Have Drill

Have Drill was the name of the Defense Intelligence Agency project to evaluate and develop tactics against a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17^[1] acquired from Israel in 1968. The Syrian Air Force MiG-17 landed at Betzet in northern Israel, mistaking it for Lebanon. Israel transferred the aircraft to the United States; it received United States Air Force (USAF) designations and fake serial numbers and became part of the USAF Tactical Fighter Weapons Center Area 51 test fleet.

Evaluation

The aircraft was a Lim-5, the Polish license-produced MiG-17, manufactured in 1956-57 with serial number 1C-07-18.^[2]

As in the earlier Have Doughnut program, a small group of Air Force and United States Navy (USN) pilots conducted mock dogfights with the MiG-17s. Some instructors from the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School ("Top Gun") at NAS Miramar also flew against the MiGs for familiarization purposes.

Evaluation data was sent to the USAF and USN Fighter Weapons Schools. By 1970, the Have Drill program was expanded; some naval McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II crews were invited to dogfight. Knowledge of the MiGs was restricted. Other pilots at Nellis Air Force Base were not informed. The Groom Lake range airspace was closed to prevent sightings. The exercise area was marked in red on aeronautical maps; the forbidden zone was known as "Red Square".^[3]

Results and recommendations

All naval pilots lost their first engagement with the MiG-17. The aircraft's age inspired overconfidence, and its great maneuverability - especially at low altitude - was a surprise.^[4] Naval Grumman A-6 Intruder, LTV A-7 Corsair II and Douglas A-4 Skyhawks were recommended to avoid combat with the MiG-17. On the other hand, the MiG-17 used an extremely simple, even crude, control system which lacked the power-boosted controls of American aircraft. The F-4 had enough thrust to accelerate out of MiG-17 gun range in thirty seconds, and remain out of range while engaging with air-to-air missiles.^[3] Revised tactics during the Vietnam War allowed the Navy's kill ratio against the MiG-17 to rise from 2.75:1 to 8.33:1.

The program was declassified in 2013.^[5]

References

Citations

^ Woodford, p. 3.
^ Young, Rob. "Have Drill/Have Ferry - Exploitation of the Soviet MiG-17F" (PDF). National Air and Space Intelligence Center. p. 21. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
^ ^a ^b Peebles, Curtis (1999). Dark Eagles, Revised Edition. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-696-X.
^ Woodford, pp. 5–7.
^ Area 51 hosted tests for 'secretly acquired' Soviet fighter jets

Sources

Woodford, Thomas R. "Have Drill/Have Ferry Tactical Evaluation" (PDF). National Air and Space Intelligence Center.

[FOOTNOTEWoodford3-1] Woodford, p. 3.

[2] Young, Rob. "Have Drill/Have Ferry - Exploitation of the Soviet MiG-17F" (PDF). National Air and Space Intelligence Center. p. 21. Retrieved 29 January 2024.

[Peebles-3] Peebles, Curtis (1999). Dark Eagles, Revised Edition. Novato, CA: Presidio Press. ISBN 0-89141-696-X.

[FOOTNOTEWoodford5–7-4] Woodford, pp. 5–7.

[5] Area 51 hosted tests for 'secretly acquired' Soviet fighter jets

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