I don’t seem able to access the original site mentioned but from the
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of…lot_defections list.

The Angolan MiG-21MF mentioned, did not defect. It was a navigational error.

Mpacha, I see you’ve already amended the wiki article.

I remember that event very well, their were photos taken not long after the event with the pilot still standing beside the plane looking a bit embarrassed for himself. His navigation skills may not have been up to scratch, but he showed great skill landing he MiG in one piece right onto the unprepared bush landscape – great display of the MiG-21’s rough-field landing ability.

Also, you say the plane is in a museum now, but was this plane not delivered to Israel and used as a testbed and demonstator for the MiG-21 Lancer – an upgraded MiG with Israeli avionics and equipment, did the Israelis send it back to South Africa when they were done with it?:confused:

Links don’t seem to be working anymore.

What ever happened to the aircraft and the pilot of the MiG-25 defection to Japan? Is there any reliable source to account for what happened afterwards?

Here’s a comprehensive list of pilot defections from Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Cold_War_pilot_defections

I would say that almost 90% of defections were flown in MiGs, the MiG-31 being the only MiG type that has never seen a defection. Other interesting defector aircraft are the Cuban Cessna 402 and the Iranian F-14.

Speaking of museums..
Does the F3 have any combat or deployment history to make it attractive to museums…(other than those that will take any airplane)?

The YF-23s are in museums. What combat and deployment history do they have?

Still, trimmed as it is, the system makes Moscow the world’s most protected city.

On the other hand, Moscow and its environs are not the only target sought by Russia’s potential opponents. To intercept missiles in other areas, outside the A-135 umbrella, S-300 and latest S-400 mobile surface-to-air missile systems can be used.

In the S-300 family, there is a special S-300V series, designed to engage short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. In addition, S-300P systems, optimized to deal with aerodynamic targets, can also be used to intercept ballistic missiles, but with less effect.

The S-400 system, which began to be deployed in 2007, combines the advantages of both families, while the long-range 40N6E missile, some sources claim, is capable of bringing down warheads of intercontinental ballistic missiles, if necessary.

Currently, Russia’s combined Air and Air Defense Forces have two battalions of S-400 surface-to-air systems, very much superior to the promising U.S. THAAD system, which is expected to be deployed this year. The rates of S-400 deployment are expected to quicken in the next few years. By 2015, the Air Defense Force must get 23 S-400 battalions, while in the longer term all existing air defense regiments, equipped with S-300 systems, will be refitted to S-400s.

That’s quite a lot of ABM assets that the Russian Federation has procured and will procur (let’s not forget S-500).

It’s a wonder that no one in NATO has kicked up a fuss about this obvious upset in the “Balance of Power”, in the same way that the Russian government is constantly complaining about the BMD system planned for Poland and the Czech Republic. The RF is continuing to add new ABM missiles which are capable of defeating a NATO nuclear strike… in the same way that NATO’s BMD isn’t able to do against a Russian nuclear strike.

I can see a “Dvoinoi Standart” somewhere…:rolleyes:

Serioulsy the “escorting” idea, is way too ridicoulus, is funny to see how many people have been hooked with that idea

The Ka-50/mi-28 were not designed to “escort” any other helo, neither the Mi24’s were out there to “scort” Mi-8’s, some attack/deployement operations were done by lone mi-8s or lone mi-24s some operations were mixed ,that “task” just came out when the US Army did not know what to do with their Apaches, from there comes the “escorting” thingy that is now all arround

Helos are not fighters, there is not “interceptor-helos” out there, and although manouverability is good to have, the hind agility is the same as the apache one, that is all you really need, but of course the hind still needs elctronic thingys to be on par with many modern machines, and yes, mechanical improvements, probably the use of composites and a rotor tail similar as the 28

The things are different there, air force fans will state some arguments, army operatives will say other arguments…

The ideal system would be an armored Ka-28 (not really, but the same concept, or more/less), but still i find more useful the 24 than the 28/50

The main advantage of an helo, is it mulirole capability, planes destroy tanks better than helos, and they can even be cheaper for such task, to remove the transporting factor is to kill the definitive advantage an helo has

Dedicated helos, is probably one of the most dumbest concept ever

BTW, the mi-24 is not a replacement for the Mi-8, but then , i would laught to the guy with the “single mission” mind , not allowing to fit machine guns or rockets on a Mi-8…

Wasn’t the first dedicated heli gunship, the AH-1 HueyCobra, originally designed to escort troop carrying Hueys into the LZ?

And why should a Mi-8 need to carry rocket pods to fly into a combat zone, Chinooks, Pumas and Blackhawks don’t need to. In fact, how often did Soviet and Russian Mi-8s carry Rocket pods in Afghanistan and Chechnya?:confused:

Agreed, Apache like choppers are nice for mowing down tank columns, but those days are gone, here is the days of COIN, and gunship + 8 spetsnaz fit better in that role.

Got to agree here. Seems the M24 offers the best possible balance for COIN which appears to be the future for warfare but , I may be taking rubbish here, did the Russian use 2 Ka 50s ( then called V80)in the mountains of checjeya for COIN operations due to there superior hover and ceiling. I can see an ideal role for both types working together.

I have to disagree. In the Soviet Afghan war the Mi-24 was very rarely if ever used as a troop transporter for carrying assault troops into combat zones, this was usually the job of the Mi-8. The HINDs were usually there for providing fire support. I don’t know about the wars in Chechnya but I presume it’s the same story.

Tu-154…

It has a certain low slung sportscar look to it at some angles.:)

http://www.diecastaircraftforum.com/other-scales-antique-models/64574-pacmin-1-100-tu-154-crownvic-style.html