Chinese Pilot Defects to Taiwan With MIG; 13th to Flee Since ’60
A Chinese Air Force pilot flying a MIG-19 fighter defected to Taiwan today, the Taiwan Air Force said, becoming the 13th pilot to flee China since 1960.
A military source said Taiwan was expected to give gold worth millions of dollars to the defector, squadron leader Liu Chih-yuan from Shantong. The source, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that the Chinese pilot will also be given a high rank in Taiwan’s air force.
He said Liu tipped his fighter’s wings when he was intercepted by Taiwan jet fighters, which guided him to a safe landing at Ching Chuan Kang military air base in central Taiwan.
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