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29-534: On September 6, 1976, Soviet Air Forces pilot Viktor Belenko successfully defected to the West, flying his MiG-25 'Foxbat' to Hakodate , Japan. During this incident, Japan Self-Defense Force radar lost track of the aircraft when Belenko flew his MiG-25 at a low altitude, prompting the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) to consider procurement of airborne early warning aircraft. In 1976,

58-778: A US air base in South Korea; the MiG is in the permanent collection of the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force , displayed in its original owner markings. Later, Soviet Captain Aleksandr Zuyev flew his MiG-29 to Trabzon , Turkey, on 20 May 1989. That MiG-29 was promptly returned to the Soviets. The MiG-25's arrival in Japan was a windfall for Western military planners. The Japanese government had originally allowed

87-578: A budget of JPY 113.9 billion to procure two E-767s in fiscal year 1993 and JPY108.1 billion for two more E-767s in FY 1994. This large budget compared to approximately JPY8.6 billion for the E-2C and an estimated JPY29.6 billion for the E-3A was politically rationalized as a means to help ease the tension over Japan's large trade surplus against the U.S. In addition, Japanese aerospace companies are responsible for 15% of

116-835: 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. 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. In March and May 1953, two Polish Air Force pilots Lieutenant Franciszek Jarecki and Lieutenant Zdzisław Jaźwiński flew MiG-15s to Denmark. Later in 1953, North Korean pilot No Kum Sok flew his MiG-15 to

145-466: A new high-reliability multi-processor and rewrites the software to facilitate future maintenance and enhancements. The RSIP kit, built principally by Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems under a subcontract to Boeing, consists of a new radar computer, a radar control maintenance panel as well as software upgrades to the radar and mission system programs. The first E-767 made the first flight on October 4, 1994 at Paine Field , Washington . First flight with

174-418: A son from his first marriage, never divorced his first wife, and never provided child support to her after his defection, but Belenko denied this. The journalists also claimed that his Soviet wife appealed for his return after his defection. Belenko co-wrote a 1980 autobiography, MiG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lieutenant Belenko with Reader's Digest writer John Barron , which confirmed that he had

203-634: A wife and son in the USSR, although Belenko had previously told his son that this was Soviet propaganda. 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

232-617: Is a Pulse-Doppler radar that can determine the velocity of a tracked target. This surveillance system includes a flexible, multi-mode radar, which enables AWACS to separate maritime and airborne targets from ground and sea clutter returns that limit other modern radar systems. Its radar has a 360-degree view, and at operating altitudes it can detect targets more than 320 kilometers (200 miles) away. AWACS mission equipment can separate, manage and display these targets individually on situational displays. AN/APY-2's antenna and Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) Mk XII system's antenna are housed in

261-604: 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." Belenko started a new life in the United States. In 1980, the US Congress enacted S. 2961, authorizing citizenship for him, which was signed into law by President Jimmy Carter on 14 October 1980, as Private Law 96-62. Eager to avoid attention, and reprisal from

290-677: The U.S. Air Force was about to deploy the E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control system aircraft, which was considered to be the prime candidate for the airborne early warning mission by JASDF. However, the Japan Defense Agency (JDA, now Ministry of Defense ) realized that the E-3 would not be readily available due to USAF needs and instead opted to procure the American E-2 Hawkeye AWACS aircraft. The E-2C

319-527: The E-767 is essentially the same as the later E-3 models, using Northrop Grumman 's (formerly Westinghouse Electronic Systems) AN/APY-2 Passive electronically scanned array radar system. This system is a three-dimensional radar that measures azimuth, range, and elevation simultaneously, and has superior surveillance capability over water compared to the AN/APY-1 system on the earlier E-3 models. The AN/APY-2

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348-591: The Soviet Union, he took the surname Schmidt and moved around often, mostly living in small towns across the Midwest. 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. Russian journalists claimed that Belenko allegedly also had

377-613: The Soviets finally submitted to the Japanese terms on 22 October 1976. 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 . A team of Soviet technicians had been allowed to view subassemblies at Hitachi, and upon finding 20 missing parts, one being film of

406-515: The U.S. government under Foreign Military Sales rules. The base airframe for E-767 is that of a 767-200ER, Boeing designation 767-27C. (The "7C" designation is the Boeing customer code for the JASDF). The 767 airframe offers about 50 percent more floor space and nearly twice the volume of the 707 on which the E-3 is based. The mission electronics equipment are installed in forward cabin to balance

435-407: 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. The plane was moved by a US Air Force C-5 Galaxy cargo aircraft from Hakodate to Hyakuri Air Base on 25 September, and by then, experts had determined that the plane was an interceptor, not a fighter-bomber, which

464-418: The aft fuselage contains an antenna for JTIDS ( Joint Tactical Information Distribution System ). The E-767 is powered by two General Electric CF6-80C2B6FA high bypass turbofan engines, generating 273.6 kN (61,500 pounds) thrust each. The original 90 kW electrical generators (one in each engine) were replaced with 150 kW generators to provide power to the radar and other equipment. The electronics system on

493-434: The airframe production for the 767, meaning some of the money would indirectly return to Japan. The procurement of E-767 by Japanese government was split into two stages. The first stage was the procurement of an unmodified 767 aircraft by the Japanese government through a trading company, Itochu Corporation. In the second stage, the aircraft were modified to carry AWACS equipment by US and Japanese contractors supervised by

522-403: The center is mounted above the aft fuselage on two struts. The rotodome rotates at about six rpm during operations and at 0.25 rpm to lubricate the rotation mechanisms even when the radar is not used. There are numerous blade antennae for UHF and VHF communication along the centerline of the fuselage on the top and bottom. There is a rod antenna at each wing tip for HF communication. A fairing in

551-457: The flight to Hakodate, the Soviets attempted to charge Japan US $ 10 million. Neither the Japanese nor the Soviet bill is known to have been paid. A senior diplomat described the Soviet position as "sulky about the whole affair." 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

580-402: 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. Viktor Belenko died in a nursing home in the small town of Rosebud, Illinois on September 24, 2023, at the age of 76. He

609-535: The rotodome back to back. The information acquired by the radar system is processed by IBM's CC-2E central computer conformed to E-3 Block 30/35 Modification and can be displayed on the 14 displays on board. Other major subsystems in the E-767 are identification, tactical data link, and navigation. In November 2006, Boeing was awarded a $ 108 million contract to deliver Radar System Improvement Program (RSIP) kits to Japan's fleet of four E-767 Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft. The Foreign Military Sale

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638-722: The rotodome installed occurred on August 9, 1996 and it was delivered to JASDF on March 11, 1998 along with the second E-767. Aircraft No. 3 and No. 4 were delivered on January 5, 1999. On May 10, 2000, all four E-767s were put into service with Airborne Early Warning Group (AEWG) 601st Squadron at JASDF Hamamatsu Air Base . (The airbase's runways needed to be reinforced to accommodate the E-767.) Data from 767 AWACS B767-200 General characteristics Performance Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Viktor Belenko Viktor Ivanovich Belenko ( Russian : Виктор Иванович Беленко ; February 15, 1947 – September 24, 2023)

667-408: The weight with the rotodome mounted above the aft fuselage. The aft cabin contains the crew's rest area, galley, and lavatory. The E-767's exterior is usually painted gray. The 767's windows were omitted in order to protect the crew and equipment from the intense radio frequency transmissions from its radar equipment. A rotodome about 30 feet (9.14 m) in diameter and six feet (1.83 m) thick at

696-576: Was a Russian-born American aerospace engineer and Soviet pilot who defected in 1976 to the West while flying his MiG-25 "Foxbat" jet interceptor and landed in 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. Belenko later became a U.S. aerospace engineer . Belenko

725-580: Was a welcome reassurance for Japanese defense planners. On 2 October 1976, the Japanese Government announced that it would ship the aircraft in crates from the port of Hitachi and billed the Soviets US$ 40,000 for crating services and airfield damage at Hakodate. 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

754-576: Was born in Nalchik , Russian SFSR , in a 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 , Primorsky Krai . On 6 September 1976, he successfully defected to the West by flying his MiG-25 jet fighter to Hakodate Airport in Hokkaido , Japan. This

783-615: Was contracted through the Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom Air Force Base , Massachusetts . The sale also includes spare and repair parts, support equipment and technical documentation. Installation of the kits was completed December 2012, in Seattle, Washington. RSIP increases the AWACS aircraft's radar sensitivity, allowing it to detect and track smaller targets. It also improves the radar's existing computer with

812-721: Was put into service with the Airborne Early Warning Group (AEWG) at JASDF Misawa Air Base in January 1987. In 1991, the JDA requested funds to upgrade the airborne early warning system by procuring the E-3. Production of the Boeing 707 -based E-3 airframe had ended in 1991, however, and the plan was shelved. The following year, Boeing proposed a 767-based AWACS, and the JDA agreed to procure two E-767 in fiscal year 1993 and two more in fiscal year 1994. JDA requested

841-559: 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 . Belenko was granted 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

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