The Su-92 ordered by China in 27 returned home, and when it flew into Mongolia, it was warned: leave the country immediately, otherwise fire
In May 1992, China and Russia were reconnected by a high-profile military deal: China had completed an order for 24 Su-27 fighter jets, and halfway through production, Russia agreed to deliver 12 ahead of schedule. The new fighters will soon arrive in China, and their destination will be the air force airfield in Wuhu, Anhui Province.
However, things didn't go as smoothly as planned. During the flight over Mongolian airspace, the Russian pilots received a warning from the Mongolian side that they should leave Mongolian airspace immediately, otherwise they would take action. The incident sparked widespread speculation and discussion, with speculation about the reasons for Mongolia's interference in the Sino-Russian Su-27 deal.
In 1992, China's experience of introducing Su-27 fighters was magnificent. At that time, before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the contracts signed by the two sides faced unprecedented challenges. Although China has ordered 24 Su-27 fighter jets, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, there are doubts about whether the Russian government will continue to abide by the contract.
However, fortunately, after Yeltsin came to power, the Russian side quickly made a decision to support it, promising to ensure that the Su-27 fighters continue to be delivered to China. Still, the delivery process didn't go smoothly. The ground maintenance equipment of the Su-27 fighters first arrived at the port of Shanghai, but due to the secrecy regulations of the Soviet army's fleet No. 80, the Russian representatives could not directly board the ship to start unloading, which was in conflict with the regulations on the unloading of foreign ships in China. This situation has caused a lot of trouble to both sides, and it needs to be resolved after some communication and negotiation.
In order to resolve this issue, China and Russia held urgent consultations. In the end, this problem was successfully solved by having two Chinese pilots and Russian representatives board the ship at the same time, which not only ensured the captain's boarding permit, but also complied with the relevant regulations of Chinese ports.
In addition, in order to generate revenue, the Sukhoi Design Bureau sold two Su-27UBK two-seat trainer aircraft to China at a very low price, and actually gave China several AL-31 turbofan engines used in the Su-27 and some spare parts. These measures not only helped Sukhoi solve the financial problem, but also allowed China to obtain additional military aircraft and spare parts, to the delight of both sides.
Before the Su-27 fighter was officially delivered to China, the two Su-27UBK two-seat trainer aircraft became the first Su-27 fighters of the Chinese Air Force. According to the Sino-Russian agreement, the delivery of these fighters will be completed by taking off from Russia and landing directly in Wuhu, China through a multinational transfer.
Seven Su-27SKs and three Su-27UBKs of the first batch of 10 Su-27 fighters rolled off the assembly line and were transferred to the Dezhda airbase of the former Soviet Air Force. Located on the border between China, Russia and Mongolia, the base was deployed by the Soviet Air Force to deter China during the Sino-Soviet war. However, only 20 years later, the Dezhda airport became the starting point of Sino-Russian military cooperation, showing a profound change in the relationship between the two countries and a new chapter in cooperation.
At the same time, the General Staff of the Chinese People's Liberation Army sent Ma Zhouguang, who is proficient in Russian, to arrive at Dezhda Airport first, coordinate and communicate with the Russian side, and report the situation to the General Staff in Beijing at any time. In addition to personnel from the Russian military and the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the commander of the Air Force 3 Division and two group leaders also flew two-seaters for training, and the Russian instructors responsible for training them supervised in the back seat.
However, surprisingly, the fleet returned to Dezhda Airport less than 1 hour after takeoff. According to Ma Zhouguang's observations, the Russian pilots appeared to have been treated unfairly and returned to the base in a state of swearing.
Ma was shocked when he learned that the fleet had been warned when entering Mongolian airspace. In the past Soviet times, they never encountered such a situation, because Soviet pilots usually did not inform Mongolia in advance. The Russian pilots were very angry about this, but the Chinese representative humorously joked, "The little brother has grown up and does not listen to the big brother." "The Russian side did not expect such a situation either.
After communication with the Mongolian government, the two sides finally agreed that Russia would pay Mongolia $200,000 in tolls in exchange for opening Mongolia's airspace. However, this is not the last twist and turn before the Su-27 fighter jet settles in China.
Before takeoff, the Russian pilot solemnly reminded everyone that the flight must be carried out according to plan to ensure that it reaches its destination on time. However, they ended up arriving at Wuhu Airport a few hours early. The ground tower did not allow them to land, and the sudden incident caused tensions. Without hesitation, the Russian crew took over the walkie-talkie and directed the landing of the fighter. This unexpected incident not only highlights the complexity and challenges of the delivery process, but also gives the Chinese military a new understanding of the situation in the military cooperation between Russia and China.