut-wrenching simulated air-combat exercises. As a Red Eagle, Lt. Col. Rob Zettel, was one of the select few American pilots chosen to fly these top-secret fighters. In his three-year tenure with the Red Eagles, Zettel flew against some of the top pilots in the American military, preparing them for anything enemy pilots might throw at them. After his 42-year flying career, Zettel is now sharing his story in American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top-Secret USAF Red Eagles MiG Squadron. Join us to hear what it was really like in the cockpit of both the MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters. Zettel will delve into this top-secret operation, the risks, and its impact on the final years of the Cold War. And how exactly did the US acquire the MiGs in the first place? This presentation was recorded live at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC on February 10, 2026. Spy Museum's upcoming programs: https://www.spymuseum.org/calendar/ Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IntlSpyMuseum Twitter: https://twitter.com/intlspymuseum​​​​​​​ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spymuseum SpyCast: https://www.spymuseum.org/podcast/ The Spy Museum does not endorse, approve, or support the opinions stated by guest speakers. Statements made by speakers do not represent the position or opinion of the International Spy Museum. The International Spy Museum® is an independent nonprofit organization.