Foxbat ex Wiki
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The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (Russian:
Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-25) (NATO
reporting name: Foxbat) is a
supersonic
interceptor and
reconnaissance aircraft that was among the
fastest military aircraft to enter service. It was designed by the
Soviet
Union's
Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau. The first prototype flew in 1964, and the aircraft
entered into service in 1970. It has a top speed of
Mach 2.83
(as high as Mach 3.2, but at risk of significant damage to the engines), and
features a powerful
radar and four
air-to-air missiles.
When first seen in reconnaissance photography, the large wing planform suggested an enormous and highly maneuverable fighter, at a time when U.S. design theories were also evolving towards higher maneuverability due to combat performance in the Vietnam War. The appearance of the MiG-25 sparked serious concern in the West and prompted dramatic increases in performance for the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle in late 1960s. The capabilities of the MiG-25 were better understood in 1976 when Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko defected in a MiG-25 to the United States via Japan. It turned out that the weight of the aircraft necessitated large wings.
Production of the MiG-25 series ended in 1984 after completion of 1,190
aircraft. A symbol of the
Cold War,
the MiG-25 flew with Soviet allies and
former Soviet republics, remaining in limited service in
Russia and several other nations. It is the second fastest and second
highest-flying military aircraft ever fielded after the
SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.[2]
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It could have been rather fun to fly.
Spyplanes, Spyships & Seizures
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1976: Stolen MiG-25 lands in Japan: A Soviet military pilot
defected to the West, fleeing to Japan in his MiG-25 fighter jet.
The Mach-3 jet (NATO designation "Foxbat") was a mystery craft to
the Western powers, particularly the U.S., who were eager to examine the latest,
"most advanced" Soviet fighter. The Defense Department had long used the
mystery of the MiG-25 as a "boogeyman" to scare the government into funding
advanced U.S. weaponry.
On September 6, Russian pilot, Lt. Viktor Belenko, landed his MiG-25 fighter
(NATO designation "Foxbat" shown below) at an airfield near Hakodate, on Japan's
northern island of Hokkaido, and asked for asylum, and it was temporarily
granted. The Soviet government furiously demanded the prompt return of
their stolen plane, and the pilot who took it. And when Japan refused, the
Russian Navy, in retaliation, captured Japanese fishing boats and imprisoned
their crews, while Soviet military craft menaced Japanese military craft over
international waters.
The condescending bluster and arrogant challenges of the Soviets only insulted the Japanese -- who dug their heels in more forcefully, and welcomed U.S. requests to examine the aircraft. Then- U.S.-Defense-Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld (who, ironically, is now again the Secretary of Defense) admitted "we wanted the plane. We wanted metal samples; to fly it, take it apart, then fly it again." He got his wish. The Japanese government allowed the U.S. to disassemble the plane, stuff it in a giant C-5A Galaxy transport, and fly it to a Japanese airbase near Tokyo for a thorough disassembly and inspection. Two months later, it was shipped back to the Russians in pieces.
What was expected to be an intelligence bonanza turned into an embarrassment for the U.S. Defense Department. The MiG's crude, bulky, stainless-steel construction, poor aerodynamic qualities, limited weapons capacity, short range and utterly archaic electronics discredited Defense Department paranoia over the new aircraft, and over Soviet military technology, generally.
The pilot, Lt. Belenko defected to the United States, and spent months
answering questions for the Defense Department and the CIA.
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So it
was not very good?