The backdrop
Pilot Lt. Viktor Belenko of a PVO unit stationed at Chuguyevka air base, north of Vladivostok (other sources say Sakharovka air base), failed to return from a sortie on September 6, 1976. If Belenko had fallen into the Sea of Japan, his superiors would hardly have been displeased; in fact, it was a huge shock to learn that he had landed at Hakodate International Airport.
Subhadeep Paul, an aviation expert, explains on Quora;
‘It was 1976, the time of ongoing Cold War between the USSR and US. Each party was developing their own secret weapons & the other one always wanted to know what their enemy was cooking. US was making all possible efforts to get hold of MiGs to study them to know their weaknesses so that those can be exploited by NATO aircraft to defeat them.
The MiG-25 Foxbat
‘Thus, there were efforts from Western countries to encourage defections (prompting enemy pilots to fly enemy aircraft to one’s own airfield).
‘One emerging nightmare for the US was a mysterious Soviet supersonic aircraft, the MiG-25 Foxbat. This was a Mach 3 Interceptor aircraft which, the US thought, posed a great threat to SR-71 Blackbird. Western spy satellites stalking Soviet military installations caught brief glimpses of this warplane and feared this could overwhelm the West’s air defenses, thus posed a dire security risk for NATO countries.
‘Naturally US saw the MiG-25 as a grave danger & thus was dying to know about the ghost plane.
Lt Viktor Belenko steals a MiG-25 Foxbat
‘Enter Lt. Viktor Belenko, a 29-year-old unhappy USSR pilot of the Foxbat, struggling with his about-to-be divorced life. He was dejected by the way of life in the communist USSR.
‘Out of despair, he did something that changed his life. He was about to steal the MiG-25, offering the West what was top-notch classified technology.
‘On Sep 6, 1976, Belenko and several other pilots from his squadron took off from Chuguyevka Air Base (740 km from Japan) on a training flight. He had requested a full tank of fuel in his aircraft before take-off.
‘Belenko followed the flight plan at first, then broke formation, climbed before descending rapidly, and headed out to sea, flying just 100 feet over the sea to avoid detection.
‘A series of events followed where he flew the aircraft without maps & communication, got picked up intentionally by Japanese radar, got chased by Japanese F-4 Phantoms II, and somehow made landing at Hakodate (civilian) airport with just 30 seconds of fuel remaining.’
As the photos in this post show, the low flying of the MiG-25 caught the attention of all the inhabitants of that city, who photographed Belenko’s Foxbat just before landing.
Arrested by police
He continues;
‘The Japs were stunned to see something they had never seen before. A huge aircraft of the enemy amidst the Cold War on their Tarmac.
‘He fired two warning shots from his service pistol sitting from the canopy to discourage any civilian from approaching the aircraft and to make sure that only the Japanese Military could get their hands on the fighter first.
‘He was arrested by police, to whom he offered no resistance. Instead, he asked the aircraft to be covered in canvas because it contained military secrets. US military personnel were there at the scene, guarding the aircraft throughout the night.
Viktor Belenko asks for political asylum in the US
‘Belenko asked the Japs to consult the CIA as he wanted political asylum in the US.
‘Soviet Union was shocked & demanded immediate return of both plane & pilot. They said Belenko had lost his way during the flight & claimed that he was under the influence of drugs administered to him by the Japanese.
The US side
‘Fast forward a couple of months, this incident resulted in these events in the US:
• The USAF & CIA studied the MiG-25 extensively. It was like getting the enemy’s crown jewel.
• However, the USAF concluded that the MiG-25 was nowhere as fearsome as they thought it be. They had overestimated the capabilities of the Foxbat, judging it by its appearance because it had large wings. Conclusion: It wasn’t particularly useful in combat.
• Eventually it was packed up into around 40 boxes and was returned to the Soviet Union. The Soviets complained that around 20 pieces were missing.
Soviet Union was charged $ 40,000 for shipping cost of the MiG-25
‘Irony: Soviet Union was charged $ 40,000 for shipping cost of the MiG-25. The bill was never paid.
• Belenko was given asylum in the US & even granted US citizenship.
• He later became a consultant to the US military and aerospace industry, a public speaker and businessman. He also married an American woman and had two children. They later divorced.
The Soviet Union side
Paul concludes;
‘On the Soviet Union side, things went in a bit different way:
• USSR decided to improve conditions of pilots to avoid such future incidences. From the airport Belenko flew, a five-story government building was built along with school, kindergarten, and other facilities. Treatment of pilots vastly improved.
• Prior to Belenko’s defection the outside world had very little knowledge about the MiG-25. The breaching of secrecy resulted in a new business idea. The USSR thought since the entire world anyways knows about their “secretive” aircraft, why not export it & earn money.
• Hence it was sold to Algeria, Bulgaria, India, Iraq, Libya, and Syria in significant numbers.
• The loss of secrecy led to the fast-track development of the MiG-31 Foxhound, which was already in development at the time of Belenko’s defection.
• The MiG-31 replaced the MiG-25 and is still in active service as of 2023.
Photo by CIA and unknown