This is the story of how the U.S.A. managed to acquire two Soviet jet fighters during the Cold War: the feared Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and the lesser-known Yakovlev Yak-23 Flora.
The operation was codenamed:”Project Alpha.”
The story is still a partially classified Cold War operation that occurred in the 1950s.
Both aircraft were powered by the copies of Rolls Royce turbojet engines, directly derived from British inventor Sir Frank Whittle.
Perhaps the most interesting operation, and the most secret of the two, is the one of the Yak-23.
In October 1953, intelligence agents of a Balkan country approached the Central Intelligence Agency resident in their nation, offering to hand over to the US a current Soviet-built fighter—a Yak-23 Flora—on a very short-term basis. Thus began a project involving a small number of Air Force and CIA personnel. It was called “Project Alpha.”
The Air Force declassified much of the project’s technical material in the mid-1990s, but it had expunged the names of the Balkan countries involved, and three foreign officials were sent as escorts.
The CIA was even less forthcoming. Fifty years after the fact, the agency refused to divulge any information. It would not even acknowledge that such a project ever existed.
However, interviews with some Air Force personnel who participated in Project Alpha have helped to lift the veil.
The story went something like this: Agents of an unnamed Balkan country (call it “Balkan Country
No. 1”) knew a crated Yak-23 fighter was being transported by train through their country to another nation—Balkan Country No. 2. The agents of No. 1 suggested that the US could take the fighter, study it, flight-test it, and then return it in the crates exactly as it had been picked up.
Soon, all parties shook hands on the deal.
USAF sent a C-124 to Balkan Country No. 1. The C-124 flew the crated and disassembled Yak-23, along with the three foreign escorts, to USAF’s Air Technical Intelligence Center (ATIC) at Wright-Patterson AFB…
MiG-15 General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 10.102 m (33 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 10.085 m (33 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.7 m (12 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 20.6 m2 (222 sq ft)
Airfoil: root: TsAGI S-10; tip: TsAGI SR-3
Empty weight: 3,681 kg (8,115 lb)
Gross weight: 5,044 kg (11,120 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 6,106 kg (13,461 lb) with 2×600 L (160 US gal; 130 imp gal) drop-tanks
Fuel capacity: 1,420 L (380 US gal; 310 imp gal) internal
Powerplant: 1 × Klimov VK-1 centrifugal-flow turbojet, 26.5 kN (5,950 lbf) thrust
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,076 km/h (669 mph, 581 kn) at sea level
1,107 km/h (688 mph; 598 kn) / M0.9 at 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
Maximum speed: Mach 0.87 at sea level
Cruise speed: 850 km/h (530 mph, 460 kn) Mach 0.69
Ferry range: 2,520 km (1,570 mi, 1,360 nmi) at 12,000 m (39,000 ft) with 2×600 L (160 US gal; 130 imp gal) drop-tanks
Service ceiling: 15,500 m (50,900 ft)
Rate of climb: 51.2 m/s (10,080 ft/min)
Wing loading: 296.4 kg/m2 (60.7 lb/sq ft)
Thrust/weight: 0.54
Armament
Guns:
2 × 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 autocannon in the lower left fuselage (80 rounds per gun, 160 rounds total)
1 × 37 mm Nudelman N-37 autocannon in the lower right fuselage (40 rounds total)
Hardpoints: 2 , with provisions to carry combinations of:
Bombs: 100 kg (220 lb) bombs
Other: drop tanks, or unguided rockets
Yak-23 General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 8.13 m (26 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 8.73 m (28 ft 8 in)
Height: 3.31 m (10 ft 10 in)
Wing area: 13.5 m2 (145 sq ft)
Empty weight: 1,980 kg (4,365 lb)
Gross weight: 3,384 kg (7,460 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Klimov RD-500 centrifugal-flow turbojet engine, 15.6 kN (3,500 lbf) thrust
Performance
Maximum speed: 925 km/h (575 mph, 499 kn) at sea level
Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi)
Service ceiling: 14,800 m (48,600 ft)
Rate of climb: 47 m/s (9,300 ft/min)
Thrust/weight: 0.46
Armament
Guns: 2 × 23 mm Nudelman-Rikhter NR-23 with 90 rpg
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The Brits didn't think it might be a good idea to ask the US if they were ok with the transfer of western technology to the Soviets ?
And how naive were they to think "obviously they will continue buying from us and never just copy our design" LoL
Russia has a history of making Blunderfull UFOs….
Awesome intrigue!
Same soundtrack as "Hunt for Red October"! How appropriate!
Yugoslavia
You'd think they would have noticed the American markings painted on it…
I'm sure someone else has said it, but because Captain Dye's reticence to identify the country that "lent" us the Yak 23 suggests that this documentary was made before this story's details were declassified, I'll confirm that here in the present day it has been revealed by our government that the country in question was indeed Tito's Yugoslavia.
How Kim Philby didn't come to the same conclusion as Stafford Cripps did after seeing the Soviet Union up close is beyond my understanding. Philby was a brilliant and observant man who has demonstrated through his writings an uncommon talent for insight and what seems to be an earnest dedication to his principles of humanitarianism and furthering of the common good. How someone like Philny seems to have bought into the Bolshevik bullshit so thoroughly and completely is a mystery that I'm afraid I may not be able to unravel in my lifetime.
biggest BS that Metour was first jet in before ww2 . The me 262 was first proto in 1938 in Germany and 1942 had test until finally 1944 flew into battle. What BS ,, they try use a fake Brittish accemt to discredit . What a joke.
This fact shows how ameicans were skilled in craft reliable jet aircrafts those times…
My dad was assigned to a unit that stole enemy aircraft, and tested them at Area 51.
23:54 "Operation Moola", Moola meaning, "I don't know" or "have no clue" in Korean. That was funny and blindsided me.🙂
39:00 – the "vodka type of drink" – it's a Rakija 100% guarantee – a type of home-brewed "brandy" or "moonshine" if you want, boiled from high on sugar fruits – grapes, plums, apricot, even cherry.. the alc. varies from 40% up to 70%.
We balkan people, don't go anywhere without it.
The % of alc. 40-49, depends on it's purpose:
– fastest & most efficient way, to "mess your skate's laces" – go with lower % of alc.
Very aromatic, goes in soft and beery – the perfect appetizer for this, is a salad of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, seasoned with onions, olive oil, and Balkan white cheese. a.k.a – "Shopska" salad.
These rakijas are usually well aged, between 3 & 15 years. Kept hidden for special occasions, like weddings, anniversaries or foreigner's visitations – where we want to impress 'em.
– "Daily" used, is aged about 1-2 years, 51-59%, and it's purpose is chess, board, or card games that happen daily with friends: the point is – they don't drink all of your Rakija.
This is the "high-octane" – where every sip is a struggle, and they "lick" a cup of 150-200ml. all night.. And thus – not get too messed up, and walk away on foot. 2 preferably.
Not effective move on experienced players. They drink that & when messed up – ask for the "hidden one from the cashe".
– 65-70% – this is "Exorsism" class of alcohol, with questionable legality.
On the sea level – is used only, for medical purposes, external application.
For foreigners – a pure poison.
For ours – not for weak ones (kids under 9 y.o.).
The Highlander's coffee:
Only way to drink it – you must be on 4000m or above.
Thin air sobers you fast, as it evaporates through your skin quickly, when pressure is low.
On other point – usually, these substances are flavored with chilly pepper (yes – a litteral chilly pepper – dropped right in the bottle).
It's used instead of coffee – a sip of it "punches" so hard you rather open your eyes and wake up from the shock. Where the chilly taste starts working on your stomach & help dissolve the food quicker. Exactly what coffeine does, but healthier.
Credits for that discovery – Kirgyztan.
We Balkan people – greatfull for that! Best wishes!
RoAF – Yak-23 short movie
It wasn't disguised as an American fighter. It was an American fighter. We stole it fair and square, so it belongs to us now. Murica!!
Extraordinaire vidéo. Donc le film avec Clint Eastwood ''Firefox'' est vrai ?👋🏻👋🏻🇫🇷🇫🇷🙏🏻🙏🏻
Bu kasetlerin Türkçesi yokmu messut ertegi
Looked at the map… for sure Yougoslavia and Albania 🙂
Slimovitz was the drink.yougoslavia was the country. It's quite well known as are the three men.
Their attempt to soften the sale of jet engines to Russia doesn’t hold any weight with me ! It was treason ! America was against it and was the now Socialist Britain was starting to
be mistrusted ! The biggest stab was all of the British engineers leaking the secrets of the Atomic Bomb to the Russians . After that for the longest time we didn’t trust the Brits !
I can bet. Was Romania. They well known of making deals like that
Imagine if the Americans had managed to crash the Yak-23 while it was in their possession 😀
It was taken from Yugoslavia ..Everybody knows
THAT COUNTRY, WAS, YUGOSLAVIA…..
That COUNTRY… HAD TO BE.. EITHER…. AL BANIA, ALBANIA, OR, YUGOSLAVIA…… I THINK 💬 ALBANIA.. IT WAS ALBANIA… THAT GAVE IT TO ITALY AND ITALY TO.. USA.. OR ALBANIA GAVE IT TO FRANCE
Messerschmitt ME 1010, von den USA in Deutschland GESTOHLEN.
Cia had a secret airline in Laos during the Vietnam war called air america secret airline special forces response operations in Laos during the Vietnam war
Ese es un avion ALEMAN. Capturado por los comunistas y toda su tecnología copiada porque nunca a sido una raza inteligente.😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
So what? It was a common practice in the third world to re-sell weapons they got for free from one side to the other. Money does not smell.
The classified country where the plane originated from was Romania. The "communist Balkan country" that delivered Romanian Yak 23 to the US in 1953 was Yugoslavia.
It was probably ukraine
Leave no trace…
We painted it…
Wtf?