Soviets upgrade jet force based off northern Japan

The Soviet Air Force has deployed new warplanes on an island off the northern Japanese coast in an apparent response to American plans for strengthening the US Air Force in northern Japan, military sources said.

They said a squadron of 12 delta-winged MIG-21 supersonic fighters landed at Tennei air base on Etorofu Island last week and appeared to be on permanent assignment. The MIG-21 is vastly superior in performance to the subsonic MIG-17s , based until recently on Etorofu, 90 miles off the northern Japanese coast.