Editing Viktor Belenko

{{Short description|Soviet pilot who defected to the West (1947–2023)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2016}}
{{family name hatnote|Ivanovich|Belenko|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Infobox military person
| image             = Viktor Belenko’s military identification (cropped).jpg
| caption           = Belenko's Soviet military identification photo; stored at the [[CIA Museum]]
| native_name       = Виктор Беленко
| native_name_lang  = ru
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1947|02|15|mf=y}}
| other_name        = Viktor Schmidt
| birth_place       = [[Nalchik]], [[Kabardin ASSR]], Soviet{{nbsp}}Union
| death_date        = {{death date and age|2023|09|24|1947|02|15|mf=y}}
| death_place       = [[Pope County, Illinois]], US
| allegiance        = Soviet Union
| branch            = [[Soviet Air Defence Forces]]
| serviceyears      = 1967–1976
| rank              = Lieutenant
| unit              = {{Tree list}}
* [[11th Air Army]]
** 513th Fighter Regiment
{{Tree list/end}}
| known_for         = Defecting to the U.S. with [[MiG-25]] in 1976
| spouse            = {{marriage|Coral Garaas|end=div}}
| children          = 2
}}
[[File:Former Soviet Pilot Viktor Belenko’s Military Identity Document.jpg|thumb|Viktor Belenko's military ID]]

'''Viktor Ivanovich Belenko''' ({{langx|ru|Виктор Иванович Беленко}}; February 15, 1947 – September 24, 2023) was a Soviet-born American aerospace engineer and pilot who [[Defection of Viktor Belenko|defected]] in 1976 to the [[Western world#Cold War context|West]] while flying his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25|MiG-25 "Foxbat"]] [[interceptor aircraft|jet interceptor]] and landed in [[Hakodate Airport|Hakodate]], Japan. [[George H. W. Bush]], the [[Director of Central Intelligence]] at the time, called the opportunity to examine the plane up close an "intelligence bonanza" for the West.<ref>[http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,914630,00.html INTELLIGENCE: Bonanza or Bust?] Time Magazine, Monday, 1 November 1976</ref> Belenko later became a U.S. [[aerospace engineering|aerospace engineer]].{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

==Early life and defection==
{{main|Defection of Viktor Belenko}}
[[File:Former Soviet Pilot Viktor Belenko’s Knee Pad Notebook with Flight Data - Flickr - The Central Intelligence Agency.jpg|thumb|Belenko's knee pad notebook with flight data]]

Belenko was born in [[Nalchik]], [[Russian SFSR]], in a [[Russians|Russian]] family (his passport states his ethnicity as Russian). Lieutenant Belenko was a pilot with the 513th Fighter Regiment, [[11th Air Army]], [[Soviet Air Defence Forces]] based in [[Chuguyevka (air base)|Chuguyevka]], [[Primorsky Krai]]. On 6 September 1976, he successfully [[defection of Viktor Belenko|defected]] to the [[Western world#Cold War context|West]] by flying his [[MiG-25]] [[jet fighter]] to [[Hakodate Airport]] in [[Hokkaido]], Japan.<ref>{{cite book|title=Aviation Week & Space Technology|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=93QgAAAAMAAJ|volume=105|year=1976|publisher=McGraw-Hill|page=120}}</ref>

This was the first time that Western military intelligence were able to get a close look at the aircraft and its specifications, and many secrets and surprises were revealed. His defection caused significant damage to the [[Soviet Air Force]].<ref>{{in lang|ru}} [http://tkachenko.in.ua/?page=koz_bel Предатель – Беленко Виктор Иванович.] tkachenko.in.ua</ref> Belenko was granted [[Political asylum|asylum]] by [[U.S. President]] [[Gerald Ford]], and a [[trust fund]] was set up for him, which granted him a very comfortable living in later years. The US government debriefed him for five months after his defection and employed him as a consultant for several years thereafter. Belenko had brought with him the pilot's manual for the MiG-25 since he expected to assist US pilots in evaluating and testing the aircraft.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

Belenko was not the only pilot to have defected from the Soviet Union in this way or even the first to defect from a [[Soviet-bloc]] country. He might have been aware of the US government's policy of awarding large cash prizes to defecting pilots of communist countries.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.pravdareport.com/history/07-11-2003/4029-pilot-0/ | title=A Story Not About a Hero | date=7 November 2003 }}</ref> In March<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=q0Fzu9dnluMC&pg=PA48 Mr. Mig: And the Real Story of the First Migs in America, Paul T. Entrekin] Retrieved 27 August 2017</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2020}} and May 1953,<ref>Skaarup, Harold [https://books.google.com/books?id=t7WfBAAAQBAJ&dq=Zdzis%C5%82aw+Jazwinski+mig-15&pg=PT71 Page 78, Canadian MiG Flights] Retrieved 27 August 2017</ref> two [[Polish Air Force]] pilots Lieutenant [[Franciszek Jarecki]] and Lieutenant Zdzisław Jaźwiński flew [[MiG-15]]s to Denmark. Later in 1953, [[North Korea]]n pilot [[No Kum-sok|No Kum Sok]] flew his MiG-15 to a US air base in South Korea;<ref name="Mig to freedom">{{cite book| author1=Rowe, Kenneth H. (No Kum-sok)| author2=Osterholm, J. Roger | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IVG-v7lgRmoC| title=A MiG-15 to Freedom | isbn=0-7864-0210-5 | publisher=McFarland & Company Inc.| year=1996 | access-date=22 September 2013}}</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2020}} the MiG is in the permanent collection of the [[National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]], displayed in its original owner markings.<ref>[https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/196115/mikoyan-gurevich-mig-15bis/ Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15bis] ''[[National Museum of the U.S. Air Force]]'' Retrieved 25 August 2017</ref> Later, Soviet Captain [[Aleksandr Zuyev (pilot)|Aleksandr Zuyev]] flew his [[MiG-29]] to [[Trabzon]], Turkey, on 20 May 1989.<ref name="may21">[http://www.upi.com/Archives/1989/05/21/MiG-returned-to-Soviet-Union/3760611726400/ MiG returned to Soviet Union], ''United Press International'', 21 May 1989.</ref> That MiG-29 was promptly returned to the Soviets.<ref>MiG returned to Soviet Union, United Press International, May 21, 1989.</ref>

==Aftermath==
The MiG-25's arrival in Japan was a windfall for Western military planners. The Japanese government had originally allowed the United States to examine the plane and to conduct ground tests of the radar and engines only; however, it subsequently allowed the US to dismantle the plane to examine it extensively.<ref>New York Times, 22 September 1976, column 4.</ref>  The plane was moved by a US Air Force [[Lockheed C-5 Galaxy|C-5 Galaxy]] cargo aircraft from Hakodate to [[Ibaraki Airport|Hyakuri Air Base]] on 25 September, and by then, experts had determined that the plane was an interceptor, not a fighter-bomber, which was a welcome reassurance for Japanese defense planners.<ref>[https://aad.archives.gov/aad/createpdf?rid=327520&dt=2082&dl=1345 UNCLAS State Message 239736], U.S. State Department, 27 September 1976.</ref>

On 2 October 1976, the Japanese Government announced that it would ship the aircraft in crates from the port of [[Hitachi, Ibaraki|Hitachi]] and billed the Soviets US$40,000 for crating services and airfield damage at Hakodate.<ref name="barron">''MiG Pilot: the Final Escape of Lt. Belenko'', John Barron, 1980, {{ISBN|0-380-53868-7}}.</ref>{{page needed|date=September 2020}} The Soviets responded with a request to return the plane via their own [[Antonov An-22]] aircraft after a rigorous inspection of the crates. The Japanese government refused, and the Soviets finally submitted to the Japanese terms on 22 October 1976.<ref>[https://aad.archives.gov/aad/createpdf?rid=311620&dt=2082&dl=1345 JAPAN-SOVIET RELATIONS: NEGOTIATIONS FOR RETURN OF MIG-25, TOKYO 15888 221325Z] (Confidential), U.S. State Department, 22 October 1976.</ref> The aircraft was moved from Hyakuri to the port of Hitachi on 11 November 1976 on a convoy of trailers. It left in 30 crates aboard the Soviet cargo ship ''Taigonos'' on 15 November 1976 and arrived about three days later in [[Vladivostok]].<ref name="fi1976">[http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1976/1976%20-%202747.html Flight International], 27 November 1976, p. 1546.</ref> A team of Soviet technicians had been allowed to view subassemblies at Hitachi, and upon finding 20 missing parts,<ref>[https://aad.archives.gov/aad/createpdf?rid=280711&dt=2082&dl=1345 SHARING MIG 25 INFORMATION WITH THIRD COUNTRIES, TOKYO 220903Z NOV 76] (Secret), U.S. State Department, 22 November 1976.</ref> one being film of the flight to Hakodate,<ref name="fi1976" /> the Soviets attempted to charge Japan US $10 million. Neither the Japanese nor the Soviet bill is known to have been paid.<ref name="barron" />{{page needed|date=September 2020}}

A senior diplomat described the Soviet position as "sulky about the whole affair."<ref>[https://aad.archives.gov/aad/createpdf?rid=280618&dt=2082&dl=1345 JAPAN-SOVIET RELATIONS: NEGOTIATIONS FOR RETURN OF MIG-25, TOKYO 16354 021113Z] (Confidential), U.S. State Department, 2 November 1976.</ref> The CIA concluded at the time that "both countries seem anxious to put the problem behind them" and speculated that the Soviets were reluctant to cancel a series of upcoming diplomatic visits because "some useful business is likely to be transacted, and because the USSR, with its political standing in Tokyo so low, can ill-afford setbacks in Soviet–Japanese economic cooperation."<ref>[http://www.foia.cia.gov/sites/default/files/document_conversions/5829/CIA-RDP79T00975A029500010014-9.pdf NATIONAL INTELLIGENCE DAILY CABLE, Monday 8 November 1976] (Top Secret), Central Intelligence Agency, 1976.</ref>

==Life in the United States==
Belenko started a new life in the United States. In 1980, the [[US Congress]] enacted S. 2961, authorizing [[citizenship of the United States|citizenship]] for him, which was signed into law by President [[Jimmy Carter]] on 14 October 1980, as [[Public and private bills#Private bills|Private Law]] 96-62.<ref>96th Cong. [http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d096:SN02961:|TOM:/bss/d096query.html S.2961] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710010711/https://www.congress.gov/bill/96th-congress/senate-bill/02961 |date=10 July 2020 }}, ''A bill for the relief of Viktor Ivanovich Belenko'', Bill Summary and Status.</ref><ref>[http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/granule/STATUTE-94/STATUTE-94-Pg3599/content-detail.html ''An act for the relief of Viktor Ivanovich Belenko, 94 Stat. 3599''.] GPO's Federal Digital System.</ref> Eager to avoid attention, and reprisal from the Soviet Union, he took the surname Schmidt and moved around often, mostly living in small towns across the Midwest.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vlamis |first=Kelsey |title=This $21.7 million ranch for sale in Montana once served as a hideout for a Soviet pilot who defected in a MiG-25. Take a look. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/montana-ranch-housed-soviet-defector-viktor-belenko-on-sale-million-2024-7 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref> He worked as a consultant to aerospace companies and government agencies, and married a music teacher from [[North Dakota]], Coral Garaas. They had two sons before divorcing.

The [[Soviet Union]] repeatedly spread false stories about Belenko being killed in a car accident, returning to [[Russia]], being arrested and executed, or otherwise brought to justice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pravdareport.com/history/07-11-2003/4029-pilot-0/|title=A Story Not About A Hero|first=Ольга|last=Савка|date=7 November 2003}}</ref> Russian journalists claimed that Belenko allegedly also had a son from his first marriage, never divorced his first wife, and never provided child support to her after his defection,<ref>Aleksandr Kots (26 September 2006) [http://kp.ru/daily/23779/57798 Он сел на истребитель и сбежал из СССР]. [[Komsomolskaya Pravda]]</ref> but Belenko denied this.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Risen |first=Clay |date=2023-11-18 |title=Viktor Belenko, Who Defected to the West in a Jet Fighter, Dies at 76 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/world/europe/viktor-belenko-dead.html |access-date=2023-11-19 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref> The journalists also claimed that his Soviet wife appealed for his return after his defection. <ref>{{Cite web|date=1976-09-29 |title=Wife and Mother of Soviet MIG Pilot Appeal for His Return|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/09/29/archives/wife-and-mother-of-soviet-mig-pilot-appeal-for-his-return.html |access-date=2023-11-26 |website=The New York Times |language=en-US}}</ref> 

Belenko co-wrote a 1980 autobiography, ''[[MiG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lieutenant Belenko]]'' with ''[[Reader's Digest]]'' writer [[John Barron (American journalist)|John Barron]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/boeing/slideshow/Skyhook-and-other-CIA-spyware-50854/photo-3601318.php |title='Skyhook' and other CIA spyware |date=16 October 2012 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=25 July 2017}}</ref> which confirmed that he had a wife and son in the USSR, although Belenko had previously told his son that this was Soviet propaganda.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://theaviationgeekclub.com/viktor-belenko-who-defected-to-the-west-in-a-mig-25-foxbat-jet-fighter-has-passed-away/ |title=Viktor Belenko, Who Defected to the West in a MiG-25 Foxbat Jet Fighter, has passed away|date=22 November 2023 }}</ref>

Belenko almost never appeared in interviews during his life in the [[United States]]. He feared for his life until the day he died.  However, in a brief and informal bar interview in 2000, he said that he was happy in the United States, remarking, "[Americans] have tolerance regarding other people's opinion. In certain cultures, if you do not accept the mainstream, you would be booted out or might disappear. Here we have people—you know, who hug trees, and people who want to cut them down—and they live side by side!" In this interview he also claimed that he visited Moscow but did not provide any evidence of his trip.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chrisdixonreports.com/margaritaville/oshkosh/folioentry7.html|title=Oshkosh|website=www.chrisdixonreports.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Reedstrom |first1=Karen |title=Vikto Belenko |url=http://www.fullcontext.info/people/belenko.htm |website=Full Context |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010055621/http://www.fullcontext.info/people/belenko.htm |archive-date=10 October 2017 |date=November 1996}}</ref>

Viktor Belenko died in a nursing home in the small town of [[Randolph County, Illinois|Red Bud, Illinois]] on September 24, 2023, at the age of 76.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Risen |first=Clay |date=2023-11-18 |title=Viktor Belenko, Who Defected to the West in a Jet Fighter, Dies at 76 |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/world/europe/viktor-belenko-dead.html |url-status=live |access-date=2023-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119004403/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/world/europe/viktor-belenko-dead.html |archive-date=2023-11-19 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> 
He is survived by two sons and four grandchildren. However, journalists learned about his death only at the end of November. One of his sons told the newspaper that his father had died after a short illness.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://eng.obozrevatel.com/section-society/news-soviet-defector-pilot-viktor-bilenko-who-hijacked-a-mig-25-dies-in-the-united-states-what-is-known-and-what-secrets-he-revealed-to-the-west-21-11-2023.html |title=Soviet defector pilot Viktor Bilenko, who hijacked a MiG-25, dies in the United States: what is known and what secrets he revealed to the West}}</ref> There was no memorial service.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/viktor-belenko-obituary?id=53291095 |title=Viktor Belenko Obituary|website=[[Legacy.com]] }}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Biography}}
* [[Aleksandr Zuyev (pilot)]]
* [[List of Cold War pilot defections]]
* [[List of Soviet and Eastern Bloc defectors]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Further reading ==
*''MiG Pilot: the Final Escape of Lt. Belenko'', by [[John Barron (American journalist)|John Barron]], 1980, {{ISBN|0-380-53868-7}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Viktor Belenko}}
*{{cite web|url=http://fullcontext.org/people/belenko.htm |title=1996 interview with Belenko |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010111004300/http://fullcontext.org/people/belenko.htm |archive-date=11 January 2001}}
*{{in lang|ru}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20110823154918/http://old.vko.ru/print.asp?pr_sign=archive.2005.24.05 Article 'Mission "Foxbat': Almost 30 years ago Senior Lieutenant Belenko hijacked the Mig-25 fighter from the Sokolovka air base to Japan."] ({{Google translation|en|ru|3=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823154918/http://old.vko.ru/print.asp?pr_sign=archive.2005.24.05%7D%7D}})
*[http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1083518 Article on Belenko at Everything2]
*[http://www.chrisdixonreports.com/margaritaville/oshkosh/folioentry7.html Chris Dixon. A Reporter's Online Notebook: Victor Belenko.]
*[https://digital.library.ucla.edu/catalog/ark:/21198/zz0002r1vf Image of Viktor Ivanovich Belenko, Soviet defector, being led by a decoy at Los Angeles International Airport, California, 1976.] [[Los Angeles Times]] Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, [[Charles E. Young Research Library]], [[University of California, Los Angeles]].

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belenko, Viktor}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:Primorsky Krai]]
[[Category:American aerospace engineers]]
[[Category:Soviet Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Soviet defectors to the United States]]
[[Category:Japan–Soviet Union relations]]
[[Category:Soviet expatriates in the United States]]
[[Category:Soviet Air Defence Force officers]]
[[Category:People from Nalchik]]