Two MiG-29 Soviet jets landed in United States in 1989

August, back in 1989, during Glasnost and Perestroika, two MiG-29 Soviet jets landed for the first time on U.S. soil since World War II.
In 1989, with the easing of Cold War tensions, the Soviet Union began actively participating in international airshows. The MiG-29, one of the most modern Soviet fighters of the time, made its Western debut at the Farnborough Airshow in the United Kingdom in 1988 and at Le Bourget, France, in 1989.

In August 1989, two MiG-29 were invited to the Abbotsford International Airshow in British Columbia, Canada. It was the first visit of Soviet combat aircraft to North America. The route included a large loop passing through Alaska, where refueling was necessary.
A pair of "MiGs" was intercepted by American F-15C Eagle fighters from the 21st Tactical Fighter Wing of the US Air Force.

The interception (first photo) took place over the Bering Strait: four F-15s performed a maneuver characteristic of a real combat interception (the so-called "Deploy"), although the situation was peaceful. The American pilots described the moment as exciting. For the first time, they flew side by side with a Soviet fighter jet, even waving to the MiG pilots.
The two MiG-29s - a single-seat and a two-seat combat training model (respectively "314" and "304 blue with white trim") - landed at Elmendorf on August 6, 1989. The huge Antonov An-225 transport plane served as technical support.
The An-225 landed first, while the MiGs arrived two hours ahead of schedule, performing several high-speed passes and turns over the airfield before landing.

The visit lasted about three hours: the planes refueled, the crews held a press conference and had lunch. Afterwards, the F-15s escorted the Soviet fighters to the Canadian border, where they "handed over" the MiG-29s to the Canadian CF-18s.