Su-15 Flagon Shoots Down Korean Air Lines Flight 007

The Su-15 Flagon was a Soviet air defense fighter that played a key role in the downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007 on September 1, 1983. The incident occurred when the Boeing 747-230B, captained by Chun Byung-in, deviated from its planned route and entered Soviet airspace near the Kamchatka Peninsula. Despite warnings from Soviet air defense radar operators, the aircraft was intercepted by two Su-15TMs, piloted by Maj. Ghennadiy N. Osipovich and an unnamed co-pilot.

Osipovich attempted to contact the crew via radio and fired warning shots from his cannons, but the Korean crew failed to notice them. After being ordered to destroy the aircraft, Osipovich launched two R-98 missiles that damaged the hydraulics and control system of the 747. The plane suffered a complete decompression and crashed into the Sea of Japan off Moneron Island, killing all 269 occupants.

The incident sparked a massive public outcry and a heated debate over whether the downing was intentional or an accident. Some theories suggest that the 747 may have been on a spy mission to gather information about Soviet military installations in the area, while others propose that it was simply a navigation error due to the use of an inertial navigation system.