Three Russian pilots flew the plane together with three Chinese pilots, including Zhang Jianping, commander of the Third Division of the Chinese Air Force, and two fighter captains under his command.
They came to Russia to learn to fly and supervise the transport of fighter planes ordered by the Chinese Air Force to Russia, which are about to fly to Anhui, China.
During the flight, three Russian trainer pilots flew the Su-27 fighters, and everything went smoothly after the plane took off, and it is expected to arrive in Anhui in a few hours.
However, just in the middle of the flight, an unexpected situation arose. As they passed through Mongolia, they were warned by Mongolian fighter jets to leave the area immediately or face attack.
At this time, the radar of the Su-27 showed that they had been locked by the fire control radar of the Mongolian fighters, and if they did not evacuate immediately, the Mongols would really **.
In the face of the sudden change, Zhang Jianping's expressions became nervous. The already challenging task of escorting aircraft has become even more volatile.
It was a task for three fighters and tens of millions of state spending, and they did not dare to be negligent in the slightest, but felt powerless, because the fighters were now in the hands of Soviet pilots.
Why did Mongolian fighters suddenly intercept our fighters? What was the final outcome of this event? Will the fighter planes we bought for ** be able to land safely at Wuhu Airport?
The turmoil in the USSR with"906"This is a past experience experienced by Air Force Lieutenant General Zhang Jianping when he returned to China 20 years ago, and now that he has retired, he still recalls this experience with a lot of emotion.
Zhang Jianping, as the first generation of soldiers of the Republic, served in many positions during his service in the Air Force, including the commander, regiment commander, and deputy division commander of the Third Air Force Division, the deputy chief of staff of the Nanjing Military Region, and the chief of staff of the Air Force of the Shenyang Military Region.
He is the second batch of backbone generals of our air force, with rich experience and experience.
In 1991, Zhang Jianping was ordered to lead two elite pilots to Russia, which had just been established, to learn the flying skills of the Su-27UBK fighter and bring it back to China.
At this time, the Soviet Union had just collapsed, the global situation was turbulent, and the people of Eurasia were panicking.
In addition to being concerned about Russia's political instability, China is also worried that the "906" procurement plan led by the Military Commission will encounter an accident. The program, also known as Project 906, was launched by China in June 1990 with the goal of increasing the strength of the Chinese Air Force through the purchase of Su-27 fighter jets.
Since this project was launched in June 1990, it was called the "906" project.
From the end of 1990 to 1991, China sent many outstanding fighter pilots to the Soviet Union to receive guidance from Su-27 trainer instructors in order to master the flight technology of Su-27 fighters.
At the same time, since the beginning of 1991, we have started to sign the purchase plan and gradually enter the payment stage. In order to ensure that "money and goods are clear", we also sent a delegation headed by General *** to the Soviet Union to prepare for boarding.
**Admiral, a founding Rear Admiral who was fluent in Russian and proficient in the technical construction of the naval arms. From 1954 to 1958 he studied at the Voroshilov Naval Academy of the Soviet Union.
After returning to China, he served as the deputy commander of the Navy's North Sea Fleet and other positions, and later served as the commander of the Navy and the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense, the Sixth Ministry of Machinery Industry, the Navy General Staff, and the General Staff of the People's Liberation Army.
**, with the rank of admiral, commander of the Navy, **member of the Military Commission, is the third generation of senior generals on our side. He is fluent in Russian and understands the importance of the sophistication of equipment for the construction of the defense industry.
His senior military rank, his status as a member of the Military Commission, and his esteemed prestige made him the perfect candidate for the preparatory meeting. However, just before the members of our task force were about to leave for the Soviet Union, upheavals began to brew in Eastern Europe, followed by international and regional upheaval.
The Soviet Union became dozens of countries overnight.
The admiral recalled that the team led by the admiral canceled the trip due to an unclear situation, and the advance team of the working group that arrived in the Soviet Union was trapped in the Moscow Hotel, and although they were not allowed to go out, they could still see the chaos in the streets.
** The admiral, who had studied at a Soviet military school and knew some Russian, observed that the Soviets at that time were very panicked.
As a staff member of the advance team, the admiral was very anxious. This is because all the money used for the military procurement of the "906" project was obtained by the negotiating group from the state with great difficulty, which is of great importance to the construction of China's air force.
He feared that something would happen to the matter because of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Thankfully, however, his worries were unfounded. The newly formed Russian Federation, although the name of the country has changed and the territory has shrunk somewhat, is still essentially a continuation of the Soviet Union.
*still before**, the people are still the people who were before, and the army is still the army that was before.
Russia said that although some circumstances have changed in connection with the order for Chinese Su-27 fighters, the training of pilots and the sale of aircraft will still proceed according to the original plan.
On June 27, 1992, the first batch of Su-27 fighters and pilots for which a deposit had been paid will take off from Russia's Zabaikal Military District, pass through Mongolian airspace, and finally arrive at the Wuhu base of the Chinese Air Force in Wuhu, Anhui, China.
The 12 Su-27 fighters include eight Su-27SK single-seat fighters and four Su-27UBK two-seat trainers.
In the next two months, 8 Su-27SK single-seat fighters and 1 Su-27UBK two-seat trainer aircraft successively took off from Russia and flew to China.
However, Zhang Jianping, the commander of the 3rd Air Division, and his two pilots will depart later, as their planes will need to resupply after takeoff through the Derida military airfield on the Russian-Mongolian border before flying to China.
Despite the fact that the Su-27 is a heavy fighter and is not suitable for long-distance flights with a full combat weight, it still needs to be replenished in transit.
In the early morning of August 4, 1992, the weather was rare in Eastern Siberia, the air was cold but the sun was just right, and the Russian pilot suggested that Zhang Jianping take advantage of this weather suitable for long-distance flights, and they expected to reach their destination within a few hours.
Before Zhang Jianping and the others took off, a Soviet-made Il-76 medium-sized transport plane carrying spare parts and basic warheads of these three Su-27 fighters had already taken off, and the transport plane was flying slowly, so it needed to take off early.
Subsequently, three Su-27 fighters also took off from the Dezhda base, and the aircraft quickly rose and entered the retardier for a subsonic flight.
Zhang Jianping's mood went from nervous to stable to happy, because he was finally able to bring the plane back to his motherland. However, at this moment, something changed when things happened. The radar suddenly alarmed, the red warning light began to flash, and the tense atmosphere was instantly filled!
After several months of serious study, Zhang Jianping has become very proficient in piloting the Su-27, and knows all kinds of buttons and indicators on the plane well. He keenly observed the change in the indicator light and immediately judged that the fighter was locked by the fire control radar of the enemy aircraft from an unknown direction!
At this time, several fighters appeared behind the three fighters, and the Russian pilot observed them with the naked eye and told Zhang Jianping that they were MiG-21 fighters belonging to the Mongolian Territorial Defense Force.
Mr. Zhang used the plane's built-in radio to ask the Russian pilot why the Mongolian fighter plane had made such a move.
The Su-27 Fighter Plane Took Off Urgently, Received a Call Request Without Reporting to Mongolia The three Su-27 fighters on which Zhang Jianping and his crew were flying did not report to Mongolia before flying over Mongolia's airspace.
This situation surprised Zhang Jianping, because as a soldier, he knew that the Soviet Union's attitude towards Mongolia had always been poor, and it was probably common for them to enter the country without reporting.
However, he didn't ask the question because he knew that in such an emergency, they would need to respond quickly. Luckily, they received a call request from the Mongolian Air Force, which gave them a chance to change the situation.
This involves important assets of our country, and if anything goes wrong, I will not be able to explain it to my country! Zhang Jianping immediately negotiated with the Russian pilots. However, the attitude of the Mongolian Air Force is different from the previous one, unusually tough, because they have already received permission to fly in advance from Russia, so the three Su-27 aircraft must leave immediately, otherwise it will be considered an armed violation of the airspace of other countries and immediately **!
Zhang Jianping felt very helpless, he understood that although the diplomatic relations between China and Mongolia were good, if the plane belonged to China, Mongolia might let it go. However, Mongolia at this time did not know that the plane was purchased by China.
In this case, the plane was locked by the opposing radar, and if it continued to fly, it could be attacked, so the plane had to turn around and return to the Dezhda airbase.
After active communication and coordination with the Chinese side, Russia reported the flight to Mongolia and obtained permission to enter China's airspace, and the plane finally returned smoothly.
This incident not only enabled the plane to return smoothly, but more importantly, it allowed our country to have a deeper understanding of the geopolitical environment of neighboring countries and saw the subtle changes in the relations between Russia and neighboring countries after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
This is of great guiding significance for China's foreign policy formulation.
Although Russia has inherited the "legacy" of the Soviet Union and has become the legitimate successor of the Soviet Union, it is no longer the great power of the Soviet Union, which was once comparable to the United States.
As a result, Russia's deterrent power against neighboring countries is much less than it used to be. This can be seen from the tough attitude of Mongolia towards Russian transit aircraft in this incident.
Mongolia's Diplomatic Attitude During the Soviet period During the Soviet era, Mongolia was very respectful to China and the Soviet Union. Especially in the face of the Soviet Union, Mongolia treated it as a brother and showed a very friendly attitude.
Although it cannot be said that Mongolia had father-son feelings towards the Soviet Union, their relationship can definitely be said to be equal, and Mongolia's respect and obedience to the Soviet Union is obvious.
On the issue of flight transit, Su ** did not notify in advance and only reported afterwards, which caused harm to Mongolia's sovereignty, but Mongolia has always maintained a very good attitude towards it.
Mongolia's fear of the Soviet Union did not stem only from the Soviet Union's strong military strength, but more importantly, as a weak country on land, Mongolia needed the protection and support of the Soviet Union in both political and military construction.
Title: Mongolian Air Force: The Transition from Dependence to Equality In the past, the main fighter models of the Mongolian Air Force were the MiG-21 and Mi-24 Hind exported by the Soviet Union
During this period, the Mongolian Air Force relied on Soviet support and assistance. Now, however, the Mongolian Air Force has dared to take a tough rejection of the unreported crossings of the border by Russian fighters.
Does this signal that Mongolia's attitude towards Russia has shifted from dependence to equality? In the past, Mongolia's military operations often relied on Soviet guidance and assistance.
But now the Mongolian Air Force has become independent and capable of responding positively to Russia's provocations. This transformation demonstrates Mongolia's military and diplomatic self-confidence and independence.
In general, the development and transformation of the Mongolian Air Force reflects the process of moving from dependence to equality in Mongolian military and diplomatic terms. Mongolia is gradually becoming an independent country rather than a country that is completely dependent on other countries.
At that time, will there be a corresponding change in our diplomatic relations with Mongolia and Russia? Although Russia's position may not be as secure as it once was, the Soviet Union's bullying behavior is a thing of the past.