Two Eritrean pilots last year defected to Saudi Arabia with their fighter jet. A pilot who was sent later to reclaim the jet also defected. (Photo courtesy of www.awrambatimes.com.)
Posted on 11/14/2013 5:21:42 AM PST by Pan_Yan
Saudi fighter jets on Tuesday intercepted an Eritrean plane and forced it to land in King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz Airport in Jazan, said Yassine al-Qassem, deputy media spokesman in the province of Jazan.
It was not clear whether the plane was civilian or military, but Qassem said it was carrying three passengers who were seeking asylum and that this was granted to them through a speedy procedure.
This was not the first time Eritreans flee to Saudi Arabia. In April, a military pilot sent by Eretria to reclaim a fighter jet that was previously stolen by two officers and landed with it in Saudi Arabia had herself defected.
Eretria has one of the most authoritarian regimes in Africa. Human Rights Watch says “torture, arbitrary detention, and severe restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and religious freedom remain routine in Eritrea.”
President Isaias Afworki has ruled the country, of about six millions, since 1993 and his party, the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), is the sole legal political party in the country.
Two Eritrean pilots last year defected to Saudi Arabia with their fighter jet. A pilot who was sent later to reclaim the jet also defected. (Photo courtesy of www.awrambatimes.com.)
Its got to be bad when people flee to Saudi Arabia to get away
Who manufactured the jet? Looks like it could go further than S.A. Maybe little fuel.
People from Eritrea and Somalia often flee to Yemen. Y-E-M-E-N. Let that sink in. These guys at least had a plane and could get a little further.
I read somewhere that North Korea provides insufficient fuel to their pilots to prevent them from defecting.
I’m waiting for one of our local experts to tell me what Russian fighter that is. I think that’s a picture of the plane whose pilots defected earlier this year. This most recent defection was a cargo plane according to another article.
I do think it’s funny that the woman pilot they sent to get the plane back also defected. How bad are things when a woman defects to Saudi Arabia?
There was a story a couple of years ago that two pilots defected from Eritrea in the president’s plane.
You took the works out of my mouth.
It’s an Su-27 Flanker. Nearly the entire Eritrean Air Force has defected over the last couple of years, with the majority going to either Ethiopia or Saudi Arabia.
Question: Is that where “We are The World” got started?
MiG-29
Okay you two, stop that. Which one of you is right or is it two names for the same plane?
I conceed that from this angle both the MiG-29 fucrum and Su-27 flanker a/c feature a striking hump immediately behind the cockpit. In that respect both candidates are the same. However the flanker is considerably larger and its thrust vectoring engine nozzles always lie astride a huge brake chute deployment compartment that projects rearward.
Sorry I was unclear:
Huge tail stinger = Su-27
No tail Stinger = MiG-29
On second glance, Gaijin is probably correct; it is a MiG-29. Both aircraft are similar in design, but there are a few subtle differences.
“The Eritrean Air Force”
Not an everyday topic of conversation.
It's surreal, alright, but then again, not as surreal as North Koreans escaping to... The People's Republic of China...
the infowarrior
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