<p>Reagan took office in January 1981 partly on the basis of his dire warning about the Soviet Union's 'Evil Empire'. It was a time of free spending for the military and the Air Force was allowed to work toward a goal of 40 combat wings, almost doubling its size. In public, the Pentagon took on new life, reviving the Rockwell B-1B bomber which had been temporarily sidetracked. The F-15E Strike Eagle, which entered service in 1987, became the USAF's next-generation deep strike aircraft. The service pursued an advanced tactical fighter (ATF) that became the Lockheed F-22.
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<p>In private, the 1980s were the era of 'black' programmes. Again in total secrecy, the USAF proceeded with a Northrop flying-wing design for an Advanced Tactical Bomber (ATB), later to become the B-2 Spirit. A new family of remotely-piloted vehicles, or RPVs, was tested in secrecy. Rumors persisted of other 'black', manned warplanes.
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<p>Since the 1960s, the Air Force had evaluated Soviet equipment quietly obtained from friendly nations. In the big-budget 1980s, these secret programmes took on new momentum. At Groom Lake, one of several facilities on the Nellis test range which were inaccessible to press, public or even Congress, the 4477th Tactical Group ('Red Hats') flew Soviet aircraft in SAR programmes, including Have Doughnut (which exploited the MiG-17), Have Drill (MiG-19), and Have Rivet (MiG-21), plus programmes for the MiG-23 and Su-7 whose codenames are undisclosed. In addition, the Nellis range was used to study real and simulated Soviet surface-to-air missile systems. No information, photos or even acknowledgement of any of this has ever been released. Throughout the 1980s two Soviet jet fighters were displayed indoors at Bolling AFB in Washington, DC, but only to those with the required security clearance.
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<p>More than just a test, the ambitious effort with Soviet aircraft amounted to fielding a small air force, and involved not just evaluation but intense daily operations. Pilots of Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps jet fighters were given a 'limited access' clearance which enabled them to know the bare bones facts so that they could engage MiGs and Sukhois in realistic air-to-air duels over the south-west. Testing of this potential enemy's equipment contributed substantially to the development of US weapons.
