November 10 - Being The Bad Guys: The Top-Secret Red Eagles vs. The Best US Combat Pilots

Col. Jack Manclark (USAF, Ret.) is the former Squadron Commander of the Red Eagles, America’s Top-Secret MiG squadron. He’ll tell us their story. Their job was to be much better than America’s best combat pilots, and to beat them again and again in dogfights until they learned how to defeat advanced MiGs flying with Soviet tactics.

The 4477 Test and Evaluation Squadron operation, code name Constant Peg, was classified Top Secret—Special Access and operated out of Tonopah Test Range, a remote location on the Nellis Range, not far from Area 51. The squadron, known as the Red Eagles, operated from 1978-1987 and was a tri-service operation manned by Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps Fighter Pilots. The 4477TES flew MIG-17, MiG-21 and MiG-23 aircraft with no flight manuals and very little tech data or spare parts. During the 1980s they operated a fleet of 26 MiG aircraft and flew over 17,000 sorties with the Soviet aircraft. Over 6,500 US fighter crews participated in the Program.

Jack Manclark entered the Air Force and was commissioned in 1969 through Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. He completed undergraduate pilot training in 1970 and served numerous tours in fighter operations.

Mr. Manclark was Operations Officer for the 64th Aggressor Squadron and later served as Commander of the 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, America’s secret MiG Squadron. He completed two staff tours, first as Chief of Aircrew Assignments at Headquarters Tactical Air Command, and later as Chief of the Policy and Programs Division within the Directorate of Test and Evaluation at Air Force headquarters.

Mr. Manclark retired from active duty as a Colonel in 1994 and then served as a Member of the Senior Executive Service for sixteen years as the Director of Test and Evaluation, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. He was responsible for all policy, resources, and oversight of developmental and operational testing, and was the focal point for foreign materiel acquisition and exploitation. He is currently a Docent at the National Air and Space Museum. He has flown the F-4C/D/E, the F-5E and the MiG-21.

EDUCATION

1968 Bachelor of Science Degree in Civil Engineering, University of Dayton, Ohio

1976 Master of Science Degree in Management, Troy State University

1982 Armed Forces Staff College, in residence, Norfolk, Va.

1989 Air War College, in residence, Maxwell AFB, Ala.

Agenda:

• 1:30-2:00. Participants arrive; they may get their beer or other drink at this time.

• 2:00-2:10. Jason Hall, Executive Director of the Cold War Museum, introduces the Museum and Jack Manclark.

• 2:10-3:15. Jack presents on the Red Eagles.

• 3:15-3:45. Q&A opportunity for the audience.

• 3:45-4:45. The Museum (next door) will be open for event participants, with staff providing a tour for those interested. (Film shot from an SR-71 is on exhibit; there are very few rolls of such film that are not still classified.)

Event seating at the brewery is limited, and prior presentations have sold out, so we suggest that you secure your tickets promptly at Eventbrite. Questions? Call or email Jason Hall, 703-283-4124 (cell), jason@coldwar.org

Tickets available here:

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/being-the-bad-guys-the-top-secret-red-eagle...

