Soviet evaluation of captured F-5E Tiger II
When Bien Hoa was overrun by Communist forces, several of the aircraft were captured and used operationally by the NVAF, in particular against Khmer Rouge. In view of the performance, agility and size of the F-5, it might have appeared to be a good match against the similar MiG-21 in air combat. Several of the F-5s left over from the Vietnam war were sent to Poland and Russia, for advanced study of US aviation technology, while others were decommissioned and put on display at museums in Vietnam.
One F-5 was extensively tested by top gun Soviet pilots from Chkalov's State Flight Tests Center (GLIC - Russian acronym). GLIC was established in the 1920s in the arid delta of the Volga River and its tributary Akhtuba and a local counterpart of US Edwards AFB AFFTC or Tonopah Test Range.
In air combats with MiG-21, F-5 did show extremly well, surprisingly winning almost of all fights according to reports, that gave Soviet aircraft designers a push to develop new types, like MiG-23.
Pilots who were flying F-5E, are Vladimir Kandaurov, Alexander Bezhevets and Nikolay Stogov.
Western Aircraft in the USSR.
.......This is a photo of what may be an F-4 Phantom and a Mirage III (with an 3M bomber in the foreground) taken at the Zhukovskiy airfield outside of Moscow. The caption dates the photo 11 August 1971.Zhukovskiy was (and still is in Russia) the Soviet Union’s equivalent to the USAF’s Edwards, AFB and as such numerous types of aircraft underwent evaluation there. The Phantom in the picture appears to be covered with a protective canvas cover. The nose shape is reminiscent of the YF4H-1 prototypes. I don’t think this is a flyable model and may be a mockup with pieces of actual Phantoms shot down over North Vietnam and aircraft lost in the Middle East wars. The Mirage III also looks like a mockup and include pieces of actual Mirages lost in various Middle East wars.
The Israeli Air Force was the only user of both aircraft at the time...........