I dont think theyre going to do that much with the MIGs, says TIME Pentagon Correspondent Mark Thompson. The U.S. military always tried to acquire Soviet weapons from Third World countries, to take them apart, see what weaknesses could be exploited and what strengths could be adapted.
And the asking price was too good to turn down the F-15, the U.S. equivalent of the MIG-29C, goes for around $50 million per plane. It really was a steal, says Thompson. I think theyd have bought the MIGs at that price even if Iran hadnt been interested. They want to see how the engines work, the electronic boxes, the missiles and other subcomponents. I dont believe theyre even necessarily going to be flown. Coming in a couple of years: one heck of a garage sale at the DOD.