The US military acquired 21 Russian-made MiG-29 fighter jets for one reason

Summary and Key Points: At the end of the Cold War, the United States secretly acquired 21 Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets from Moldova to prevent their sale to Iran, which could have destabilized the Middle East.

-These aircraft were flown to Dayton, Ohio, in 1997, where they provided the U.S. Air Force with valuable information on Soviet aviation technology. American and Israeli pilots tested the MiG-29s, finding them formidable in dogfights, particularly because of their advanced helmet-mounted targeting systems.

-This intelligence helped the United States improve its own combat technologies and prepare for possible encounters with Russian aircraft in future conflicts.

Why the US bought MiG-29s from Moldova after the Cold War

The Soviet MiG-29 fighter jet was as capable as the American F-15 and F-16 fighters, and in some cases even surpassed them. This was the conclusion reached by one of the American test pilots who flew the MiG-29 at the end of the Cold War. This pilot was one of many Americans.

No, this test pilot was not sent to Russia to advise the post-Soviet government as so many Westerners were in the 1990s. This test pilot flew the MiG-29 on a US military base. Because, unbeknownst to the public, the US military had purchased 21 MiG-29 fighter jets at the end of the Cold War.

Moldova is a small country located dangerously close to Russia.

After the collapse of the USSR, the small country found itself in possession of a fleet of 34 MiG-29s and eight Soviet Mi-8 Hip helicopters. Moldova could not afford to maintain this arsenal. Washington feared that the Moldovan government, desperate for funds and with little else to sell, would sell these planes to Iran.

Moldova, Iran and the MiG-29

In particular, US officials are concerned that Moldova will sell the C variant of the MiG-29 to Iran. This is the MiG-29 equipped to carry nuclear weapons. Since Iran has been engaged in acquiring nuclear weapons since the 1980s – at least according to many experts – and since the Americans consider that such a move would be extremely destabilizing for the Middle East region, Washington is trying to prevent such developments.

So the United States bought a large portion of these fighter jets and smuggled them into the United States on C-17 transport planes. They arrived in Dayton, Ohio, in 1997.

At that point, these birds became a new favorite exotic toy of the US Air Force (in secret, of course).

But more than that, the Americans were able to gather important intelligence on a warplane about which they had previously had only limited knowledge. This information has proven useful, especially now that, unfortunately, Russian-American relations are at their lowest point since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Russian warplanes pose a constant threat to U.S. and NATO forces operating in Europe.

If American pilots had an idea of ​​what their potential rivals in the Russian Air Force are trained to do, it could help them understand how to survive and win against them in a dogfight.

The Americans weren't the only ones who had access to the MiG-29s. The Israelis did too. Perhaps fearing that the Iranians might one day have access to the MiG-29s, the Israelis wanted to know what they were dealing with. So they trained on them. The Israelis fell in love with this warplane. Like the Americans, they understood that the MiG-29 was a very difficult plane to fly in aerial combat, unless it was in the hands of an experienced pilot.

It takes an experienced pilot to fly the MiG-29

This is because the thrust of these birds is phenomenal.

Additionally, it lacks many of the pieces of equipment that American warplane pilots rely on. However, the MiG-29 is not entirely devoid of high technology. In fact, many reports suggest that the MiG-29’s helmet-mounted homing system was more advanced than anything in the American or Israeli arsenals when the MiG-29s were first tested by the West. This system allowed MiG-29 pilots to have more precise targeting at greater angles than their American rivals.

Ultimately, that advantage disappeared in 2003. But for more than a decade, the Russian MiG-29 had better targeting capabilities than any American warplane. The American acquisition of the MiG-29 may even have helped improve the targeting systems of American warplanes. After all, the Air Force's operational units received the MiG-29 for experimentation. The purpose of these units is to identify foreign technologies that might be useful and reverse engineer them.

The acquisition of the MiG-29 at the end of the Cold War was a bold and brilliant intelligence move. It probably helped the Air Force greatly understand what it might be up against. In addition, the Air Force probably perfected technologies that are essential to American pilots in combat today.

About the author

Brandon J. Weichert, a national security analyst for the National Interest, is a former congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who contributes to The Washington Times, Asia Times, and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His upcoming book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, will be published October 22 by Encounter Books. Follow Weichert on Twitter @WeTheBrandon.

All images are Creative Commons and/or Shutterstock.

What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online

LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos