List of Cold War pilot defections

During the Cold War, a number of pilots from various nations (Eastern Bloc, Western Bloc, and non-aligned) defected with their aircraft to other countries.

A number of defections occurred from the People's Republic of China, with most of its pilots defecting to the Republic of China (Taiwan). These include:

Note: Rewards paid in taels have been converted to mass at a rate of 50 grams (1.6 ozt) per "new market tael".

Between 1949 and 1956 four Polish MiGs and one Il-2M3 defected from communist Poland to Denmark and Sweden.

Soviet pilots also defected and the most famous involved defecting with the most advanced jet fighters at the time, including: