Sergei Safronov (fighter pilot)
| Sergei Safronov | |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 March 1930 |
| Died | 1st of May 1960 |
| Allegiance |
 Soviet Union |
| Service/branch | Soviet Air Force |
| Rank | Senior lieutenant |
| Awards | Order of the Red Banner |
Sergei Ivanovich Safronov (Russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Сафро́нов; March 25, 1930 – May 1, 1960) was a senior lieutenant in the Soviet Air Force.[1]
In the 1960 U-2 incident he was vectored to intercept Gary Powers' U-2 with his MiG-19 fighter. On his way to interception, the U-2 was shot down by SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missiles, but large pieces of the downed aircraft made it look like its flight was continuing, so additional SA-2 missiles were fired. However, the MiGs' IFF transponders were not yet switched to the new May codes because of the 1 May holiday and consequently, Safronov's plane was identified as foe by the missile operators and another salvo was shot.[2][3] His aircraft took a direct hit from one of the SA-2 Guideline missiles intended for the U-2 and was destroyed. He was able to eject, but died from his injuries.[1]
The decree published by newspapers in the Soviet Union presented S. N. Safronov the Order of the Red Banner along with Major Mikhail Voronov and Captain Nikolai Sheludko (the commanders of the two missile batteries which had engaged the U-2). The decree did not mention that Sergei Safronov died and several subsequent publications did not state that he died.[4]
References
- Khrushchev, Sergei N. Nikita Khrushchev and the Creation of a Superpower. Penn State Press, 2001. ISBN 0271043466, 9780271043463.
- Reed, Thomas. At the Abyss: An Insider's History of the Cold War. Random House LLC, December 18, 2007. ISBN 0307414620, 9780307414625.
Notes
- 1 2 Reed, p. 57.
- ↑ Khrushchev, Sergei (September 2000) "The Day We Shot Down the U-2: Nikita Khrushchev's son remembers a great turning point of the Cold War, as seen from behind the Iron Curtain". American Heritage magazine. Volume 51, Issue 5.
- ↑ Taubman, page not stated (PT404 of Google Books). Text sequence: Senior Lieutenant Sergei Safronov wasn't so lucky. His MIG-19 was shot down by a rocket meant for powers. [...] But when large pieces of the U-2 made it look on Soviet radar screens as if his flight were continuing, the additional missiles that were fired claimed Safronov instead.
- ↑ Khrushchev, p. 363.