HAVE DOUGHNUT: Mossad, James Bond, Area 51 And The Captured MiG-21 That Inspired Top Gun

The MiG-21 proved to be a deadly opponent for US aviators during Rolling Thunder. Although not enough to change the course of the war, through hit and run attacks and US rules of engagement the Fishbed achieved a 1:1 kill ratio against the TAC. If the Soviets were able to replicate this ratio in Central Europe during an all-out war then NATO would be in serious trouble.
Learning to combat the Fishbed was therefore essential to US tactical and strategic war planners. Then one morning in August 1966 a disgruntled Iraqi pilot flew his MiG-21F-13 across Jordan an into Israel. In this video I tell the story of his escape, the web of trades and diplomacy that brought that aircraft to the US and the programme that exploited it: HAVE DOUGHNUT.
I have wanted to make this video for a long time. As 2023 comes to close I thought I'd finally get it done. HAVE DOUGHNUT is an important programme as it reveals a lot about the doctrinal differences between the TAC and the Navy in the middle 1960s. It also gives hints about the tactical and teaching approach taken in the early years of Top Gun, which I personally found fascinating.
Anyhow, I hope you enjoy. Comments always much appreciated. If you're an early viewer, a Happy New Year to you! Regardless, thanks so much for your support thus far and see you in 2024 and beyond.
Sources:
Blog post and video link for Throw A Nickel On The Grass at the US National Archives: unwritten-reco...
Scream Of Eagles: The Dramatic Account of the U. S. Navy's Top Gun Fighter Pilots and How They Took Back the Skies Over Vietnam by Robert Wilcox was used for some of the stories about the Navy's experience with DOUGHNUT
MiG-21 technical detail was mainly sourced from MiG-21 Fishbed by Yefim Gordon and Bill Gunston
Some of the Israeli experiences with the captured MiG-21 came from Mirage III vs MiG-21: Six Day War 1967 by Shlomo Aloni
Two of many similar references to the Algerian MiGs that landed at El-Arish and were captured. I didn’t find conclusive evidence, but this explanation of the source for the ‘continuation Doughnut’ makes the most sense: vietnam.warbird...
en.topwar.ru/4...

[@brianrmc1963]

One of my squadron commanders had flown the MiG-21 and MiG-23 at Groom Lake. He said the Fishbed was an excellent BFM machine.

[@julianmorrisco]

It would be wonderful to get him into the DCS Mig-21, at least, I’d love to hear his opinion and I’m prob not the only one. Others who have flown the real thing say the simulation is pretty close (minus G-forces and real danger of death anyway :D) , but as they tend to be from the old Eastern block they might, with the best will in the world, be remembering with rose tinted specs. Pilots seem to fall in love with their main rides. I would love to hear from a NATO or western pilot who has flown a real one what they think of the Mig-21 sim. It’s fun to ‘fly’, although it will virtually kill you if you don’t show it respect, especially on landing. The company was based in Russia when it built that model (if they hadn’t moved out I’d be boycotting them) so it’s not unreasonable to suspect they might have juked the performance a bit. They do that over there.

[@TheCommissarIsDead]

@@julianmorriscowdym “if they hadn’t moved out you’d be boycotting them”? The company who made the migs? Or the module in dcs?

[@julianmorrisco]

@@TheCommissarIsDead Sorry, Eagle Dynamics, the company that makes both the module and Digital Combat Simulator. They seem like really nice people and I know they still have devs in the Orc Empire, I’m conflicted enough about their taxes going to an imperialist project. If the company was still based there, it would be too much of my money going to murder civilians. I can kinda turn a blind eye to a few devs, especially as they have never expressed z-fascist sympathies, unlike the developers of IL2 or War Thunder, I’ve stopped supporting IL2 and I moved away from WT when I discovered simulators. Only after actual support for z-fascism was expressed by people in their employ and there were no repercussions for that, I should add. I’m not prejudging anyone based on where they were born but a whole company is too much.

[@thepresidentofthewholeworl2297]

​@@julianmorriscowhat is z facism

[@hemlocksalad5383]

@@julianmorrisco are these war thunder z-fascists in the room with us right now?

[@goddepersonno3782]

I was just reading "The Mossad", a book that covers this same story written in 1978 so it's such an awesome coincidence that Not a Pound decided to cover it barely a day later! Thanks for fleshing out the story a bit more 👌

[@hellomoto2084]

That one by Michael bar Zohar and nissim mishal ? Good book indeed , I got it for ₹ 250 INR . Quite a steal if you ask me , there are books far worse than that which cost much more around ₹500 INR or ₹700INR The story about where the mossad killing that Palestinian terrorist by giving him godiva chocolates was very interesting along with that story of bigger Amit and how mossad could simply have become another KGB . And Dagan was a badass, riding an ass around markets of Beirut lol.

[@goddepersonno3782]

@@hellomoto2084 It's a different one a book by Dennis Eisenberg. It's a bit manufactured, by all accounts the author seems to be a spook. It's very engaging and well written though, although yours sounds quite interesting as well

[@daszieher]

​@@goddepersonno3782spooks also wrote spook stories, to make spooks look better. There are two types: bad spooks and your spooks. 😉

[@TheOrdomalleus666]

I cannot Have Doughnut because I am on diet. Sad.

[@cliffalcorn2423]

Mig, Mig Mig... Another outstanding documentary, What's not to like? Migs, Middle East, U.S. Navy, Black Programs, Vietnam.. Keep up the outstanding work.

[@Idahoguy10157]

11,496 MiG 21’s were built according to sources. First introduced in 1959. Still in service by some air forces

[@rcajavus8141]

we could have beaten the Borg if he came at that time in history :D

[@derrickstorm6976]

Don't make it seem like they're worth anything anymore ;)

[@mdsx01]

​@@derrickstorm6976 India makes a modernized varient that's pretty effective. They claim a Pakistani F-16 kill using the Fishbed.

[@Jon.A.Scholt]

The fact this is the last Not a Pound video of the year makes me sad. However, I remember that the year only lasts a few more days and I am happy again.

[@alexx86hater]

Funny thing is that looks like when soviets evaluated captured in Vietnam F-5 they were a bit shocked by it's performance in a dogfight and that it was better than MiG-21 and MiG-23.

[@rbilleaud]

Of course man, it was the MiG-28, lol.

[@sealboyy6584]

It was better than the MiG-21 in a dogfight, but not better than a MiG-23, maybe the early models only.

[@alexx86hater]

@@sealboyy6584 airwar ru has article about this test dogfight. This also was mentioned in a couple russian documentaries (if I remember even on Zvezda channel).

[@scudb5509]

In certain circumstances*

[@Cheka__]

I always loved the look of the MiG-21.

[@timharding6618]

Fantastic video, well done!!

[@shaider1982]

I remember the story on the defection of the pilot featured in the old show, Dogfights in an Israeli air force focused episode. This video has a lot more info on have doughnut than any other I have encountered, especially of the cameo of Sean Connery.👍

[@Archie2c]

HBO made steal the sky but that said a MiG 17 was stolen

[@shaider1982]

​@@Archie2c thanks for the info. Better checkout that movie.

[@Paladin1873]

Very informative video. Shades of WWII, the US was flying fast, less maneuverable aircraft and needed to adapt its tactics accordingly.

[@BretHiggins]

This is the first of your docs that I have seen. Love the attention to detail and I'm already subscribed. Looking forward to seeing what else you have on offer!

[@jb6027]

Amazing analysis and video footage. Thank you!

[@tsclly2377]

Love your Brit Accent and dry assessment that outlines the basics of the problems of the transoceanic and heavier air flight characteristics... a lot of technical limitations.. and I am not Fn of only single seat fighters over the REO concept, as this is the ultimate command seat for on scene awareness.

[@FirstDagger]

21:39 I think you confused the A-26 Invader with the B-66 Destroyer.

[@frostyrobot7689]

Very very enjoyable and insightful content.

[@therocinante3443]

I know it's just a silly game, but I love flying the 21 in DCS. My favorite red jet :)

[@s.marcus3669]

I'm sure someone has already mentioned it but just in case... the Douglas B-66 was the "Destroyer" and not the "Invader". The navy's version was the A-3D Skywarrior, nicknamed "the whale". Love your videos!

[@nmc052able]

Great!

[@robert-trading-as-Bob69]

Prior to WWII, the British RAF was also controlled by the Bomber Elite syndrome, 'The Bomber Will Always Get Through' was it's catch phrase. So very little notice was given to researching and producing fighter aircraft, until the first monoplane fighters started popping up. It was only in 1938 that Sir Thomas Inskip forced the argument in favour of investing in the fighter over the bomber. Inskip was the minister in charge of defence coordination. He won the argument on the basis that fighter aircraft were cheaper and easier to produce than bombers. This change in attitude came just in time to prepare Britain to fight, and win, the Battle of Britain. Then the USAAF takes the same attitude after WWII... bomber is best! Well, thank God for the US Navy pilots!

[@allangibson8494]

Prior to WW2 the USAAF had a bomber mafia dominant too. Thats why the development of drop tanks were forbidden (until the RAF insisted on it for ferry reasons).

[@raymondyee2008]

Remember the movie “Steal The Sky”? It’s based on that MIG-21 defection by Redfa.

[@AbsorbedNastyBear]

Love the narration and very enjoyable documentary. I would like to mention the microphone you are using is not picking up the entire sentence leaving to this popping in and out of plesant audio. Can you change your audio set up if possible? Cannot wait to see more from yourself.

[@fcw2bom]

Ease of use runs contrary to ease of design and cost. All soviet planes have messy and unintuitive ergonomics.

[@AnimeSunglasses]

15:28 Since when have the Russians EVER cared to actually design for convenience or safety?

[@DavidRabinowitz1977]

Thanks for this great video! Can you please share your source for the Algerian MiG-21 that were captured after the six day war? I have access to sources in Hebrew and still didn't encounter this story

[@justforever96]

Didn't the MiG-21 pilots generally use ambush and hit and run tactics anyway in Vietnam? So how relevant would knowing exactly how to engage in a dogfight with one be?

[@Archie2c]

B66 Destroyer not A26 invader

[@jamespfp]

36:17 -- RE: "Throw a Nickle on the Grass!"; A: That phrase is a single line of doggerel verse which belongs to a song sung by airmen during the Korean War. It is highly likely connected to War Bond fund-raising drives. "Throw a Nickle on the Grass! Save a Fighter Pilot's Ass!" Do a KZbin search for Oscar Brand's version of this. It's intentionally made to sound like something from a Salvation Army meeting.

[@mdsx01]

Wonder what the fate of the Doughnut aircraft was? Is it still in Israel, or was it scrapped?

[@Idahoguy10157]

Assume the F-5 and F-104 were equal to the MiG 21. However all three were short range. So any meet ups were rare over N Vietnam

[@alancranford3398]

I enjoyed this video. Thanks. We Americans keep repeating history. In 1942 an intact crashed Zero was recovered from Akutan. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akutan_Zero Then there was this man flying his MiG-15 into South Korea and defecting: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Kum-sok In both cases, the aircraft involved changed American fighter pilot training and tactics.

[@danieltaylor5231]

"Root and branch" ??? Is Not A Pound For Air To Ground an Ent?

[@davidg3944]

Can't be, he speaks too quickly...

[@danieltaylor5231]

@@davidg3944 Good point.

[@steveshoemaker6347]

🇺🇸

[@robertbennett9949]

He was a traitor.......

[@flickingbollocks5542]

Shapiro jumping straight in and taking off in an extremely valuable, in terms of information, aircraft, sounds like FLICKING BOLLOCKS

[@Cohl71]

And yet exactly what I would expect out of someone that was a test pilot in the early cold War

[@TyrannoJoris_Rex]

Did the MiG-21MF accelerate much better with its R-13 engine or was the F-14A just that shit at acceleration?

[@chumleyk]

You really have to make your videos shorter. You talk so goddamn slowly and take ages to get to any points.

[@RCAvhstape]

23:45 Tom Cassidy looks like he knocks down brick walls with his fists as a hobby and refreshes himself with the tears of communists.

[@jimsvideos7201]

Thank you for all the research it takes to make one of these!

[@gilbertponder5307]

I don't know if you are a historian by profession, but in practice you certainly have the makings of a great one! Even more so a great story teller. I have become fascinated by the interconnecting narrative that many your projects point to, one that provides context to some of the decisions made during the early Cold War that defined the the paths taken by various air forces, and some of the specific events/programs that led to that decision making. I love this content!

[@Idahoguy10157]

Coming out of WW2 the USAF was heavily dominated by Curtis LeMay and the Bomber Elites. The WW2 tactical air forces Generals got squeezed out by the Vietnam era.

[@petesheppard1709]

Wow!! This was awesome; a real trove of information! When you discussed the Thud, I remembered Jack Broughton mentioning in his book 'Thud Ridge' how it took nine (9!) switch functions to select between gun and Sidewinder; another reason F-105 pilots relied on the cannon. Written during the height of the Vietnam War--before LINEBACKER II--it is a powerful read of life for the ROLLING THUNDER F-105 pilots. Congratulations! I didn't catch any mispronunciations... 😎

[@Fred_Lougee]

I really need to read Thud Ridge. Thought so for several years but just have not followed through on it.

[@dukeford8893]

@@Fred_Lougee I'd read "When Thunder Rolled" by Ed Rasimus first.

[@petestorz172]

Re the different choice of weapons by MiG pilots in the ME and Vietnam, the North Vietnamese ambush tactics fit the limitations of their air to air missiles, while the dogfighting environment in the ME left the missiles unsuitable. The slowness to recognize and counter the North Vietnamese tactics was a serious failure.

[@wadebuff4465]

Thank you for another FANTASTIC video! Back in the 1970's, in SPI's wargame of aerial combat, "Foxbat & Phantom" the MIG-21 was the best Soviet airplane for air to air.

[@kyleknebel6409]

Funny, I had that game, too.I didn't recall that stat, though. Good memory!

[@minera7595]

By my limited knowledge, I used to think of MiG-21F-13 as outdated variants (even by 60s standard) that doesn't have much major role. I see now that even the old F-13 variants can still be a considerable threat, and played a role more crucial than i thought Thanks for the great video to finish 2023 with

[@NefariousKoel]

The later variants got heavier with all the extra stuff, so it's nimbleness dropped a bit. Not an unusual situation for upgraded aircraft. Same thing reportedly happened, later on, going from the F-16A to the C for example.

[@Farweasel]

HELL no - Those things were formidable In their time that was true of all their forebears too The USAF was very slow to fully grasp the efficacy of the Mig 17s over 'Nam

[@alexx86hater]

Out of all variants F-13 had the best aerodynamics, thrust to weight ratio and still had a gun. Later variants lost the gun, became heavier and worsened aerodynamically to accommodate more fuel, however gained better radar (which required bigger cone, which required bigger intake so even more damage to aerodynamics) and better weapon systems. If I remember right "bis" variant was so overweight that almost lost any dogfighting capabilities

[@Tjecktjeck]

@@alexx86hater While earodunamics claim is somewhat true (depending on model). P/W claim is not true. F-13 P/W was at 0.59, MF at 0.73, Bis reached 0.78-0.79 with emergency mode that could push it above 1 at expense of engine. Then there's Chinese 21's (J-7) that received earodynamic upgrades aswell.

[@a.e.richardson218]

@@alexx86hater the BIS had the best thrust to weight ratio since it has a much higher rated engine and the overweight one is the SMT it was taken out of service replaced with the ST which had a much better airframe

[@sergioleone3583]

EXCELLENT breakdown of the MiG-21 in Western hands. Like another viewer here, I'd seen a bit of this on a Dogfights episode years ago but hadn't seen or read much else about it. Great information and some really top footage here, as well as the commentary, from the intro to the conclusion. As ever. Keep up the great work!

[@jimdavenport8020]

When I first sat in a MiG21, it was in a secure building at Nellis and I had to sign my life away to get access. The cockpit was a disaster, completely lacking any ergonomics. The pilot's ability to see? Ridiculous. But it had been built to comply with Soviet Air Defense Doctrine where the pilot simply did what the ground controller told him to do until he was in firing parameters of a BOMBER. A phew years later, I phlew the Phantom against one of the 21s in the (then) super secret CONSTANT PEG program. Our training had evolved greatly but the biggest issue remained that the MiG pilot had a huge problem maintaining sight in a dynamic fight. 'Loose Sight, Loose Fight.' 'Speed is Life? Nah... Speed is NICE, SIGHT is LIFE'. MiGs now decorate squadron lawns at Nellis, btw.

[@ShortArmOfGod]

Grammar is nice, too.

[@SUPRAMIKE18]

My grandfather was friends with a Polish pilot and they were always telling stories, he once mentioned the rear view mirror on top of the MiG 21 cockpit the actual mirror piece inside the housing would fall out if you pulled hard Gs 😂

[@spyridon3089]

you had to walk 25 miles to School, too, uphill in both directions and all weathers and your parents could not afford shoes

[@donparker1823]

The picture of Sean Connery standing aside the Have Doughnut is fantastic!. That insident can't have been common knowledge, or was it? I saw something on the History Channel on it one time but that was at least 30 years after the fact. Well done as usual.

[@JonBius]

Though a paratrooper and not an aviator, I was actually able to site in the cockpit of a MiG-21MF that had been cleared off the airfield in Mogadishu, Somalia. The seat had been removed, as had much of the avionics, etc. Still, it was fascinating to climb up on it and sit in the cockpit, bare as it was at the time. Wonderful video - thank you!

[@afmo500]

I don't think I'd want to be that lone Israeli guy in a Mig-21, even with the high vis markings, haha.

[@marsmal7442]

Если бы в Миг 21 сидели еврейские летчики то они бы победили !

[@Farweasel]

*Excellent as ever* .... *This is turning into a superb (but woefully unknown I suspect) channel* .

[@stickiedmin6508]

Keep spreading the word - the numbers will rise.

[@sakomeow]

me when i have a doughnut

[@stickiedmin6508]

Have a doughnut? That's a really nice suggestion, thanx! Doughnuts for everybody!

[@All2Meme]

I guess you 'have doughnuts' for 'police actions'.

[@beefgoat80]

Sgt Homer Simpson volunteered for the wrong program. It was not what he expected. He did not have donut.

[@royboiiiluo6178]

Hey you should make an episode of red eagle USAF 4477 test squadron which completely made up of mig fighters. Very interesting story too

[@craigpennington1251]

Great informative video. Hoping for better film quality but can't have everything. Still great stuff. LIke the MIG-21 & the F-4 Phantom. We had the B models in our squadron. Smokey, very loud, & very fast. What a workhorse it was. Always wanted to fly the MIG-21 but that will never happen. Thanks so much for posting another great video.

[@gazzmilsom]

I think it's have donut where the air force F4D/E couldn't pick the mig 21 up on radar head-on and 1000ft lower altitude till 3-5 miles, the F4D being slightly better. The F4J could lock it at 50miles just after it took off with it's pulse dopler radar.

[@user-tv5dt3nm9y]

I thought the advent of exclusive use of air to air missiles to kill and lack of airmanship and subsequent rate of casualties inspired Top Gun.

[@allangibson8494]

And Have Donut was a cover for the Have Blue program that operated out of the same airbase - Have Donut during the day, Have Blue at night…

[@2uiator325]

Excellent video, you did, however call the B-66 “Invader” when it’s actually named the “Destroyer”, though! 😉

[@onkelmicke9670]

Very interesting. Especially the comparison to the F-8.

[@hunterhalo2]

I'm not going to say who, but I was talking to an old test pilot and asked him how he got checked out in a -21. He just said in a previous life, I understood ha

[@purcitron]

At 8:40 you said that Pakistani pilots used the Fishbed. Was this in service of a different country's air force? They did not fly for Pakistan?

[@caryeckland3038]

I enjoy your videos, nice pacing on your narration. I hope you enjoy success sir, well done.

[@privateinformation2960]

BE AGGRESIVE! BE EEE AGGRESIVE! B E AGG RES IVE! Sorry ill see myself out...

[@DumbledoreMcCracken]

I can't understand. Too much bass.

[@obsidianjane4413]

@10:11 dafuk? It was not code named from the shape of the sight. The US had a system of code naming called NICKA that used "HAVE" for aircraft and then a random word for the sub-project. ie: "Have Blue" etc.

[@justforever96]

"Have" is the only systematic component of that. Like you said, the second word is a random word. You think that means that can only select it by picking a word from a hat, or opening a book and reading the first word? "Random" just means it can't be something that is related to the other words used in the naming class, or something that can easily be recognized as referring to the object it is assigned to. Someone has to think of each word and approve it, and I have seen plenty of cases where "random" code names were clearly chosen specifically for a certain purpose, because they reflect some aspect of the object they designate. You think they renamed the MiG-15 the "Fagot" after a bundle of easy burning fuel on purpose? The fact that "Doughnut" is a very different sort of word than any other in the program suggests that it was selected for a reason. And that reason seems plausible enough to me. Anyone who flew one would be able to remember the code name more easily.

[@obsidianjane4413]

@@justforever96 The code names for classified programs were computer generated. The people who assigned the code name would not have known/cared about what the gunsight looked like. This is purely a case of "retconning" or a tall-tale someone came up with to explain/BS it. NATO reporting names are not assigned the same way. IIRC its literally by committee. Technically the name, esp. in Europe would have been for a bundle of sticks in French, or a cigarette in British English. I'm sure the Americans giggled sophomorically and voted for the suggestion.

[@allangibson8494]

The classified Have Donut was used as a cover for the deep black Have Blue. The Russian aircraft used F-110 through F-116 as identification (with F-111 skipped and F-110 reused) so the four very different F-117 versions fitted right in.

[@pat8988]

I see President Kennedy in the photo at 12:10. Back seat, right side.

[@mikeck4609]

Love this channel

[@davidhatton583]

Interesting that the NATO code names often became more widely recognized in the west than the actual design designation. Not true of the MiG 21….’fishbed’ being an obviously contrived and somewhat insulting designation for a fine and dangerous fighter.

[@notapound]

‘Fishpot’ is also a classic insult, not that NATO saw much of it.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

It come of been worse. Just ask the MiG-15...

[@PosthumousAddress]

Absolutely fantastic channel and again great video. Wonderful use of archival footage. I also appreciate youre doing stories about the IDF-AF in its plucky days, the politics around it atm are toxic and I appreciate youre sticking to the fascinating aviation history.

[@youmustbethatninja]

This whole video is a gold mine of information on performance and capability vs doctrine. I really like how you break down how different countries would use the MiG in combat.

[@timgosling6189]

Excellent summary. Also nice to see that familiar scenery of the Nellis ranges again!

[@johnshepherd9676]

And yet the F8 had a 3:1 kill ratio over the MiG-21 in Vietnam. A snall sample but an indicator that it was close enough in performance to where pilot quality was the determining factor in the outcome. Also the Have Donunt evaluation was made with American pilots using US tactics. Perhaps NVAAF using Soviet did not usually push the aircraft to limits so operationally the F8 was a practical match.

[@benchapple1583]

What a completely fabulous video. Subscribed. Thank you.

[@Istandby666]

The MIG-21 was the first Redhat at Groom Lake. It is also the first HAVE aircraft in that program.

[@yoamal1187]

Shapira's son also flew the mig 21 as a test pilot at IAI when they were upgrading Romania's migs

[@anthonyhayes1267]

The F-13 was in my opinion, the best looking MiG-21 variant

[@patrickunderwood5662]

Excellent work. Awesome channel.

[@jwclapp1183]

Whelp, it sure seems like the Navy went a little harder on this one…as per usual.

[@markgrunzweig6377]

Excellent doc!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@jonathanhudak2059]

Excellent loved it, every minute! 👏

[@pierredecine1936]

As they say - everything is for sale !

[@garyhooper1820]

Awesome video , subscribed

[@yurinator4411]

4:54 Sean Connery

[@stansbornak8116]

I wonder what happened to Manir's family......?

[@robertkalinic335]

Probably weren't very proud of him at very least.

[@GM-xk1nw]

he betrayed his country and lived as a sad gambler in Israel so

[@hellomoto2084]

No munir redfa was a charter pilot for some oil company in Israel for some years , later they migrated to someplace in europe , germany I guess but I don't remember. Munir redfa died from a heart attack one morning. His wife's brother ( an officer in Iraqs army ) came to visit him in iraq . He immediately tried to kill redfa , for the betrayal of his nation. That guy was terrified , petrified and shivering about the long arm of iraq , the Mukhbarat for the rest of his life. Probably they gave him poison , probably not .but he died from a heart attack in 90s.

[@hellomoto2084]

Munirs family was evacuated prior from iraq via Greece . He had no family there when he defected . His wife and kids and some others joined him Israel. Also all this I got from a book called as " the mossad " by Michal bar Zohar and nissim mishal.

[@grathian]

Bravo Zulu!

[@ReviveHF]

Some ten years later, a single MIG-25 landed on Japan's soil. Soon, the US intelligence personnel and technicians were highly disappointed due to it's stainless steel based airframe as well as it's vacuum based fire control computer and radar .

[@franktatom1837]

The defecting Soviet pilot was taken back to the U.S. and he was being driven somewhere by his handlers when he saw a grocery store and demanded they stop and take him inside. They did, and he went through it looking at everything. He got back in the car and then did the same thing when he saw another grocery store by the side of the road - again, he walked through it, again looking at everything. He did this a third time and after seeing the store, he broke down crying. He told his handlers he thought they drove him on a route with fake grocery stores to make him believe that there was an abundance of food in the U.S. He had been told in the U.S.S.R. that Americans were worse off than people living under the Soviet system. But after the THIRD GROCERY STORE, he saw that was false. His distrust of the U.S. had been deeply sowed. The tests of his plane, if I recall correctly, showed numerous faults in the engine and design.

[@ReviveHF]

@@franktatom1837 Even Yugoslavia and East Germany had better living standards than the Soviet Union. In East Germany, you could find more than 2 types of sausages in the grocery stores.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

​@@ReviveHFthe Russian weren't stupid. Deny Germans their sausages and the Berlin Wall would have fallen earlier or might never had been built.

[@sadwingsraging3044]

An absolute viper. If directed to a target by GCI and attacking at unawares the MIG-21 was quite deadly. Great history lesson.👍🏻

[@justforever96]

Doesn't basically any aircraft physically able to catch the target and fire a weapon capable of significant damage meet that description? If you can be vectored close enough to get a lock on with an AAM, any the target doesn't even notice you are there, why does it matter if it's a MiG-21 or an F-5 or a Hawk ? The missile is doing the actual shooting. The GCI is doing the intercept. What makes the MiG-21 particularly lethal in this scenario?

[@sadwingsraging3044]

@justforever96 HAHAHAHAHA! The answer is yes to all of that but it seems to me the 21 was built expressly for that purpose, at a great price (Communist economy left out of the argument) and in huge numbers. There any other reason you decided to comment on my post? Some other _issue_ you have?🤔

[@daszieher]

One just has to love the Israelis😂

[@martindice5424]

Hang a minute mate. Any squadron leader who lost an aircraft in an accident was instantly dismissed? 🤔. In the ‘50’s and ‘60’s that would have meant a HUGE turnover of squadron COs. Hmm..

[@notapound]

There was a period in which nuclear weapons safety regimes became the norm in all areas of the Air Force. It was a major reason why full commitment air combat training was forbidden.

[@Manbemanbe]

Your comment about the awkward cockpit layout contradicting the Soviet concepts around simplicity, accessibility and practicality is such a good one 👏🏼 👍🏼. Examples of this go unnoticed too often, IMO.

[@lllordllloyd]

British aircraft also had layout as an afterthought. The biography of a test pilot, 'The Quick and the Dead', constantly refers to how he could not get anyone to do anything about it... even if it were a lethal hazard.

[@aegeanphantom]

Another very informative video, thank you. At around 19:50 where you talk about the Starfighter, you say F-104D when we clearly see an F-104C (could also be an F-104A) in the video. The F-104D was the family model (twin seat trainer) of the F-104C version that was built in very few copies. Happy New Year by the way!

[@notapound]

Thanks! Good spot, there is a discrepancy between the written report and the video that I should have spotted. Happy New Year :)

[@sidharthbhatia8399]

Please improve your microphone.

[@1joshjosh1]

I wonder who would win in a battle. Pound for the ground or Showtime 112? Both make awesome videos