--- title: "The best Cold War communist military technology was all stolen from the West" date: "2022-08-02" modified: "2022-08-02" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/articles/the-best-cold-war-communist-military-technology-was-all-stolen-from-the-west/" categories: - "Cold War" - "History" - "Military News" - "Technology" - "War History" --- # The best Cold War communist military technology was all stolen from the West ![cold war technology]() *Members of a 74th Aircraft Maintenance Unit load crew transport an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile during a weapons load competition. (U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Jamal Sutter)* There’s just no upside to communism. Even when they can force an entire country to bend to their will and mobilize all available resources, they still come up short. Not just a little short, either. Way short. From the end of World War II to the end of the Cold War, communism was continually striving to catch up with the capitalist Western countries. In order to stay even slightly competitive, the Soviet Union had to steal the best technology; it couldn’t develop any of it on its own. The Soviets stole nuclear weapons and advanced jet engines from the West, giving the communists a chance against the United States, NATO, and other Western armies for decades to come. With all that in mind, one might be tempted to think that the worst among the stolen technologies would be nuclear weapons. But that person would be wrong. ![A detailed image of an AIM-9L-1 missile, featuring a cylindrical body with a pointed black nose, four large triangular fins near the front, and four smaller fins at the rear. The missile has a camouflage pattern on the front section and white with blue markings on the rear, including the label "AIM-9L-1" prominently displayed. Various technical markings and serial numbers are visible on the body.]() *AIM-9L Sidewinder. Chef's kiss. AIM-9L Sidewinder* Arguably the biggest disaster for American and Western military secrets didn’t come in the form of information from a spy, electronic eavesdropping, or even the outright theft of the tech. In some ways, one could argue that the United States essentially gave it away. America’s greatest Cold War intelligence loss was the Sidewinder air-to-air death machine, and the communists got it because of one faulty missile. On September 28, 1958, the Chinese Nationalist Kuomintang was fighting for its life against a Chinese communist invasion. The communists in mainland China were enjoying supremacy in the air, as the advanced, Soviet-built MiG-17 made its first combat appearance. The Chinese MiG-17 was so far advanced over the F-86 Sabres flown by the nationalist Taiwanese that the communists were able to essentially choose when and where they would engage and for how long. Nationalist air forces were taking a beating. Then, the Kuomintang invoked its defense treaty with the United States. President Dwight D. Eisenhower not only ordered the U.S. Navy to protect the island’s supply lines; he also authorized Operation Black Magic, the strategic retrofitting of Taiwan’s fighter aircraft. They were going to be specially-modified to carry the United States’ small but mighty new weapon: the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. ![]() *Soviet MiG-17F in USAF use. (Department of Defense) Soviet MiG-17F in USAF use. (DoD photo)* The Sidewinder was (and is) one of the most stunningly capable missiles ever built by anyone anywhere. Since the Navy introduced the weapon in 1956, it has been adopted first by the U.S. Air Force, then much of the rest of the modern world. Even today, variants of the AIM-9 are still in use worldwide. So are the rip-offs of the same future technology. Sidewinders are cheap, effective, and are also the most successful missile ever developed, with more than 270 air-to-air kills in its operational history. One of those kills should have been a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force MIG-17 in the skies over the Strait of Taiwan on September 28, 1958 – but it wasn’t to be, and that's how the communists got one. One nationalist Sidewinder missile hit a communist MiG-17 over the strait, but it didn’t explode on impact. Instead, it embedded itself into the aircraft, which limped home with a missile in its belly. Eventually, the communists reverse-engineered the brilliant, easily produced weapon, creating the Soviet K-13 weapon. Everything about the original K-13 missiles was stolen, and within three years, the Soviets were using NATO’s own new missile against them. ## Don’t Miss the Best of Mighty History We Are The Mighty is a celebration of military service, with a mission to entertain, inform, and inspire those who serve and those who support them. We are made by and for current service members, veterans, spouses, family members, and civilians who want to be part of this community. Keep up with the best in military culture and entertainment: [subscribe to the We Are The Mighty newsletter](). - [This is what happened when the Navy banned alcohol on its ships]() - []()[This pilot shot down an enemy fighter with his 1911]() - [Why Saddam Hussein buried Iraq’s air force in the desert]() ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()