Danny Pronk

On this day, 50 years ago, Lt. Viktor Belenko defected to the West, landing his MiG-25 at Hakodate Airport, Japan (September 6, 1976). What followed was one of the biggest intelligence coups of the Cold War. For the first time, Western engineers could get their hands on an intact frontline Soviet Mach 3 superfighter. CIA Director George H.W. Bush called it an "intelligence bonanza." 1/2

Col Robin Olds led Operation Bolo (Jan 2, 1967), resulted in the destruction of seven North Vietnamese MiG-21s. This resounding success was followed by another operation four days later, claiming two more NVAF MiGs. The devastating loss of nearly half their operational MiG-21s within a week forced the North Vietnamese to drastically curtail their fighter operations. In fact, they grounded their entire fleet of MiG-21s for several months to re-train and reassess their combat strategy.

OTD: 58 years ago, F-4Cs from the 8th TFW, led by Col. Robin Olds, and electronically disguised as F-105s, tricked 16 NVAF MiG-21s into battle at a disadvantage (Jan 2, 1967). The result: Seven MiGs went down over Phúc Yên, for zero American losses. USAF’s Operation Bolo, one of the most elaborate sting operations in military aviation history, was a resounding success.