The Cuban Mig-17, No.232 Which Helped the U.S. Republican Argument Toward the AWACS Program In 1969

The most famous event involving a Cuban MiG-17AS, was associated with the desertion of one of it's pilots to United States. This happened on October 5th 1969, when Cuban Air Force Lieutenant Eduardo Guerra Jimenez from the Santa Clara MIG-17AS Regiment landed his MiG-17AS N°232 at Homestead AFB during the same time that President Lyndon Johnson Boeing 707 "Air Force One" was at the base, when Johnson was on a scheduled visit to Miami.

The incident showed the vulnerability of America's airspace. This serious incident provoked debates within the U.S. Congress, where Republican Congressman Robert F. Sikes uses it as strong argument in favor of the Radar Program AWACS.