The Su-15 fighter pilot gave the customary ‘follow me’ signals, but the big turboprop ignored them and started maneuvering dangerously, since the crew was determined to get away
In the late 1950s, the Sukhoi Design Bureau, already a well-known producer of fighter aircraft, began developing a replacement for its single‑engine Su-9 (NATO: Fishpot‑B) and Su-11 (NATO: Fishpot‑C) interceptors used by the national Air Defense Force. Like these earlier models, the new aircraft—designated the Su-15 (NATO: Flagon)—featured delta wings. Unlike the Su-9 and Su-11, however, it used two engines and side-mounted air intakes, which left the nose free to house a more powerful fire-control radar.
The Su-15 made its first flight in May 1962, entered official service in 1965, and was produced in multiple variants, with later models featuring cranked-delta wings and more advanced radar systems. As an air defense interceptor, the Su-15 often confronted unauthorized aircraft. During the Cold War, the Soviet Union’s southern frontier was continually probed by hostile planes approaching from Turkey and Iran.
According to Yefim Gordon and Dmitriy Komissarov in their book Sukhoi Interceptors: The Su-9, Su-11, and Su-15: Unsung Soviet Cold War Heroes, an incident took place along the Iranian border on July 17–18, 1981.
Soon after the Iran–Iraq War began, Iran arranged a covert deal to obtain weapons—officially labeled as “pharmaceuticals”—from Israel, which was working with the United States in the notorious Iran–Contra affair. In late June, a Canadair CL‑44D4‑6 freighter, registration LV‑JTN (c/n 34), was hired for this mission from the Argentine carrier Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense by Scots businessman Stuart Allen McCafferty, who served as the middleman between the Iranians and Swiss arms dealer Andreas Jenni. On July 17, the aircraft’s captain, Hector Cordero, chose to cut through Soviet airspace on the route from Tel Aviv to Tehran to bypass the northern edge of the Iran–Iraq front. Flying at about 8,000 m (26,250 ft), the freighter briefly crossed into Soviet territory over Armenia before exiting again, and the local Soviet PVO command center did not respond—no interceptors were launched. (Another version of events claims that a pair of Su‑15s from the 166th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP) that had taken off to intercept was ordered to return to base once the CL‑44 reached Iranian airspace.)
The next day, the crew used the same route for the return leg. This time, two pairs of fighters took off from Vaziani Air Base near Tbilisi, Georgia, to intercept the aircraft. Due to hesitation and poor coordination by the duty officers at the 34th Air Army command post, the fighters failed to locate the target and had to head back after reaching bingo fuel. (Some accounts identify these aircraft as Su-15s, but Vaziani Air Base was home to the 982nd IAP, which never flew that type and was operating MiG-23MLDs at the time.) Eventually, a lone Su-15 from the 166th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment (GvIAP), coded “30” and piloted by Capt. Valentin A. Kulyapin, was directed toward the intruding aircraft with instructions to compel it to land at a Soviet airfield.
The fighter pilot issued the standard “follow me” commands, which was challenging because the Su-15 had to fly at its minimum controllable speed to stay with the much slower freighter and risked stalling. The large turboprop ignored the instructions and began making dangerous maneuvers, as its crew was determined to escape. Realizing the intruder would not comply, Kulyapin asked for authorization to open fire but was refused. Because of poor coordination between him and ground control, the chase dragged on for more than ten minutes. When the CL-44 turned due south in a clear bid to flee, Kulyapin had to report its actions three times before finally being ordered to shoot it down. At that point, another issue emerged: his Su-15 was equipped with two R-98 air-to-air missiles but lacked cannon pods, while a second Su-15 that did have cannon pods was en route but would arrive too late to intervene.
With the border very close and the intruding aircraft likely to escape before he could drop back to a safe missile-firing distance, Kulyapin chose to carry out a World War II–style ramming attack. Taking up a position directly behind the CL-44, he pulled the Su-15 into a climb and sheared off the freighter’s right tailplane with his jet’s fin and fuselage. The crippled transport then plunged to the ground 2–3 km (1.24–1.86 miles) from the border, killing the three crew members—captain Hector Cordero, first officer Jose Burgueno, and flight engineer Hermete Boasso—as well as Stuart McCafferty, who was on board. Kulyapin’s fighter was badly damaged in the collision, but he ejected and came down safely near the crash site. This time, the intruding aircraft crashed on Soviet soil, leaving wreckage that provided undeniable proof of a border incursion. In recognition of his actions, Capt. Valentin Kulyapin received the Order of the Red Banner.
Sukhoi Interceptors: The Su-9, Su-11, and Su-15: Unsung Soviet Cold War Heroes is published by Schiffer Publishing and is available to order here.
Photo by US DoD and Christian Volpati via Wikipedia
