Viktor Belenko
Viktor Belenko | |
|---|---|
Belenko's Soviet military identification photo; stored at the CIA Museum | |
| Native name | Виктор Беленко |
| Other name(s) | Viktor Schmidt |
| Born | February 15, 1947 Nalchik, Kabardin ASSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | September 24, 2023 (aged 76) Pope County, Illinois, US |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Soviet Air Defence Forces |
| Years of service | 1967–1976 |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit |
|
| Known for | Defecting to the U.S. with MiG-25 in 1976 |
| Spouse(s) |
Coral Garaas (divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
Viktor Ivanovich Belenko (Russian: Виктор Иванович Беленко; February 15, 1947 – September 24, 2023) was a Soviet-born American aerospace engineer and 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.