US/USSR coup de grace

I don’t think any of them. The Mig-15 was important in gaining an advantage in Korea, similarly the Mig-21 that the Israelis captured and lent to the Americans was useful in the late 60s/early 70s.

But in the main they just helped refine and develop tactics.

I would say the first Mig -15 which fell into Western hands and was flown by Chck Yeager was probably the most important as we were fighting the North Koreans at the time. The Mig -25 was certainly interesting but I doubt much
of the information gained on it could be exploited usefully at that time.

During the cold war there was obviously many efforts taken by US and USSR governments to obtain enemy aircraft for testing and evaluation.

I have seen many old pictures of MiG17s and 21s being tested by the US and F86s, F5s and older B29s by the Russians but the getting hold of which aircraft could be described as the Coup De Grace of the cold war?

Did you really mean Coup de Grace??? That’s the term used when someone shot by firing squad is given the final tap on the noggin with the firing squad commander’s pistol. Unless you meant meant the term to describe the final “nail in the coffin” for the Soviet’s, I am not sure it makes much sense? And even if so, I doubt that any one aircraft acquisition was the result of that.

If you meant the most important acquisition by either side during the cold war, then it was probably the nuclear weapon secrets given to the Russians by Claus Fuchs, or perhaps the Sapphire jet engine given to them freely by Clement Atlee. As far as the most significant aircraft acquisition… certainly the most spectacular was the MiG-25 already mentioned.

Cheers,
Richard

i would probably have said the MIG-25 “Foxbat” the americans got their hands on when Viktor Belenko defected in in 1976 🙂

Mig 31 Firefox:D