On September 6, 1976, Captain Victor Belenko, a pilot of the Soviet Air Defense Force, drove a plane that was the most mysterious in the world at the time The most advanced MiG-25 fighter plane took off from the airport of the 513th Fighter Aviation Regiment in Chuguyevka, Primorsky Krai, and defected to Japan. As a result, the Soviet Union lost many important military secrets and suffered huge losses. Not a blessing, as time goes by, the defection of fighters that shocked the world made the most successful advertisement for Soviet fighters. From then on, the Soviet Union began to export a large number of advanced fighters, which not only made up for the losses, but also made a fortune.
The MiG-25 is the most secret project in the history of the Soviet aviation force. Its main task is to intercept and destroy enemy reconnaissance aircraft. The designer positioned it as a high-altitude high-speed aircraft. In 1961, the MiG-25 prototype set a world record for flying at a ceiling of 22,670 meters and flying at 3,000 km/h. At that time, no aircraft in the world could achieve this performance. At the end of the 1960s, the Soviet Union began mass production of MiG-25 fighters and equipped a large number of troops.
From the beginning of the development of the MiG-25, the U.S. reconnaissance plane has been trying to obtain relevant intelligence. The U.S. intelligence agencies tried their best for this, but they could only get the information from the Soviet side. Some parts of the content. Ten minutes after the MiG-25 piloted by Captain Belenko took off, the ground lost contact with the fighter. When it was learned that the aircraft had landed at Hakodate Airport in Japan, the Soviet Army Command was ready to start a search operation. After the MiG-25 landed at a Japanese airport, the Japanese side immediately moved the fighter plane to a distant hangar. The airport was under martial law, and no one except American spies and military representatives was allowed to enter. After investigating the case, the Japanese police finally handed over the plane to the Americans, who then disassembled it and took photos. On September 24, it was transported by a transport plane to a US military base in Japan for detailed study. During this time, the Soviet Union has always insisted that the United States and Japan immediately return the MiG fighter planes, but they were rejected by the latter under various excuses. They returned to the Soviet Union only on October 12, after all the parts had been studied in detail and photographed.
In terms of returning fighters, the Japanese insisted that Soviet experts use Soviet ships to receive the aircraft for one day. Once the deadline expires, the Japanese will not accept any requests. Time was precious and the situation was pressing. The leadership of the Soviet Air Force agreed to Japan's terms. The Japanese packed the aircraft parts in 13 containers and wrapped them in iron sheets and nailed them to death. They wanted to delay the handover process, but the Soviet sailors received them within 2 hours. Subsequently, Soviet experts discovered traces and evidence of the dismantling and research of the fighter plane, and filed a compensation claim of 11 million U.S. dollars, which was met. But this number is simply not enough to make up for the huge losses caused by the defections of advanced fighters to the Soviet Union. According to the most conservative estimate, the loss was at least 2 billion rubles (the price at the time), and Soviet designers were forced to modify most of the electronic systems and other equipment.
It seems that the Americans have won a big victory in this fighter spy war, but they soon discovered that they had been self-defeating, but helped the Soviet Union a big favor and made the best promotional advertisement for the Soviet fighters. As the MiG-25 was declassified and the situation was complicated, the Soviet Union was subsequently forced to cancel the export restrictions on this fighter. As a result, foreign orders flew in like a snow flake. The Soviet Union not only quickly made up for the losses by exporting fighters, but also made a huge profit. Armed with U.S. opponents, many countries with poor relations with the U.S. import large quantities of such fighters. Since then, driven by the export of MiG-25, the Soviet Union began to export a large number of military equipment, making a net profit of tens of billions of dollars. As for the pilot Belenko, his motivation is still a mystery. Whether he lost his way in the fog and simply defected, or he had already waited for the opportunity to hijack the plane for the CIA, it is difficult to find out.
