@theaviationist

OTD in 1976, Viktor Belenko “stole” a MiG-25 and landed in Japan. based in Chuguyevka, Primorsky Krai, in the east of the country. When he brought his MiG-25 “Foxbat” to Hakodate he gave the Western intelligence officers the opportunity to give a first close look at one of the most secretive airplanes of those years: a supersonic interceptor featuring a powerful radar, four air-to-air missiles and a top speed above Mach 3. In order to assist the American experts in evaluating the aircraft, Belenko brought with him the pilot’s manual for the MiG-25 “Foxbat”, expecting to assist American pilots in evaluating and testing the aircraft. The mission was launched earlier than initially planned, because the KGB was about to stop Viktor Ivanovich Belenko from defection. Although pilot defections during the Cold War were not a rarity, what made Belenko’s defection unique was the fact that the MiG-25 was completely unknown in the West. #theaviationist #mig25 #mig25foxbat #coldwar #victorbelenko