MiG-25 Defection Key Words and Summary – In 1976, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko made a daring defection, landing his top-secret MiG-25 Foxbat fighter in Japan and handing the West an intelligence goldmine.
At the time, the MiG-25 was feared as the world’s best fighter, a Mach 3 marvel that held numerous records.
However, when U.S. and Japanese analysts disassembled the plane, they made a shocking discovery: it was vastly overrated, with “junk” radar, poor maneuverability, and engines that would disintegrate at top speed.
Belenko’s flight forever broke the myth of the MiG-25’s dominance, revealing the truth behind Soviet propaganda.
MiG-25 Fighter Was a Suprise
On Sept. 6, 1976, the biggest news story around the globe was about a 29-year-old Soviet fighter pilot, Lt. Viktor Belenko, who defected from the Soviet Union, landed his MiG-25 fighter in Japan, and asked for asylum.
At the time, thanks to a lot of Moscow-fueled hyperbole, the MiG-25 Foxbat was considered the best fighter jet in the world. U.S. Air Force pilots had a healthy dose of respect for it.
After Belenko’s defection, the U.S. wanted a peek under the hood of the Foxbat – they wanted to see what made this MiG such a great fighter plane. They were shocked, but not for reasons they expected.
Viktor Belenko’s Defection Plans
Belenko was one of the elite pilots of the Soviet Air Defense Forces. But by 1976, he wanted to leave the Soviet Union. He was stationed near Vladivostok, as part of the 513th Fighter Regiment, 11th Air Army.
At the time, the Soviet Air Defense Forces were a separate aerial branch from the Soviet Air Force; its members were elite, and they were trusted within the rigid and suspicious Communist regime.
Yet conditions and facilities at the Soviet airbase were dismal. Belenko’s wife was tired of the military life and filed for divorce. There was nothing left to keep him in the Soviet Union, and he decided it was time for him to defect to the West.
Belenko wasn’t going to defect like a typical spy with some rolls of microfilm. He was going to hand the U.S. an enormous fighter plane.
The MiG-25 was a worthy prize. It had set many speed and altitude records and was the Soviet fighter that was set to rival the iconic SR-71 Blackbird.
Belenko’s Flight to Freedom in MiG-25
On Sept. 6, Belenko was flying his Foxbat on a routine patrol heading east from his home base of Vladivostok, and he decided that was the day to head to Japan.
As the flight reached the extent of its mission, the formation turned to head back. However, after his wingman turned to base, Belenko kept flying east.
He decreased altitude to 19,000 feet, flying in clouds to hide himself from view. He then went into a steep dive, pulling out the heavy Foxbat at 100 feet above the waves. His squadron, which was chasing him, couldn’t catch up.
Belenko raced toward Japan, but his heavy Foxbat was eating up fuel quickly. As he approached Japanese airspace, he began popping up in altitude to appear on Japanese radar.
Belenko had wanted to fly to a military airbase but was diverted to a civilian airport in Hakodate, because he was running low on fuel. The landing was dangerous, as he had only about 30 seconds-worth of fuel left in the tank. As he was lining up for a landing, he deftly avoided a civilian airliner, but he was flying too fast and out of position to land.
He did so anyway, because of his fuel situation, but the 6,500-foot runway was too short. Belenko deployed his drogue parachute and stomped on the brakes so hard that he blew the front tire. His plane skidded 800 feet off the runway. But the only damage was to the tire.
Japanese and U.S. intelligence analysts were ecstatic. The airplane was new, and Belenko even had the technical manual with all the necessary information to understand its unique capabilities, which was strictly forbidden for Soviet pilots.
A Shocking Discovery
Japan, fearing reprisals from the Soviets, who were screaming for their plane back, refused to allow anyone to fly the aircraft. So, American and Japanese analysts carefully disassembled the MiG-25.
They wanted to study every piece of the Foxbat. They examined all the components, flight systems, and weapons, while referencing the flight manual.
The Americans and Japanese were expecting a dominant aircraft. After all, its records were utterly impressive.
HistoryNet.com reported, “The prototypes set 29 speed, altitude and time-to-climb records, some of which still stand. For pure speed, they notched 1,852 mph. They could climb to 98,425 feet in four minutes and 3.86 seconds and ultimately reached an absolute altitude record of 123,520 feet.”
But the analysts soon learned, to their shock, that the MiG-25 was vastly overrated. The records claimed were pure Soviet propaganda. It was not as maneuverable as was claimed, because of its weight. It also did not have air refueling capability, nor the range the Soviets claimed.
The aircraft had no guns and only carried four missiles. The radar was junk compared to what the West was operating. The aircraft’s G-force rating was never in the league of an average fighter.
The Soviets claimed the aircraft could fly past Mach 3, and it could – but only for a few seconds, and it damaged the engines to do it. In fact, the MiG 25’s engines would begin to disintegrate at speeds over Mach 2.
The myth of the MiG-25’s dominance was broken forever. And shortly afterward, the Soviets began selling it on the foreign market. It makes one ponder all of the hyperbole about the most recent Russian aircraft, the Su-57 and the Su-75.
Viktor Belenko was granted asylum in the U.S. He served as a consultant to the Air Force, married an American schoolteacher, settled down, had two sons, and loved becoming an American. He died in 2023 after a short illness.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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