A Flight to Freedom
On September 6, 1976, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko flew a top-secret MiG-25 Foxbat from Vladivostok to Japan during a routine training mission. He landed on a short civilian runway in Hakodate with almost no fuel left, damaging the aircraft in the process and immediately requested asylum.
A Plane Under the Microscope
The MiG-25 was a mystery to the West. Within hours, U.S. and Japanese experts examined the plane in detail. They found a large, fast interceptor made mostly of steel and equipped with vacuum tubes instead of microchips. It wasn’t what U.S. intelligence had expected.
A Shock to the USSR
The Soviets demanded the plane and pilot be returned. Japan returned the aircraft—disassembled in crates—after U.S. experts had over two months to study it. Belenko stayed in the U.S., cooperating with American officials on Soviet aviation and military operations.
A New Life
AbroadBelenko’s defection caused alarm throughout the Soviet military. He was later granted U.S. citizenship. The aircraft he flew was never used again. His act remains one of the Cold War’s most significant aviation intelligence coups.
On September 6, 1976, Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko shocked the world. During a training flight, he diverted his MiG-25 Foxbat and flew to Japan.
He landed on a civilian runway in Hakodate with nearly empty fuel tanks and asked for political asylum in the U.S.🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/hQenLW1sbV
— Detective Tiger's Stories (@TigerDetective) April 30, 2025