Jared Isaacman, billionaire and founder of the private company Draken International, shared a rare and stunning video on his social media: a formation flight in which a Soviet-built MiG-21UM fighter jet leads a formation alongside modern stealth F-22 Raptor jets from the United States Air Force.
+ Click here to watch the video
The footage, filmed from a MiG-29UB also piloted by Isaacman, took place last year and was dedicated to Colonel Gaillard “Gail” R. Peck Jr., known as “Evil” Peck. Peck was the first commander of the top-secret 4477th Test and Evaluation Squadron, also known as the “Red Eagles,” a unit created during the Cold War to study and test captured enemy aircraft, primarily Soviet fighters.
+ The Incredible MiG-21: The Jet That Survived Six Decades of War
The aerial tribute was marked by the symbolic presence of MiG-21 tail number N317DM leading the formation, highlighting Colonel Peck’s legacy in helping familiarize American pilots with the tactics and capabilities of Soviet aircraft.
“If you need a distraction… and I do… I just found out we can share this from last year. A memorial flight for Colonel ‘Evil’ Peck, first commander of the Red Eagles. MiG-21 in the lead, I was in the MiG-29 next to the F-22s. You’ll never see a formation like this again,” wrote Isaacman on X (formerly Twitter), under the hashtag #MiGDay.
The scene not only pays tribute to a key figure in American military aviation history but also represents an unlikely meeting between generations of fighters: from legendary Soviet jets to the advanced fifth-generation stealth aircraft of the U.S.
Source and images: X @rookisaacman. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
