BLUF

Almost five decades ago, Lieutenant Viktor Ivanovich Belenko of the Soviet Air Defence Forces landed in Japan and announced he wanted to defect to the West.

Summary

KEY POINTS:
  1. The 29-year-old had stolen a soviet MiG-25.
  2. The MiG-25 was the most secretive aircraft the Soviet Union had ever designed.
  3. When examined, however, the US found the MiG-25 was much less capable than expected.
  4.  Belenko settled in the USA and died after a short illness in 2023.

References