View source for List of Cold War pilot defections

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During the [[Cold War]], a number of pilots from various nations ([[Eastern Bloc]], [[Western Bloc]], and [[Non-Aligned Movement|non-aligned]]) [[Defection|defected]] with their aircraft to other countries.

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==Afghanistan==
* On November 24, 1960, [[Royal Afghan Air Force]] pilot Abdus Samad Fazli defected by flying his [[Piper Cub]] across the border to Pakistan.<ref name="afghan">{{cite web|url=http://www.skywar.ru/afwadef.html|title=Afghan war defections - Авиация в локальных конфликтах - www.skywar.ru}}</ref>
* On February 26, 1981, Afghan Air Force pilot Captain Jamal ud Din defected with his crew to Pakistan on board a [[Mil Mi-8|Mil Mi-8T]] helicopter numbered 285, during post-maintenance flight test from [[Kandahar Air Base]].<ref name="afghan"/>
* On November 20, 1983, Captain Mohammed Nabi Korinzay defected to Pakistan with his [[Sukhoi Su-7|Sukhoi Su-7BM]] fighter-bomber. The aircraft broke up during a crash landing on the runway at [[Dalbandin]].<ref name="afghan"/>
* On September 22, 1984, Colonel Haji Fakir, flying an [[An-26]] defected from Afghanistan to [[Miranshah]] Air Base, Pakistan.<ref name="afghan"/>
* On June 28, 1985, the crews of two [[Mi-24]] Hind-Ds defected from Afghanistan to Pakistan. The helicopters were later transferred to the United States for evaluation, they were later returned and one of them is now at display in Khalid Aviation Base Quetta (Pakistan).<ref name="afghan"/>
* On  December 8, 1988, Captain Asadullah flying a [[MiG-21]] defected from Afghanistan to [[Miranshah]] Air Base, Pakistan.<ref name="afghan"/>
* On July 3, 1989, Captain Mohammed Hamid flying a [[Mi-25]] defected from Afghanistan to Kica Air Base, Pakistan.<ref name="afghan"/>
* On July 6, 1989, Afghan Air Force Captain Jan Pahrand defected to Pakistan with his [[Sukhoi Su-22|Sukhoi Su-22M-4K]] fighter-bomber.<ref name="afghan"/>

==Algeria==
*An Algerian helicopter pilot, captain Alili Messaoud, flew his Mi-8 from Blida Air Force Base, southwest of Algeria, first to Formentera island and then to Ibiza, Spain, on June 17, 1998, getting away from the Algerian civil war (1992-2002). The helicopter was subsequently returned to Algeria while the pilot asked for political asylum that was not granted because of Algerian pressures, however he was granted a resident visa each year continuing to the present.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elmundo.es/baleares/2015/06/24/55796b7522601de43d8b45b5.html|title=El teniente argelino que robó un helicóptero e 'invadió' Formentera|date=24 June 2015|work=ELMUNDO}}</ref>

==China==
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A number of defections occurred from the [[People's Republic of China]], with most of its pilots defecting to the [[Republic of China]] ([[Taiwan]]). These include:

*On January 12, 1960, the first [[People's Liberation Army|PLA]] defection occurred. Yang Decai, a [[People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force|PLANAF]] pilot from the [[4th Fighter Division (People's Republic of China)|4th Fighter Division]] flew a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]] with serial number 6501 from [[Taizhou Luqiao Airport|Luqiao air base]] to [[Yilan County, Taiwan]]. However, Yang was killed when his aircraft crashed on landing.
*On September 15, 1961, [[People's Liberation Army Air Force|PLAAF]] pilots Shao Xiyan and Gao Youzong  flew an [[Antonov An-2]] from Ji'ao county, [[Shandong]] to [[Jeju Province|Jeju-do]] and reached Taiwan on October 7, 1961. Both pilots were personally interviewed by [[Chiang Kai-shek]] and rewarded 500 [[tael]]s (approximately 25 [[kg]]) of [[gold]]. Both pilots served in the [[Republic of China Air Force]] and retired with ranks of colonel, and Shao eventually emigrated to the United States.
*On March 3, 1962, Liu Chengsi, a PLANAF pilot of the 8th [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]] of the 3rd [[Wing (air force unit)|wing]] of the 16th regiment flew a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15]] from Luqiao air base in [[Zhejiang]] to [[Taoyuan City|Taoyuan County, Taiwan]] (now Taoyuan City). Liu was rewarded 1,000 taels (approximately 50&nbsp;kg) of gold, and the position of deputy director of a Republic of China Air Force [[radio station]]. He was honorably discharged with a rank of colonel.
[[File:EX-PRCAF IL-28 0195 in Military Airplanes Display Area 20111015.jpg|thumb|Li Xianbin's Il-28 on display at the [[Republic of China Air Force Museum]] in 2011]]
*On November 11, 1965, Li Xianbin, a PLAAF [[Captain (land and air)|captain]] of [[Ilyushin Il-28]] of the 8th [[Division (military)|division]] flew his [[bomber]] numbered 0195 from Jianqiao air base in [[Hangzhou]] to [[Taoyuan City|Taoyuan County, Taiwan]] (now Taoyuan City); this was the first fully operational Il-28 in western hands. The radio operator / tail gunner Lian Baosheng was found dead at the scene and the navigator Li Caiwang was captured alive after a [[suicide attempt]]. Both survivors were honored and rewarded positions in the Republic of China Air Force. Li Xianbin was rewarded 2,000 taels (approximately 100&nbsp;kg) of gold, while Li Caiwang was rewarded 1,000 taels (approximately 50&nbsp;kg) of gold. Since Lian Baosheng was dead, his reward of 1,000 taels (approximately 50&nbsp;kg) of gold was divided evenly among Li Xianbin and Li Caiwang.
**Li Xianbin made headlines in Taiwan years later when he demanded all of the rewards because of what he claimed was his unfair treatment by Taiwan. Li Xianbin claimed that he was the sole defector, and the other two were actually captured due to his defection, a fact that was later agreed by both Taiwan and the navigator Li Caiwang himself. Li Xianbin claimed that for the purpose of political propaganda, all the crew were honored as defectors, which was far from the truth, but he was not successful in getting all of the gold reward. After he was honorably discharged as colonel from the Republic of China Air Force, Li Xianbin obtained [[Permanent resident (Canada)|Canadian residency]]. He made headlines again in 1992 when he returned to China via Canada after he learned that his mother was about to die. After his return to [[Qingdao]] in October 1992, he was eventually arrested by the local Public Security Bureau when he was on his way to the airport for his return trip to Canada. Li Xianbin was first sentenced to 15 years but this was later reduced to 10, and the sentence was further reduced drastically because it was discovered that he had [[stomach cancer]] that was in its terminal stage. He was released early and died shortly after his release.  Many elements of the [[Chinese democracy movement]] first accused the Chinese government of inhumanity for not allowing Li Xianbin to go back to China to visit his dying mother, and then accused the Chinese government of trying to repatriate him to either Taiwan or Canada because the regime did not want to foot the bill for his treatment, since he did not have his assets transferred to China.  
**Li Caiwang, the navigator of the [[Ilyushin Il-28|Il-28]], was seriously wounded by Li Xianbin during the latter's defection and was forced to accept his fate after he survived his suicide attempt. During his stay in the hospital for the gunshot he received in the shoulder, the nurse who took care of him fell in love with him and told him that she was also responsible to perform surveillance on him, under the order of the [[Republic of China]] government. The two eventually married and moved into the nurse's home, but were still under constant surveillance:  a [[major general]] of the Republic of China military had a son who was going to a school near the couple's home, so he rented a room at their residence for years to keep Li Caiwang under surveillance. Although the major general and his son finally moved out, Li Caiwang had no intention of staying in Taiwan, and since the wife's sister was married to an American, Li Caiwang and his wife immigrated to the United States in 1972 after his honorable discharge from the Republic of China Air Force as a colonel. The couple became naturalized citizens of the United States in 1979. In 1982, Chinese diplomats contacted Li Caiwang in the United States and got his side of the story, and after a prolonged investigation, the Chinese government rehabilitated him in 1984. After several visits to China in the 1990s, Li Caiwang eventually resettled in China in 1998.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}}
*On July 7, 1977, Fan Yuanye, a PLAAF pilot flew his [[Shenyang J-6]] numbered 3171 from [[Jinjiang, Fujian|Jinjiang]] to an air base in [[Tainan City|Tainan]], and was rewarded a rank of [[lieutenant colonel]] in the Republic of China Air Force. After his honorable discharge from the Republic of China Air Force, Fan joined an investment firm with his money and obtained [[United States Permanent Resident Card|American green card]], but he stayed primarily in Taiwan to handle his investments.
*On April 15, 1979, Yan Wenchang, a distinguished PLAAF pilot who earned numerous awards for his excellent performance in support of the [[Sino-Vietnamese War]], was extremely bitter after learning that the promotion for the deputy [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]] [[commissar]] was given to somebody else instead of him. Yan felt he was the better candidate and should get the promotion and he was under appreciated, and as a result, he decided to defect to [[Vietnam]] after learning that the opportunity would be gone because his unit would soon be redeployed to [[Hunan]], and the only thing he left was a note to his wife that read:''I'll be gone, good-bye forever!'''. However, Vietnam did not react at all to his attempts for contacts after his [[Shenyang J-6]] entered Vietnam from [[Guangxi]], and as result, Yan was killed after directly crashing into a 1,000 metre high mountains cliff approximately 80&nbsp;km south of [[Haiphong]]. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Vietnam the next day that the incident was a navigational error and asked for the return of the remains of the pilot and the jet, but Vietnam refused, and instead, asked Soviet investigators to inspect the wreckage. [[KGB]] aviation experts discovered that the avionics of Yan's J-6 was extremely rudimentary even by Soviet standard, and was indeed lacking any effective navigational avionics. Furthermore, the communication on the J-6 was not encrypted, and it could be intercepted by advanced civilian radios on the market. Since Yan was a regular pilot that patrolled the airspace within the 10 [[km]] of the Sino-Vietnamese border (sometimes as frequent as 4 times a day), his defection was not detected until his crash.
*On August 7, 1983, Sun Tianqin, a former PLANAF pilot who had just transferred to PLAAF several months ago to become a [[test pilot]], flew a [[Chengdu J-7|J-7II]] numbered 045 from [[Dalian]] to [[Seoul Air Base]] in South Korea. Sun was rewarded a rank of colonel in the Republic of China Air Force and 7,000 taels (approximately 350&nbsp;kg) of gold, the highest ever recorded. In  January 1985, Sun married Li Tianhui, a Chinese musician who also defected to Taiwan, and the pair eventually immigrated to Canada after Sun's honorable discharge from the Republic of China Air Force.
*On November 14, 1983, Wang Xuecheng, a 25-year-old PLANAF [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]] commander of the 2nd [[Wing (air force unit)|wing]] of the 18th regiment of the 6th [[Division (military)|division]] flew a [[Shenyang J-5]] numbered 83065 from Daishan, [[Zhejiang]] to Taiwan, and under the escort of two [[Northrop F-5#Tiger II|F-5E]]'s, successfully landed at [[Chiang Kai-shek International Airport]]. Wang was rewarded a rank of major in Republic of China Air Force and 3,000 taels (approximately 150&nbsp;kg) of gold. After a divorce, Wang married a local Taiwanese woman and fathered two daughters and a son. Wang still talks to his family members in [[Henan]] via telephone, and refuses to immigrate abroad like most other Chinese defectors did.
*On August 25, 1985, a PLAAF deputy [[Wing (air force unit)|wing]] commander Xiao Tianrun, flew an [[Ilyushin Il-28]] from Ji'ao county, [[Shandong]] to Iri (now [[Iksan]]), and during emergency landing in the field, the navigator Sun Wuchun was killed, along with a South Korean citizen on the ground. The radio operator / tail gunner Liu Shuyi refused to defect and [[South Korea]] returned him to China along with the ashes of Sun Wuchun. On September 20, 1985, Xiao reached Taiwan and was awarded 3,000 taels (approximately 150&nbsp;kg) of gold and a rank of [[colonel]] in the Republic of China Air Force. Xiao Tianrun left two copies of his declaration against communism in China and requested one of the copies to be sent to [[Deng Xiaoping]]. Xiao was personally interviewed by [[Chiang Ching-kuo]] and appeared on the Republic of China national day celebration parade in October of the same year.  Xiao later married Taiwanese TV reporter Chang Te-fung, who helped Xiao greatly in his investment in Taiwanese stock market, but the pair were eventually divorced.
*On February 21, 1986, Chen Baozhong, 26, a [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]] commander of the 3rd wing of the PLAAF 4th aerial reconnaissance regiment flew a reconnaissance version of [[Shenyang J-6]] numbered 3283 from [[Shenyang]] airport to [[Suwon Air Base]], South Korea, abandoning a training exercise.<ref>Associated Press, "''Chinese Pilot Defects''", Playground Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, Florida, Saturday 22 February 1986, Volume 40, Number 16, page 1E.</ref>  Chen reached Taiwan on April 30, 1986, and was awarded 5,000 taels (approximately 250&nbsp;kg) of gold. Little is known about Chen after his honorable discharge from the Republic of China Air Force.
*On October 24, 1986, PLAAF pilot Zheng Caitian flew his [[Shenyang J-6]] from [[Yantai]] to Seoul Air Base and when he reached Taiwan, he was awarded 5,000 taels (approximately 250&nbsp;kg) of gold. Among the Chinese defecting pilots, Zheng has had the harshest life of all, because he invested in an electronic factory that went bankrupt, and lost all of his money in his subsequent investments.
*On November 19, 1987, Liu Zhiyuan, a [[Squadron (aviation)|squadron]] commander of PLAAF 49th [[Division (military)|division]] flew his [[Shenyang J-6]] numbered 40208 from Longxi airport, [[Zhangzhou]] to [[Ching Chuan Kang Air Base]] in [[Taichung]], [[Taiwan]] and was awarded 5,000 taels (approximately 250&nbsp;kg) of gold. Liu invested heavily in the Taiwanese stock market and his assets (not including the gold rewarded to him) were once more than 10 million [[New Taiwan dollar]]s (approximately 400,000 United States dollars).
*On September 6, 1989, Jiang Wenhao, a 23-year-old PLAAF lieutenant of the 2nd [[Wing (air force unit)|wing]] of the 145th regiment of the 49th [[Division (military)|division]] flew a [[Shenyang J-6]] numbered 40307 from Longxi airport, [[Zhangzhou]], [[Fujian]] to [[Kinmen]] [[Shang Yi Airport]]. Jiang was interviewed by the then chief-of-general-staff of Taiwanese armed forces, [[Hau Pei-tsun]] and awarded a rank of lieutenant in the Republic of China Air Force.  Jiang's financial reward, however, was reduced to 2,000 taels (approximately 100&nbsp;kg) of gold from the original 5,000 taels (approximately 250&nbsp;kg), because due to the reduction of tensions with China during the 1980s, Taiwan had greatly reduced the amount on September 15, 1988, in response to similar Chinese action four days earlier. (China had completely abolished any financial rewards to any Taiwanese defectors). Jiang was soon honorably discharged from the Republic of China Air Force after being promoted to captain. Jiang became a famed underwater photographer and won several awards, and he also worked as a diving instructor.
*On August 25, 1990, Wang Baoyu, a squadron commander of the 62 Air Regiment of the 21st PLAAF Air Division, defected to former USSR by flying his [[Shenyang J-6]] to [[Vladivostok]] after taking off from Jiaohe military airport in [[Mudanjiang]] (not to be confused by the city of [[Jiaohe, Jilin|Jiaohe]] and the civilian [[Mudanjiang Airport]] at [[Mudangjiang]]). A week later, he was turned over to China along with the aircraft (according to the Soviet eyewitness of the extradition procedure, Wang was severely beaten by Chinese escort detail officers as soon as they got him from the Soviets,) and Wang Baoyu was subsequently sentenced to death, although his sentence was commuted to life in prison. The [[Chinese democracy movement]] condemned the Soviet act of returning the pilot back to China. Several high-ranking Soviet Air Defense commanders lost their jobs as a result of this defection, because Wang Baoyu was not detected until he had landed.

Note: Rewards paid in taels have been converted to mass at a rate of {{convert|50|g|ozt}} per "new market tael".

==Cuba==
*On 4 September 1962, a Cuban pilot-instructor Jose Diaz Vasquez defected with a [[Zlin 326]] Master-Trainer and landed at [[Key West]], US. His trainee, Edel Ramirez Santos asked to return home.<ref name="skywar.ru">{{cite web|url=http://www.skywar.ru/Cubaincident.html|title=Куба - Авиация в локальных конфликтах - www.skywar.ru}}</ref>
*On March 20, 1964, a [[Mil Mi-4]] was hijacked by crew members Guillermo Santos and Andres Izaguirre who shot dead the commander of the helicopter, Jose Garcia, and changed the course of the flight in the direction of [[Naval Air Station Key West]], where they ultimately landed.<ref name="skywar.ru"/>
*On 5 October 1969, a Cuban pilot, Lieut. Eduardo Guerra Jimenez defected with his [[MiG-17]] to [[Homestead Air Force Base]] of [[Miami]]. The plane was returned to the Cubans. Separately on June 12, 1979, ten years later, the same pilot hijacked [[Delta Air Lines Flight 1061]] back to Havana.<ref name="nytimes1987">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/29/world/a-ranking-cuban-defects-to-the-us.html|title=A RANKING CUBAN DEFECTS TO THE U.S.|date=29 May 1987|work=The New York Times}}</ref>
*On May 28, 1987, Cuban [[Brigadier General]] [[Rafael del Pino (Cuban)|Rafael Del Pino Díaz]] defected to the United States in a [[Cessna 402]] airplane of [[Aerocaribbean]], with his third wife, his daughter, and his son Ramsés, an ex-[[MiG-23]] pilot. Del Pino Díaz remains the highest-ranking Cuban defector.<ref name="nytimes1987"/>
*On March 20, 1991, Cuban [[Major (rank)|Major]] Orestes Lorenzo Pérez defected in his [[MiG-23]]BN to [[Naval Air Station Key West]], [[Florida]] on a training mission of the [[Cuban Air Force]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=CUxTAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YYQDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2750,2855403&dq=cuban+pilot+defects&hl=en|title=The Deseret News - Google News Archive Search}}</ref> The plane was returned to the Cuban Air Force. On December 19, 1992, he returned to Cuba in a small, twin-engined 1961 [[Cessna 310]], landing on the coastal highway of El Mamey beach in [[Varadero]], [[Matanzas Province]], 93 miles (149.6&nbsp;km.), from [[Havana]] at the agreed time. His wife María Victoria (34), and their two sons Reyneil (11), and Alejandro (6), were already waiting on his order delivered through two Mexican women as messengers a few days before. Orestes Lorenzo Pérez picked up his family and managed a successful safe return to [[Marathon, Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/21/us/cuban-pilot-who-defected-flies-back-for-family.html|title=Cuban Pilot Who Defected Flies Back for Family|last=Dillon|first=Sam|date=December 21, 1992|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=2017-01-26|location=New York|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126114334/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/21/us/cuban-pilot-who-defected-flies-back-for-family.html|archive-date=2017-01-26}}</ref>
[[File:Cessna310JC-FRYZ.jpg|thumb|A [[Cessna 310]] similar to the one used by Major Orestes Lorenzo to rescue his family in Cuba in 1992.]]
*On September 17, 1993, Cuban Captain Enio Ravelo Rodriguez, defected in his [[MiG-21]] to [[Naval Air Station Key West]], [[Florida]].
*On September 23, 1993, Capt. Leonidas Basulto Serrano defected with his MiG-23 fighter to the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/1993/09/24/2nd-cuban-pilot-in-6-days-defects/ | title=2nd Cuban Pilot in 6 Days Defects | date=24 September 1993 }}</ref>

==Czechoslovakia==
* In 1953, [[Mira Slovak]], a pilot for [[Czech Airlines|Czechoslovak Airlines]], was flying a regularly scheduled flight from [[Prague]] to [[Brno]]. While en route, he overpowered the co-pilot, locked the cockpit door and dove the plane to below 1,000 feet. He flew the plane to [[Frankfurt]], where he requested and received asylum. He later went to the United States, where he flew various aircraft, raced boats, and was a pilot for [[Continental Airlines]].
* In 1971, [[stunt pilot]] [[Ladislav Bezák]] {{ndash}} a winner of the [[FAI World Aerobatic Championships]] in 1960 {{ndash}} defected by flying to West Germany. He brought his wife and four sons along in a [[Zlin 226]] that took off in Prague and landed in Nuremberg, where all six were awarded political asylum by West Germany.<ref>[https://archive.today/20130216050521/http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1948&dat=19711222&id=AMlJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Lh0NAAAAIBAJ&pg=2702,1638964 Czech Defector Gains Asylum.] Associated Press. ''[[The Modesto Bee]]'' 22 December 1971: A-8. <br /> [http://www.tigerclub.co.uk/redhill.html Red Hill Air Displays.] The Tiger Club.</ref>

==Dominican Republic==
*In April 1959, Captain Juan de Dios Ventura Simó defected from the [[Dominican Air Force]] in a [[de Havilland Vampire]] jet. He first flew to [[Puerto Rico]] in order to ask for political asylum in the United States, but soon left the country to join a group of Dominican exiles in [[Venezuela]]. In June 1959, they organized a Cuban-backed guerrilla campaign against Trujillo in the [[Dominican Republic]], but were quickly overwhelmed by Trujillo's superior military force. Ventura Simó, one of the few survivors, was captured and tortured by Trujillo's men, who organized a disinformation campaign against the opposition by claiming that Ventura Simó was not a real defector but a government spy who had led the rebels to their ruin. Once Ventura Simó was no longer useful, he was killed in prison and put on a plane which crashed at sea in order to frame the death as an aviation accident.<ref>Peguero, Valentina (2004). [https://books.google.com/books?id=-xqMRwzuVLMC ''The Militarization of Culture in the Dominican Republic, From the Captains General to General Trujillo''.] Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. {{ISBN|0-8032-3741-3}}. pp. 180-181.</ref>

==Egypt==
*On January 19, 1964, [[Egyptian Air Force]] pilot Mahmud Abbas Hilmi defected from el-Arish Air Base to [[Hatzor Airbase|Hatzor Air Base]] in Israel in his [[Yakovlev Yak-11]] trainer.

==Ethiopia==
* In 1976, two Ethiopian pilots defected to [[Sudan]] by flying their [[Northrop F-5]]A fighters to [[Kassala]]; the jets were returned to Ethiopia.
* In 1977, [[Ethiopian Air Force]] pilot Major Afeworki Mekonnen defected to [[Somalia]] with his [[English Electric Canberra]] bomber. The incident took place during the [[Ogaden War]]. 
* Throughout the 1980s and early 90s (up to 1991), several Ethiopian pilots defected with their planes to Sudan and Yemen.
* On 26 May 1991, the pilots of seven [[Mil Mi-8|Mi-8]]s, an [[Aero L-39 Albatros|L-39]], two [[An-12]]s, three [[MiG-23]]s, three [[Mi-24]]s and three [[Mi-35]]s defected from Ethiopia to [[Djibouti]] after [[People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia#Failures and collapse|the fall of the Mengistu]] government. The aircraft were all returned to Ethiopia on August 8.

==East Germany==
*On March 7, 1969, [[Air Forces of the National People's Army|East German Air Force]] JG-1 pilot Hauptmann Gerhard Scharnetzki flew from [[Cottbus Air Base]] to [[Bornholm's Airport|Rønne Airport]] on Danish [[Bornholm]] Island in a [[Yak-18]]A trainer plane numbered 11.<ref>http://home.snafu.de/veith/Texte/Chronik-der-Luftstreitkraefte.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>
* [[File:1-MIG 17 -01A.jpg|thumb]]On May 26, 1967, [[Lieutenant]] Vasily Ilych Epatko flew his [[MiG-17]] (No. 25) from East Germany, where he was stationed, to West Germany and  [[Augsburg|made a successful belly-landing]] in a field near Kicklingen, Bavaria. It was almost immediately photographed by a Canadian CF-104 RECCE aircraft from 1Wing, Lahr, Germany. He was granted asylum by the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kLUzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=kTIHAAAAIBAJ&pg=7104,4904803&dq=american+defector&hl=en |title=Lodi News-Sentinel |website=Google News Archive Search}}</ref>

==West Germany==
*On April 1, 1971, [[German Air Force|West German Army Aviation]] cadet-pilot Corporal Hans-Dieter Reinkensmeier defected in a small [[Cessna 172]] to East Germany and asked for political asylum.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ddr-luftwaffe.blogspot.com/2008/12/was-ist-aus-hans-dieter-reinkensmeier.html|title=LSK / LV|date=30 December 2008}}</ref>

==Greece==
* On 11 September 1970 A [[Greek Air Force]] [[C-47]] crossed into Soviet airspace in the area of [[Sevastopol]] in order to defect. The pilot of a [[Su-15]] flew up alongside and rocked his wings, signaling "follow me". The C-47 complied and landed at [[Sevastopol International Airport|Bel'bek airbase]]. The Greek pilot, Captain Mikhalis Maniatakis, had stolen the aircraft from [[Chania]] airbase on [[Crete]] to flee from [[Greek military junta of 1967–1974|junta-controlled Greece]]. Maniatakis requested political asylum in the USSR.
* On 25 November 1973 A [[Greek Air Force]] Lieutenant-Colonel Dimitrios Zelios landed at [[Brindisi Airport]] in southwest Italy and asked for political asylum.

==Hungary==

* In August 1969 a [[Hungarian Air Force]] pilot, Maj. József Bíró defected with his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15|MiG-15]] from [[Taszár Air Base]], Hungary, to Udine, Italy.  The military tribunal stripped his rank, and sentenced to death in absentia for high treason. 
* On April 7. 1970 a Hungarian Air Force pilot, 1st Lt. Sándor Zoboki defected with his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15|MiG-15]] (serial number 907) from [[Taszár Air Base]], Hungary, to Udine, Italy.  In the same year the military tribunal stripped his rank, and sentenced to death in absentia for high treason.

==Israel==
* On 13 July 1990, at 4:30&nbsp;a.m., 33-year-old Captain Haggai Mori, set out from [[Sde Dov Airport]] without permission with a [[Dornier Do 28]] plane and attempted flight to Syria. According to Arab sources, the enemy plane was met by [[Syrian Air Force]] fighter planes and driven off from Syrian airspace. After this, Mori committed suicide. The wreckage of the missing plane was found on the western slopes of the [[Golan Heights]], near the Syrian border.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/99231763.html?dids=99231763:99231763&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+18%2C+1990&author=By+BEN+LYNFIELD%3B+Jerusalem+Post+Reporter&pub=Jerusalem+Post&desc=NO+COMMENT%27+ON+REPORTED+DEFECTION+OF+AIR+FORCE+PILOT&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131200029/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/jpost/access/99231763.html?dids=99231763:99231763&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Jul+18,+1990&author=By+BEN+LYNFIELD;+Jerusalem+Post+Reporter&pub=Jerusalem+Post&desc=NO+COMMENT'+ON+REPORTED+DEFECTION+OF+AIR+FORCE+PILOT&pqatl=google|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 31, 2013|title=NO COMMENT' ON REPORTED DEFECTION OF AIR FORCE PILOT}}</ref> According to Israeli sources, it was assumed to have been a suicide attempt alone and not a defection.<ref>{{cite news |last1=O'sullivan |first1=Arieh |title=IAF retires aged Dornier 'Agur' surveillance aircraft |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel/iaf-retires-aged-dornier-agur-surveillance-aircraft |access-date=13 August 2024 |work=[[Jerusalem Post]] |date=1 December 2005}}</ref>

==Iran==
*On 16 October 1982, Iranian defector Keyhan Jahanfakhr, a commercial airline pilot, asked for political asylum after landing his [[Iran Air]] [[Boeing 727]] for a stopover in [[Austria]].<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19821017&id=HttiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=3XgNAAAAIBAJ&pg=7013,4770890 Iranian Air Pilot Defects.] Associated Press. ''[[The Victoria Advocate]]'' 18 October 1982: 7A.</ref>
*On 10 July 1983, Iranian defector Captain Iraj Fazeli landed a US-made [[Northrop F-5|F-5E Tiger II]] jet at an airport in [[Van Province|Van]], one of Turkey's easternmost provinces bordering Iran. The aircraft belonged to TFB.2 at [[Tabriz]].
*In early 1984, Iranian defectors flew an F-5E to [[Saudi Arabia]] (the pilot returned to Iran several years later). In both of these cases, the jets were back in Iran a few weeks later.{{citation needed|date=July 2017}}
*On 30 August 1984, Iranian pilot Captain Rahman Nageeb defected in his [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F-4E Phantom II]] serial 3–6552 to Iraq, and his RIO became a [[POW]] who was later released with other prisoners.
*On 21 July 1985, Iranian pilot Mehdi Babaie and two airmen flew their US-made [[Boeing CH-47 Chinook]] helicopter serial 5–4089 to Iraq.
*On 31 August 1986 an Iranian top-line [[Grumman F-14 Tomcat|F-14A Tomcat]] fighter armed with at least one [[AIM-54]]A landed in Iraq. An Iraqi military spokesman identified the pilot and [[weapon systems officer]] (WSO) as Major Ahmed Murad Talibi and Captain Hassan Nagafi Habibullah. Upon landing, the aircraft was surrounded by up to 20 US technicians, who took care of it and the defecting pilot, while the WSO, who had opposed the defection became an Iraqi POW, was later released with other prisoners (the pilot was later killed in Europe). The F-14A along with the aforementioned F-4E were flown to Saudi Arabia by US pilots.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}
*On 2 September 1986, 2 Iranian F-4 Phantom and 1 F-14 Tomcat were hijacked to Iraq.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/country-by-country/iranian_f_4_phantom_losses.htm |title=Chronological Listing of Iranian Air Force McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II |access-date=2015-04-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710211447/http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/country-by-country/iranian_f_4_phantom_losses.htm |archive-date=2015-07-10 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1986-09-01-mn-12880-story.html|title = Archives|website = [[Los Angeles Times]]| date=September 1986 }}</ref>

==Iraq==
*On April 2, 1960, Iraqi pilot Lt. Abbud Salim Hasan flew his British-made [[Hawker Hunter]] to Syria, where he asked for political asylum, claiming to have escaped from Communist domination in the air force.
*On November 30, 1963, Iraqi airman [[Lieutenant]] Abdel Rahim al-Salim Zuher escaped to the [[USSR]] by flying through [[Iran]] and landing at an airfield in [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan SSR]]. He gave as reason for his defection an unwillingness to participate in the suppression of Kurdish rebels. The aircraft type in which he defected is not known but it may have been a [[de Havilland Vampire]]. The pilot was granted [[political asylum]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.skywar.ru/389.html|title=Инциденты "Холодной войны" - Авиация в локальных конфликтах - www.skywar.ru}}</ref>
*On 16 August 1966, [[Iraq]]i Captain [[Munir Redfa]] flew his [[MiG-21|MiG-21F-13]] to Israel as a result of [[Mossad]] [[Operation Diamond]]. Two years later, Israel gave his [[MiG-21|MiG-21F-13]] and two [[MiG-17]]F to the United States for evaluation under the code-name ''[[HAVE DOUGHNUT]]'' (for the [[MiG-21]]), and ''[[HAVE DRILL]]'' (for the [[MiG-17]]).
*Following Captain Munir Redfa's defection, there were at least two Iraqi pilots who defected to [[Jordan]] with their [[MiG-21|MiG-21F-13]] jets. Jordan granted them political asylum but returned the aircraft to Iraq.
*On the early morning of 2 December 1981, an Iraqi pilot of the 84th Sqn defected with his [[MiG-23]] to [[Vahdati Air Base]] in Iran. He managed to land safely, and subsequently proved to be a superb source of intelligence for the [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force|IRIAF]]. However, the plane was left in the open for several hours too long, and in the afternoon the [[Iraqi Air Force]] dispatched a strike against the Iranian base destroying the aircraft with unguided 68mm rockets from [[Su-20]] bombers.<ref>http://s188567700.online.de/CMS/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=183&Itemid=1 {{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
*During [[Operation Desert Storm]] in 1991, pilots of around 115 to 140 Iraqi military aircraft [[Gulf War air campaign#Some of Iraq.27s air force squadrons escape|defected to Iran]].<ref>Wings Over The Gulf, F-15 Eagle, The Discovery Channel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Fh8I470El0 (4:01)</ref> Iran confiscated all of the planes.

==Jordan==
* On 12 November 1962, A pilot introduced as the commander in chief of the [[Jordanian Air Force]] Lt.Col. Sahl Mohamed Hamza defected to the [[United Arab Republic]] in a [[De Havilland DH.114 Heron]] military transport plane.
* On 13 November 1962 Two [[Jordanian Air Force]] pilots defected to United Arab Republic with their [[Hawker Hunters]] (#804 & #810).

==Laos==
* On 16 March 1963, Lieutenant Chert Saibory defected flying his American-made [[T-28 Trojan]] to [[North Vietnam]].<ref>Toperczer, Istvan. MiG-17 and MiG-19 Units of the Vietnam War. London: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2001.</ref>
* On 10 March 1976, Sunthorn Mongkamsee of [[Laos]] landed his American-made [[Cessna L-19]] light observation aircraft in [[Thailand]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/03/11/archives/laotian-pilot-flees-to-thailand-2d-indochina-defection-in-2-days.html|title=Laotian Pilot Flees to Thailand - 2d Indochina Defection in 2 Days - Article - NYTimes.com|newspaper=The New York Times |date=11 March 1976}}</ref>
* On 24 August 1979, Laotian pilot Flight Lieutenant Chaisin Chinthenam flew his [[C-47 Dakota]] into north eastern Thailand and asked for asylum.

==Lebanon==
*On 30 December 1987, [[Druze in Lebanon|Druze]] Lt. Majed Karamah of the [[Lebanese Air Force]], flew the French-made Gazelle helicopter from a military base north of [[Beirut]] to the [[Chouf District|Shouf]] and handed it to the pro-Syrian Druze militia.

==Libya==
* Shortly before the [[Libyan–Egyptian War]] (1977), a Libyan cadet pilot defected in small single-engine [[Socata Rallye]] by flying to [[Egypt]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lD4aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SikEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4120,768629&dq=libyan+pilot+defection&hl=en|title=The Milwaukee Journal - Google News Archive Search|access-date=2015-06-16|archive-date=2016-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160509152314/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=lD4aAAAAIBAJ&sjid=SikEAAAAIBAJ&pg=4120,768629&dq=libyan+pilot+defection&hl=en|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* On 11 February 1981 A [[Libyan Air Force]] Captain pilot flying a [[MiG-23]] defected from Libya by flying to [[Crete]], [[Greece]]. The pilot claimed that the reason for his defection was the suspicion of his attempt to commandeer a Libyan C-130 carrying 19 Libyan army officers sentenced to death and fly them to Greece. The attempt failed, and sometime later, he became a suspect when Libyan military intelligence found out about his (failed) attempt. The pilot later graduated from Yugoslav Air Force Academy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kt8hAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6KAFAAAAIBAJ&pg=6017,1657026&dq=libyan+pilot+defection&hl=en|title=Reading Eagle - Google News Archive Search}}</ref> The aircraft was later returned to Libya on February 14.
* There were a number of defections to [[Egypt]] in 1987. First on March 2, a crew of five defected in a [[C-130]] with two of the officers asking for political asylum. Then on March 29, three officers defected on a [[CH-47 Chinook]], while finally on July 16 three more officers defected, this time in a [[Mil Mi-8]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=m2ELAAAAIBAJ&sjid=l1IDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3336,1651887&dq=libyan+pilot+defection&hl=en|title=Mohave Daily Miner - Google News Archive Search}}</ref>

==Mozambique==
* On 8 July 1981 Lieutenant Adriano Francisco Bomba flew a [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17]] from [[Maputo]] to over [[Kruger National Park]] in South Africa, after which he was intercepted and escorted to land at [[Air Force Base Hoedspruit]]. On landing he asked for political asylum. The aircraft was later returned to Maputo by road, after extensive examination, flight testing and an appearance at an air show.

==Netherlands==
* On March 7, 1964, a young aircraft engineer, Theo van Eijck, of the [[Netherlands Naval Aviation Service|Dutch Naval Air Arm MLD]] stole a two-engined [[Grumman S-2 Tracker]] [[maritime patrol aircraft]] at [[RAF Hal Far]] in [[Malta]] and flew to [[Libya]]. He was trying to defect to [[Egypt]], but did not have enough fuel to reach his destination in [[Alexandria]]. He made a perfect landing on a short airstrip near [[Benghazi]], after flying over [[Benina International Airport|Benina Airport]]. The pilot was then granted [[political asylum]] by the Libyan authorities, but a year later he agreed to return to the [[Netherlands]] and spent a year in prison. The aircraft was returned to the Dutch afterwards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.s2ftracker.com/|title=S2 Tracker News - For real time Tech-news}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07rqk70|title=BBC World Service - Outlook, I stole a plane to escape the military|website=BBC|date=22 October 2019 |language=en-GB|access-date=2020-02-14}}</ref>

==Nicaragua==
* On 12 June 1979, [[National Guard (Nicaragua)|Nicaraguan National Guard]] pilot Captain Armangal Lara Cruz defected with his armed [[Cessna O-2 Skymaster|Cessna O-2]] FAN-320 to [[Costa Rica]].<ref name="skywar">{{cite web|url=http://skywar.ru/sandinista.html|title=Nicaragua - Авиация в локальных конфликтах - www.skywar.ru}}</ref>
* On 23 December 1985, [[Nicaraguan Air Force|Sandinista Air Force]] pilot Sub. Lt. Salvador Blanco Lacayo defected to neighboring Honduras with [[Antonov An-2|An-2]] light transport plane.<ref name="skywar"/>
* On 8 December 1988, A Sandinista Air Force pilot Captain Edwin Estrada Leiva defected to Honduras in a Soviet-built [[Mil Mi-24|Mi-25]] attack helicopter.<ref name="skywar"/>

==North Korea==
{{main|North Korean defectors}}
*On April 28, 1950, 24-year-old Lieutenant Lee Kun Soon defected by flying his Soviet-made [[Ilyushin Il-10]] to [[Busan|Pusan]], South Korea.
*On September 21, 1953, 21-year-old [[No Kum-sok]], a senior [[lieutenant]] in the [[Korean People's Army Air and Anti-Air Force|Korean People's Air Force]], flew his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15|MiG-15]] to the [[South Korea|South]] and is associated with [[Operation Moolah]]. Considered an intelligence bonanza as this fighter plane was then the best the Communist bloc had, No was awarded the then immense sum of $100,000 (just under $1 million adjusted for inflation (2020)) and the right to reside in the United States. An offer to return the MiG was ignored, and the aircraft is now on display at the [[National Museum of the United States Air Force]], [[Dayton, Ohio]].
*On June 21, 1955, North Korean air force pilots Capt. Lee Un-yong and Lt. Lee Eun-song defected to [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]], with a [[Yak-18]] training plane.
*In December 1970, Major Pak Sun-kok, a pilot in the North Korean Air Force, is believed to have defected in [[Gangwon Province, South Korea]] with a MiG-15. He is thought to have become a pilot with the [[Republic of Korea Air Force]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dmzwar.com/northkoreanmigonthebeach.html |title=MIG on the Beach, 1970: U.S. Chopper Crew Responds |access-date=31 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925143141/http://www.dmzwar.com/northkoreanmigonthebeach.html |archive-date=25 September 2013 |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all }}</ref>
*On February 25, 1983, Captain Lee Ung-pyong (28) of the North Korean Air Force used a training exercise to defect and landed his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-19|MiG-19]] at an airfield in [[Seoul]]. According to then-common practice, he received a commission in the South Korean Air Force, eventually becoming a colonel and taught at the South Korean Air Force academy until his death in 2002. He received a reward of [[South Korean won|₩]]1.2 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&s_site=miami&p_multi=MH&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB35B888C02E313&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|title=Miami Herald: Search Results}}</ref>

==Pakistan==
* On August 20, 1971, during the [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|Indo-Pakistan of War 1971]], [[Flight Lieutenant]] [[Matiur Rahman (military pilot)|Matiur Rahman]], an instructor pilot, attempted to defect from the [[Pakistan Air Force]] (PAF) and join the separatist fight of [[Bangladesh]], by flying a [[Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star]] trainer aircraft with a copy of the [[Pakistan Armed Forces|Pakistani Armed Forces]] Operational plan for the Southern theater (which he possibly stole from Air Base Headquarters) from [[Karachi]], [[Pakistan]] to [[India]]. His attempt was foiled by trainee [[Pilot Officer]] [[Rashid Minhas]].

==Poland==
*In 1949, Lt. Arkadiusz Korobczyński defected with [[Il-2]]M3 attack aircraft (No 3) from [[Polish Navy]]'s air base in [[Wicko Morskie]] to [[Gotland]] Island in Sweden.
*On March 5, 1953, [[Poland|Polish]] Lt. [[Franciszek Jarecki]] flew from [[Słupsk]] (Polish Air Force Base) to [[Bornholm's Airport|Rønne Airport]] on [[Bornholm]] Island in a [[MiG-15]]bis (No 346) - a modern [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] fighter. Western air specialists checked the aircraft and several days later, the MiG returned to the [[People's Republic of Poland]] by ship. Jarecki, however, went to the United States, where he provided much important information about modern Soviet aircraft and air tactics.
*On May 20, 1953, Lt. Zdzisław Jaźwiński from 28th Fighter Squadron in Słupsk defected with [[MiG-15]]bis to Rønne Airport on Bornholm Island, Denmark.
*On September 25, 1956, Lt. Zygmunt Gościniak from [[Zegrze Pomorskie]] defected with [[MiG-15]]bis (No 1327) and landed (without using landing gear) at Rønne Airport on Bornholm Island.
*On November 7, 1957, Lt. Kożuchowski from 31st Fighter Squadron in [[Łask]] defected with [[Lim-2]] ([[MiG-15]]bis, No 1919) and crash-landed near [[Halland]] in Sweden.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.aef.se/Kuriosa/Statshemligt/Statshemligt.htm|title = Militära statshemligheter}}</ref>
*On October 12, 1959, Capt. Andrzej Krajewski, Polish Air Force pilot [Lublin/Radom] defected from Grudziadz Aeroclub in a bi-plane with his pregnant wife and three-year-old daughter and landed on a military field near Rønne, Bornholm Island.

==Portugal==
* On 12 March 1963 1st Lieutenant Jacinto Soares Veloso defected from the [[Portuguese Air Force]] by flying his T-6 trainer across the [[Portuguese Mozambique|Mozambique]]-[[Tanganyika (1961–1964)|Tanganyika]] border to [[Dar es Salaam]], where he joined the [[Mozambique Liberation Front]].<ref>[http://www.randomstruik.co.za/about-the-author.php?authorID=5826 About Jacinto Veloso.] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120503231200/http://randomstruik.co.za/about-the-author.php?authorID=5826 |date=2012-05-03 }} Random House Struik.</ref>

==Rhodesia==
* In 1977, Jurick Goldwasser, a former mayor of [[Bulawayo]] and distant cousin of [[United States|American]] [[presidential candidate]] and [[United States Senator|senator]] [[Barry Goldwater]], flew to [[Botswana]] in a small private plane and asked for political asylum.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1891&dat=19770803&id=x94pAAAAIBAJ&sjid=KtYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3413,272139 Goldwater Kin Flees Rhodesia.] Associated Press. ''[[Gadsden Times]]'' 3 August 1977. Page 2.</ref>

==Saudi Arabia==
* On 2 October 1962 a twin-engined [[Saudi Air Force]] [[Fairchild C-123 Provider]], laden with US-made arms and ammunition said to have been sent by Prince Hassan to the Royal supporters in Yemen, defected to Egypt. Its three crew members sought and were given political asylum. The crew were identified as pilots Rashad Sisha Mecca, Ahmed Hussein Ikka and flight engineer Omar.<ref>Asian Recorder. K. K. Thomas at Recorder Press, 1962. vol. 8</ref>
* On 3 October 1962 two Saudi Arabian fliers landed an air force training plane in upper Egypt and asked for and received political asylum. It was the second such defection in two days. Pilots identified as Aly El-Azhari and Abdul Wahab.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
* On 8 October 1962 two more Saudi Arabian military aircraft defected to Egypt.{{Citation needed|date=February 2011}}
* On 11 November 1990, a [[Royal Saudi Air Force]] pilot defected with a [[F-15C Eagle]] fighter to Sudan during [[Gulf War|Operation Desert Shield]].<ref>"Defection of Saudi F-15 Fighter Pilot Damaging to US War Effort", Defence and Foreign Affairs Weekly, 23 December 1990</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/15/saudi-pilot-flies-f-15-to-sudan-is-given-asylum/ea893f46-80e7-4e76-8b3a-b45421bf4128/|title=Saudi Pilot Flies F-15 To Sudan, Is Given Asylum|last=Smith|first=R. Jeffrey|date=November 15, 1990|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|access-date=2016-01-26|location=Washington, DC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170126121225/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/15/saudi-pilot-flies-f-15-to-sudan-is-given-asylum/ea893f46-80e7-4e76-8b3a-b45421bf4128/|archive-date=2017-01-26}}</ref>

==Somalia==
*On July 12, 1988, a [[Somali Air Force|Somalia Air Force]] pilot Colonel [[Ahmed Mohamed Hassan (pilot)|Ahmed Mohamed Hassan]] defected to Djibouti with his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17|MiG-17F]] fighter jet, saying that he was refusing to obey orders to bomb civilian targets in the North.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20080626062433/http://www.buzzle.com/articles/former-somali-air-force-pilot-who-refused-to-bomb-civilians-in-hargiesa-july-1988.html Article title]}} </ref>
*On May 29, 1989, a Somalia Air Force pilot lieutenant colonel Mohamed Sheikh Ibrahim Yusuf defected to Djibouti with his [[Antonov An-26|An-26]] transport plane, and requested political asylum.

==South Korea==
*In September 1949, a South Korean pilot, 1st Lieutenant Pak Yong-ju, defected with his [[Stinson L-5]] to North Korea.
*On December 3, 1952, a South Korean Army Aviator student, 2nd Lt. Kug Yong-am, defected with his L-19 51–4794 to [[Pyongyang]], North Korea.
*In October 1953, a South Korean pilot-instructor Capt. Kim Sung-bai defected with an F-51 Mustang fighter plane to North Korea.
*On January 20, 1954, a South Korean pilot 2nd Lieutenant Choi Mai-chong defected with an L-19 light observation plane to North Korea.

==Soviet Union==
* On October 9, 1948, Piotr Pirogov and Anatoly Barsov defected (see {{ill|Defection of Pirogov and Barsov|ru|Побег Пирогова и Барсова}}) by flying their [[Tupolev Tu-2|Tu-2]] bomber from the USSR to [[Linz, Austria]], where they were granted asylum by the [[Allied-occupied Austria|American occupational authorities]]. Barsov returned to the USSR a year later and was executed.<ref>Soviet Defectors: The KGB Wanted List, Hoover Press, 1985, by Vladislav Krasnov.</ref>
* In 1961, a disappointed Soviet pilot flew his [[Sukhoi Su-9]] interceptor to [[Abadan, Iran|Abadan]], [[Iran]]. Few details about this incident are known, but the plane and the pilot were quickly picked up by officers of the [[Foreign Technology Division]] (FTD) of the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]]. After being disassembled within 24 hours the Su-9 was transported to the US, while the pilot followed shortly after.
* On May 7, 1973, [[Lieutenant]] Yevgeny Vronsky flew his [[Sukhoi Su-7]] from East Germany, where he was stationed, to West Germany and ejected near [[Wolfenbüttel]]. The wreckage of the aircraft was returned to the Soviet Union, but German authorities let Vronsky stay in the country.
* On September 6, 1976, [[Lieutenant]] [[Viktor Belenko]] flew to [[Hakodate Airport]] in Japan and [[Defection of Viktor Belenko|defected]] with his [[Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25|MiG-25P]] to [[Hakodate]], Japan. After being inspected by the Foreign Technology Division of the United States [[United States Department of Defense|DoD]], the MiG-25 was released to Japan, who then returned it in pieces to the Soviet Union after having been disassembled and analyzed by the United States.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |date=1976-10-29 |title=Iran Returns Defecting Soviet Pilot |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1976/10/29/archives/iran-returns-defecting-soviet-pilot.html |access-date=2023-03-30 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* On September 25, 1976 [[Lieutenant]] Valentin Ivanovich Zosimov ({{Langx|ru|Валенти́н Ива́нович Зо́симов}}, 1939–1995) flew his civilian [[Aeroflot]] [[Antonov An-2|AN‐2]] to Iran.<ref name=":0" /> In October 1976 after threats by the Soviet Union to send insurgents <ref>{{Cite book |last=Analyses |first=Institute for Defence Studies and |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NJlCAAAAYAAJ&q=defected |title=News Review on West Asia |date=1976 |publisher=The Institute |language=en}}</ref> the Iranian regime, led by [[Mohammad Reza Pahlavi]], forcibly returned Zosimov back to [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan]] where he was sentenced to 12 years in prison. He was sent to [[Perm-36]] from which he was released on October 23, 1986.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Побег из СССР: почему летчик Зосимов сбежал из родной страны и стал предателем? |url=https://www.techinsider.ru/popmem/807893-pobeg-iz-sssr-pochemu-letchik-zosimov-sbezhal-i-stal-predatelem/ |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=TechInsider |language=ru}}</ref>
* On May 20, 1989, [[Captain (land and air)|Captain]] [[Aleksandr Zuyev (pilot)|Aleksandr Zuyev]] defected with his [[Mikoyan MiG-29]] to [[Trabzon]], Turkey. In his autobiography ''Fulcrum: A Top Gun Pilot's Escape from the Soviet Empire'' ({{ISBN|0-446-51648-1}}), Zuyev reported that the USSR quickly did a deal with the Turkish government upon his defection, and the MiG-29 was returned to the Soviet Union. According to Zuyev himself, the first words he said as he stepped out of the cockpit after his successful defection were: "I'm an American!". He was airlifted out of Turkey by a U.S. C-130 that same night to [[Ramstein Air Base]] in West Germany, due to injuries sustained during his escape from the Soviet airbase.

==Syria==
*On 15–17 August 1968, the pilots of nine Syrian [[MiG-17]]s and three [[MiG-21]]s defected to Jordan after failing in a coup attempt
*On June 14, 1976, A Palestinian pilot in the Syrian Air Force, Flight Lieutenant Mahmoud Musleh Yasin, defected to Iraq with his [[MiG-23 Flogger]].
*On July 27, 1976, Syrian pilot Captain Ahmed Abdul Qadar Al-Termanini, the "[[Yom Kippur War|October war]]" hero, defected to Iraq with his MiG-21 fighter jet.
*On October 11, 1989, Syrian pilot Abdel Bassem landed his [[MiG-23]]ML in Israel.

==Taiwan==
* On 12 January 1955, Major Xao Long defected to the People's Republic of China with his crew, on board a [[C-46 Commando]] transport plane.
* On 23 February 1955, Two [[Republic of China Air Force]] cadets defected with [[PT-17]] training plane.
* On 18 May 1955, pilot Lieutenant Hui Wei attempted to defect in his [[F-47]] but crash landed just inside [[Guangdong]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taiwanairpower.org/history/defection.html|title=Military Aircraft Defections to China Since 1950|access-date=2011-03-05|archive-date=2021-10-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211024090144/http://www.taiwanairpower.org/history/defection.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* On 15 August 1956, Major Gang Huang, an [[Republic of China Air Force Academy]] instructor pilot, defected to the [[People's Republic of China]] with his [[T-6 Texan|AT-6 Texan]] trainer aircraft numbered 106.
* On 1 June 1963, Tingze Xu, a pilot in the [[Republic of China Air Force]] 43 Squadron, defected to the People's Republic of China in a [[F-86F Sabre]]. In doing so, he took off from [[Hsinchu Air Base]], [[Taiwan]] and landed at Longtian, [[Fujian province]], PRC. The aircraft is now on display in the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=wn0eAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OcoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3513,473013&dq=pilot+defector&hl=en|title=Daytona Beach Morning Journal - Google News Archive Search}}</ref>
* On 26 May 1969, two [[Republic of China Air Force]] pilots defected to the People's Republic of China with [[T-33 Shooting Star]] trainer aircraft serialled 3024. The crew were later identified as instructor pilot Wang Tianming and cadet Zhu Jingrong. The aircraft is now on display in the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing. 
* On August 8, 1981, Major Huang Zhi Cheng (黄值诚), an instructor pilot, defected  to the [[People's Republic of China]] with his [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]] [[F-5F]] serial 5361. He obtained a reward of US$370,000 (sum immediately returned) and was nominated Deputy Commander of a pilot training school.<ref name="eblcom1">{{cite web |url=http://home.eblcom.ch/f5enthusiast/AirForces/ChinaAF.html |title=China AF |access-date=2010-08-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706224537/http://home.eblcom.ch/f5enthusiast/AirForces/ChinaAF.html |archive-date=2011-07-06 }}</ref> According to the Chinese government he was the 90th member of the Nationalist forces to defect by plane since 1949.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/08/19/world/defector-from-taiwan-joins-chinese-air-force-in-peking.html|title=Defector From Taiwan Joins Chinese Air Force in Peking|date=19 August 1981|agency=Reuters|newspaper=The New York Times}}</ref>
* On 22 April 1983, Li Dawei (李大维), flying a [[U-6A Beaver]], defected from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China. The aircraft is now on display in the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing.
* On 4 May 1986, Wang Xijue (王锡爵), a commercial airline pilot who claimed to have flown [[Lockheed U-2|U-2]] recon overflights of the PRC with the [[Black Cat Squadron]], [[China Airlines Flight 334|defected to China]] with his [[Boeing 747]] jet.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=RoY0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=ZagFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2017,4770144&dq=defecting+pilot+rakes+taiwanese+corruption&hl=en|title=The Montreal Gazette - Google News Archive Search}}</ref>
* On 2 November 1989, the pilot of a Taiwan Air Force [[Northrop F-5|Northrop F-5E]] (serial #5120), Lin Xianshun (林贤顺), ejected 80&nbsp;km inside the [[Guangdong]] province of mainland China; the pilotless jet careened down and crashed. Its remains are put on show at the Chinese People's Revolution Museum at Xiaotangshan (Datangshan).<ref name="eblcom1"/>

==United States==
* In March 1962, [[United States Army]] soldier Sgt. [[Bobby Joe Keesee|B. J. Keesee]] defected to Cuba in a [[Piper Comanche]].<ref>https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=hNQzAAAAIBAJ&sjid=aekFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1678,3053947&dq=navy+defector&hl=en {{dead link|date=February 2021}}</ref>
* In July 1963, United States Airman Roberto "Robert" Ramos Michelena defected to Cuba in a [[Beechcraft T-34 Mentor|T-34 Mentor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=sFFLAAAAIBAJ&sjid=eCMNAAAAIBAJ&pg=3504,1095544&dq=us+airman+defects&hl=en |title=The Press-Courier |website=Google News Archive Search}}</ref>
* On 21 May 1967, Major Richard Harwood Pearce, a [[Bronze Star Medal]] recipient in the [[Vietnam War]], who was cleared to handle secret US Army materials, defected to [[Cuba]] in a [[Cessna 150]] light plane. Pearce was granted asylum in Cuba.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/05/25/archives/army-major-defects-to-cuba-with-son-4-and-asks-asylum-a-major.html |title=Army Major Defects to Cuba With Son, 4, and Asks Asylum; A MAJOR DEFECTS TO CUBA WITH SON Flight Plan Filed Adviser to Vietnamese Cuba Announces Arrival Pearce's Friends Surprised |author=Hedrick Smith |work=New York Times |date=25 May 1967}}</ref>

==Venezuela==
* On 26 June 1973, [[Venezuelan Air Force]] pilot Capt. Aristides Gonzalez Salazar and a crewmember Sgt. Carlos Ramirez Madero defected with [[English Electric Canberra|Canberra B. (I). Mk.52]] jet bomber to Cuba.

==South Vietnam==
* On 27 February 1962, South Vietnamese pilot Lieutenant [[Nguyen Van Cu (soldier)|Nguyen Van Cu]] defected to [[Kingdom of Cambodia (1953–1970)|Cambodia]] with his [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider|Douglas A-1H Skyraider]] Skyraider (Bu 134485) after failing in a coup attempt.
* On 7 November 1973, South Vietnamese pilot Lieutenant Ho Duy Hung defected to North Vietnam with a US-made [[Bell UH-1 Iroquois|UH-1A]] helicopter serial number 60139.<ref>Theo Lịch sử Trung đoàn Không quân 917 1975-2005, Hanoi, 2005</ref>
* On 8 April 1975, a [[South Vietnam Air Force|Republic of Vietnam Air Force]] officer, Captain Nguyen Thanh Trung, bombed the presidential palace in Saigon and defected to North Vietnam in his [[F-5E]].<ref>Air War Over North Vietnam: The Vietnamese People's Air Force, 1949-1977, by Istvan Toperczer</ref>

==Yugoslavia==
* On 13 September 1953, a [[Yugoslav Air Force]] pilot Lieutenant Nikola Jakšić flew his [[P-47D Thunderbolt]] to [[Italy]] and asked for political asylum after landing at [[Aviano Air Base]]. Airport officials quoted him as saying he had "chosen freedom."<ref>United Press, "Yugoslav Pilot Flies His Plane to 'Freedom'", ''San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Volume LX, Number 12, page 1.</ref>

{{see also|Croatian War of Independence#Notable defections}}

==Zimbabwe==
* On 30 June 1988, a [[Air Force of Zimbabwe|Zimbabwe Air Force]] pilot Flight Lieutenant Gary Kane stole his [[Bell 412]] helicopter in an abortive attempt to rescue alleged South African agents from prison.

==See also==
*[[List of Soviet and Eastern Bloc defectors]]
*[[List of Western Bloc defectors]]

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

[[Category:Lists of defectors|Cold War pilots]]
[[Category:Lists of aviators|Defections]]
[[Category:Cold War-related lists|Pil]]
[[Category:Defection]]