Military aviators spend countless hours studying procedures, aircraft systems, limitations, and a host of other topics. To be safe and effective, clearly it is important to ‘know oneself.’ But that’s not enough. To be lethal and survivable, military aviators must also know just as much about their potential adversaries. There are many ways to do so–the best is to get your hands on their aircraft. And better yet, to fly them.

On this episode, former U.S. Air Force Captain Brian “Lazmo” McCoy joins us to discuss exploitation programs in general and project CONSTANT PEG in particular. This once ultra-classified program fostered an understanding of the MiG-21 Fishbed and MiG-23 Flogger that would not have otherwise been possible for U.S. aircrews, doubtlessly saving lives and increasing lethality in combat.

During the listener question segment, Jell-O and guest co-host Boat discuss the F/A-18 Superhornet’s wing, top 100 air forces, and whether ‘dumb’ bombs are obsolete.

Episode music by Jaime Lopez / announcements by Clint Bell / photography courtesy of 10 Percent True. This episode was produced by our friends at The MuscleCar Place Podcast Network.