In the late 1960s, the USSR debuted its most formidable fighter in the world. The MiG-25 Foxbat could outrun any fighter, and indeed any military aircraft, with the exception of the SR-71 Blackbird. With such a carnivorous name — "Foxbat" translates as flying fox — an intimidating appearance and excellent characteristics, the MiG-25 seemed invincible.
Robert Farley
Unlike the older MiG-21, there are very few operational MiG-25s left. Most of them are part of the Algerian and Syrian Arab Republic Air Forces, although recently there have been reports that MiG-25s are returning to service in Libya. Most of the flying foxes were decommissioned shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and some remained for some time as part of the Air Forces of the former Soviet republics. The Iraqi MiG-25s were mostly destroyed during the Persian Gulf War, and those that remained were shot down during Operation Desert Storm.
In the late 1960s, the USSR debuted its most formidable fighter in the world, as it seemed at the time. MiG-25 "Foxbat" (Foxbat) in the NATO classification) it could outrun any fighter, and indeed any military aircraft, with the exception of the SR-71 "Blackbird" (Blackbird).
With such a carnivorous name (Foxbat translates as flying fox), intimidating appearance and magnificent characteristics, the MiG-25 seemed invincible. With its enormous flight speed, high altitude stability ceiling and serious combat load, it gave the impression that it would be able to effectively fight on the central front, and at the same time provide Soviet airspace with immunity from American penetration. The United States, having learned from the use of third-generation fighters in Vietnam, looking at the flying fox, accelerated its innovations, and this led to the creation of the F-15 Eagle.
But the MiG-25 did not meet such expectations. Design flaws, production problems and a lack of target tasks meant that this aircraft was unable to compete in quality with the best fighters of its time, and in cost with the MiG-21. Despite its stunning characteristics, the Flying Fox has almost completely disappeared from the combat air forces of different countries of the world today.
The history of the MiG-25
This aircraft was supposed to protect the airspace of the USSR from high-speed and high-altitude American bombers. The biggest threat was the B-58 Hustler, which entered service in the 1960s (it was a strategic bomber carrying nuclear weapons on board and developing speeds of more than two thousand kilometers per hour). But a futuristic B-70 Valkyrie bomber was already looming on the horizon, which could penetrate Soviet airspace at speeds of more than three thousand kilometers per hour. With long-range missiles, powerful radar and powerful engines in their arsenal, the Soviets designed the MiG-25, setting it the task of catching up and destroying these high-speed bombers.
The MiG-25 entered service in 1970 (the same year the B-58 was decommissioned, and the B-70 project was closed eight years earlier), and the last aircraft left the workshop in 1984. In general, 1,186 MiG-25s were built in the Soviet Union for the needs of the Air Force and for export, but the vast majority of these machines were used in the USSR. Moscow has never licensed the production of this machine abroad, but Beijing has never stopped, and it has made every effort to copy the MiG-25.
Of course, the threat from Soviet anti-aircraft missile systems forced American bombers to switch from high to low altitudes, which is why the B-52 Stratofortress received a new start in life, and major changes took place in the air defense system. The MiG-25 did not have radar for detecting and hitting targets in the lower hemisphere (the Soviets created them only in the 1980s), and it was very difficult for the flying foxes to intercept from above. In reality, the MiG-25 was mainly used to chase and intercept high-flying reconnaissance aircraft such as the SR-71.
Specifications
The MiG-25 had (and still has) amazing characteristics. During a long flight, it can reach a speed of M = 2.83, and if the pilot does not care about the engines, then he can accelerate the car to M = 3. As an interceptor and fighter to gain air superiority, the aircraft carries four R-40 air-to-air missiles with a launch range of 80 kilometers. The MiG-25 is capable of climbing to a height of more than 19.8 kilometers. The MiG-25, in the role of a scout, was equipped with modern electronic and photographic equipment, and had an even larger ceiling. Several vehicles have been upgraded and could act as high-speed strike fighters.
Such characteristics horrified Western analysts, who did not have enough information about how the MiG-25 flies in combat conditions. The appearance of this machine (and the speed and altitude records it set) forced the United States to launch a program to create tactical fighters, which resulted in the F-15 Eagle. When a Soviet defector landed the MiG-25 in Japan in 1976, American engineers got a better idea of its characteristics.
They found that the flying fox has a lot of problems and flaws. Due to the shortcomings of production technologies in the USSR, this aircraft was heavier than its Western counterparts. It had poor maneuverability at high speeds and poor handling at low altitudes. The radar was not very effective in normal combat situations, when it was necessary to intercept enemy fighters, and problems with control at low altitudes led to the fact that the aircraft did not cope well with its tasks in such conditions. All these shortcomings would be forgiven if the MiG-25 had to act as a high-altitude interceptor, but it had to act in completely different circumstances.
Combat use
In combat, the Flying fox achieved limited success. In 1971, the Soviet MiG-25, which took off from an Egyptian airfield, turned on the afterburner and managed to escape from several Israeli fighters, reaching speeds above M = 3, although both of its engines failed as a result. During the war, Israeli fighter jets shot down several Syrian MiG-25s in air battles in the skies over Lebanon. During the Syrian civil war, the Syrian Arab Republic Air Force, in desperation, sent outdated MiG-25s to support ground forces, and in one case, the pilot launched air-to-air missiles at ground targets.
Iraq used the MiG-25 extensively during the war with Iran and claimed to have shot down Iranian aircraft (without naming their number and saying nothing about its own losses). According to available information, Iraqi MiG-25s were repeatedly defeated by Iranian F-14s, but they quite successfully destroyed older aircraft. The Iraqi Air Force claimed that its MiG-25 shot down the last two American aircraft lost in air combat. At the very beginning of the Gulf War, the MiG-25 shot down an F/A-18 piloted by Scott Speicher (American fighters destroyed several MiG-25s). In 2002, the US Air Force set a trap for a MiG-25 pilot who, using the enormous speed of the interceptor, hunted American drones in the northern no-fly zone. Engineers installed the Predator on the UAV An air-to-air missile to trap and destroy the MiG. But this plan did not succeed, because the Iraqi pilot himself shot down the drone with a missile.
Demise
Unlike the older MiG-21, there are very few operational MiG-25s left. Most of them are part of the Algerian and Syrian Arab Republic Air Forces, although recently there have been reports that MiG-25s are returning to service in Libya. Most of the flying foxes were decommissioned shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and some remained for some time as part of the Air Forces of the former Soviet republics. The Iraqi MiG-25s were mostly destroyed during the Persian Gulf War, and those that remained were shot down during Operation Desert Storm.
In the USSR, the MiG-25 eventually became the MiG-31. This version helped to solve many of the problems of the original, while preserving its main characteristics. The MiG-31 now has a radar for detecting and hitting targets in the lower hemisphere, which gave it a chance to detect and destroy low-flying bombers and cruise missiles.
The MiG-25, designed to destroy a bomber that never appeared, became a headache for foreign designers and accelerated the creation of one of the world's best fighters. It became the model and basis for the MiG-31, which is still in service with the Russian Air Force and will fly for the foreseeable future. But the few MiG-25s that remain operate in an environment that their creators could not even imagine, and therefore their effectiveness is very limited. The Flying Fox, created to perform a very specific task, was unable to adapt to the new conditions of warfare.
Robert Farley frequently publishes articles in the National Interest. Farley is a senior lecturer at the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce at the University of Kentucky. His area of expertise includes military doctrine, national security and maritime affairs.
