American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top Secret USAF “Red Eagles” MiG Squadron
By: Rob Zettel
Osprey Publishing (2026)
MiGs and Memoirs
Published in early 2026, this book offers a fresh perspective on the work of the US Air Force’s 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, which operated Soviet-designed MiG-17, MiG-21, and MiG-23 fighters during the secretive Constant Peg program, which ran from 1977 until 1988.
However, there is far more to this book than MiGs. Zettel also chronicles his USAF career before and after his time flying MiG-21s and MiG-23s, placing in context what it took to be selected for Constant Peg and the opportunities that participation in the program later opened for him.
While Constant Peg is at the heart of the book, this is not a tightly focused analytical account of how the USAF evaluated the MiG aircraft in question. It is a full-length memoir by one of the fortunate pilots who flew them. In that respect, it sets itself apart from other books I have read on the subject.
The Road to Constant Peg
Zettel makes it clear that, even before completing advanced jet training, he wanted to fly air-to-air fighter missions rather than serve in the air-to-ground fighter-bomber role. That ambition led to an assignment at Osan Air Base in South Korea, where he joined a USAF unit flying the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II after completing his training.
After his assignment at Osan ended, he trained as an aggressor pilot and flew Northrop F-5E aircraft with the 26th Aggressor Squadron at Clark Air Base in the Philippines.
Like the US Navy’s Top Gun program and the US Air Force’s Red Flag exercise, Constant Peg aimed to improve American aircrews’ combat skills through realistic training. Its distinguishing feature was the use of actual Soviet-designed MiG fighters rather than American aircraft simulating an adversary.
Zettel’s accumulated air-to-air experience, particularly his work as an aggressor pilot, worked in his favour when he was considered for and eventually selected for Constant Peg.
Humility and Candour
What I particularly appreciate about this book is its directness and lack of ego. It would be understandable for someone to let an exclusive assignment such as Constant Peg go to his head. Instead, Zettel writes with a refreshing awareness of just how fortunate he was to have had the opportunity.
He takes readers through both the challenges of being selected for Constant Peg and the day-to-day realities of operating the program, from the perspectives of air and ground crews. Aircrews spent many hours learning the instruments and switchology of cockpits that differed considerably from those of Western aircraft and often featured unfamiliar, counterintuitive layouts. Meanwhile, ground crews had their work cut out for them simply keeping the aircraft fit to fly, with spare parts often as difficult to source as the aircraft themselves.
The book makes clear what a Herculean effort it took for everyone involved to keep a project like Constant Peg up and running.
Just as Zettel avoids self-aggrandizement, he also resists the old Cold War mindset that “ours are better than theirs.” He does not shy away from giving credit where it is due. This is particularly noticeable when he discusses the MiG-21 and how much he enjoyed flying it.
Life after MiGs
The book doesn’t end when Zettel’s assignment to Constant Peg comes to a close. He takes readers through his subsequent postings, including his time flying the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, as well as his post-military career as an airline pilot.
This book offers much more than its title might suggest. Along with the MiGs, readers get a memoir of Zettel’s wider flying career and the experiences that shaped it.
For anyone interested in military aviation, Cold War history, or the personal experiences of fighter pilots, this is an easy book to recommend.
For more information about the author and the book, visit www.robzettel.com.
