Why did Washington try to bribe pilots of Russian MiG-15 fighter jets?

US planes dropped leaflets on North Korean forces during the Korean War, promising tons of money to any pilot who defected from the MiG-15 and joined the anti-forces, according to a report from the magazine. American National Interest by Caleb Larson.

In that war in 1953, as the writer says in his report, the Americans noticed their last fighter jet, the F-86 Saber, exploding in the battlefield as it was pictured at the time. like the most advanced hunter in the world. The Americans believe that the MiG-15 planes their enemy possessed surpass them in terms of weaponry and maneuverability.

This Russian aircraft can further increase its speed and maneuver better by flying above about 3,000 meters compared to its American counterpart, in addition to being small and equipped with two 23mm guns and a huge 37mm gun. mm through which he was able to face the F-86 and the bombers, this accompanied him and caused him great damage.

When the MiG-15 first appeared on the Korean Peninsula, there was speculation that the Soviet Union donated Russian planes and pilots to serve the Communist cause in North Korea.

According to the writer, it later became clear that this information was not just rumors, as some prisoners of war who had been to the United Nations revealed that they had had contact with Russian pilots during their captivity, and some American fighter pilots have also heard. conversations between MiG-15 pilots in Russian.

The writer adds: In any case, the US Air Force suffered big losses because of this plane, which led them to look for a way to get their hands on one of them for the better. know and its capabilities.

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Mawlah process

The author says that on April 26 and 27, 1953, a group of American bombers flew over targets in North Korea. The bombers carried a single payload. Instead of bombs, they had over a million leaflets written in Russian, Chinese and Korean. languages ​​on board, and Americans displayed. A monetary reward for any Communist pilot who delivers a Soviet-made MiG-15 or jet aircraft to the United Nations Command in Korea. “

The Americans have called this process Moolah. Publicity

According to the circular, the first pilot who defected aboard the Soviet plane will receive a reward of $ 50,000, the right to political asylum, resettlement in a non-Communist country and anonymity if so. wish.

The US Air Force had hoped, first, to acquire the MiG-15, and second, that the bounty offer would sow discord among the group of pilots who were shooting down American planes.

After the post was abolished, the MiG-15s had almost noticeably disappeared from the airspace, one US general wrote that “the Red Army’s first reaction was to shut down all MiGs for 8 days. Maybe it was because of the weather, or because they wanted to ensure the loyalty of the pilots. Politically untrustworthy “The Americans favored the latter, even though the weather was really bad.

The writer quotes some sources as saying that the Russians might have feared the consequences of this operation more than the Chinese and North Koreans, because after the publication of the leaflet, American jamming devices quickly intercepted radio communications. in Russian language than before Korean language. entered the line.

On May 27, 1953, North Korean leader Kim Il-sung sent a message to his air force encouraging pilots to be strong against the enemy and do their best to protect their air structures.

Maverick

And the writer adds that on September 21 of the same year, No Kum Suk took off from a MiG-15 from an air base outside Pyongyang to South Korea, and transferred No to Seoul while the plane was being transported out of the country.

Although the American Operation “Maulah” did not ultimately succeed as planned, Nu’s defection in disgust from the Communist regime in North Korea gave the United States a lot of information about the design of Soviet aircraft.

Interestingly, Nu said that instead of the monetary reward that the North Korean and Chinese pilots had promised, the money would not entice them over a promise to grant them citizenship and freedom.

And the writer concludes that, and what two do not dispute, is that American pilots have suffered fewer casualties in this war since Nou’s defection and their acquisition of this aircraft.