MiG-25 Foxbat
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Manufacturer:
Mikoyan-Gurevich
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Combat Role:
Tatical Fighter & Interceptor
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Year of First Flight:
1964
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First Production Run:
1969
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Crew:
1
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Engines:
Two Mikulin-Tumansky R-15BD-300 Turbojet Engines.
Each engine is capable of producing over 28,000 lbs. of thrust.
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Length:
66 Feet
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Wing Span:
47 Feet (Wing area of approximately 204 Square Feet)
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Height:
20 Feet
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Wieght:
44,000 lbs. Empty, 80,784 lbs. Fully Loaded
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Speed:
Mach 2.3, with a maximum of Mach 3.2 (Mach 1 is the speed of sound)
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Maximum Altitude:
68,000 Feet
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Armaments:
Four R-40T/R or R-60 Air-to-Air Missiles
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The MiG-25 was developed in response to a Cold Ward military
air threat that never came to be; the North American/Rockwell B-70
Valkyrie. a long range, high-speed and high-altitide strategic bomber
that was flown in trails during the mid 1960s but never produced.
To counter this new threat, the Soviets developed this sizeable
high altitude missle delivery platform. For some time, its performance
held the world speed and altitude records. The mystique of the Foxbat grew
as reconaissance variations of the MiG-25 flew over Israel during the early 1970s
as McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs could not match its speed or altitude.
The MiG-25's performance was a cause of much consternation at the
Pentagon, which, in turn, gave rise to the design and production of advanced air
superiority fighters, such as the McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle.
The shroud of mystery surrounding the Foxbat was lifted unexpectedly in 1976, when Soviet Air Force
pilot Lt. Col. Viktor Belenko defected to the west by landing a Foxbat in Japan's
Hokaido Airport. Before the plane was returned to the Soviets, Western militiary
and intelligence officials thoroughly dissected and analyzed every part of the Foxbat.
As later disclosed by Belenko in his autobiography, what they found was nothing short
of astounding. The MiG-25's electronics and radar at the time was heavily based
on the use of vacuum tubes. And, although the Foxbat could reach speeds in excess of
three times the speed of sound, Mach 3 flight could not be sustained for more than ten
to fifteen minutes at a time, unless there were a pair of replacement Mikulin-Tumansky
turbojets readily available. Replacing the engines after complete burnout could take as long as three
days.
A later variation of the MiG-25, the MiG-31 Foxhound, kept many of the same attributes as the Foxbat,
but used a greater amount of aluminium alloys as opposed to titanium to reduce its weight, and was
refitted with Pulse-Doppler radar. Radar tracking capabilities between Foxhounds could be linked
to increase scanning ranges from 600 to 800 miles. What the Foxbat had in speed and altitude,
it lacked in maneuverability, and a very noticeable radar and infa-red profile. Later models were
exported and are still in active service of the Air Forces of India, China, North Korea, Syria,
Libya, and Iraq. With the fall of communism, and with operations and upkeep requiring funding,
it is now possible for tourists to pay around $20,000 (US) to fly as a passenger in a two-seat
trainer variation of this aircraft.
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Additional Web Links:
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