Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| MiG-25 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| MiG-25PU two-seat trainer | |
| Role | Interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB |
| First flight | 6 March 1964 |
| Introduction | 1970 |
| Status | Limited service |
| Primary users | Russian Air Force Algerian Air Force Syrian Air Force Military of Turkmenistan |
| Produced | 1964-1984 |
| Number built | 1,186[1] |
| Developed into | Mikoyan MiG-31 |
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 then under development 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]
Contents
Design and development
Background
During the Cold War, Soviet Air Defence Forces, PVO (not to be confused with Soviet Air Force, VVS) was given the task of strategic air defense of the USSR. In the decades after World War II, this meant not only dealing with accidental border violations, but more importantly defending the vast airspace of the USSR against US reconnaissance aircraft and strategic bombers carrying free-fall nuclear bombs. The performance of these types of aircraft was steadily improved. Overflights by the very high altitude American Lockheed U-2 in the late 1950s revealed a need for higher altitude interceptor aircraft than currently available.[3]The subsonic Boeing B-47 Stratojet and Boeing B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers were followed by the Mach 2-capable Convair B-58 Hustler, with the even faster North American B-70 Valkyrie on the drawing board. A major upgrade in the PVO defence system was required, and at the start of 1958 a requirement was issued for manned interceptors capable of reaching 3,000 km/h and heights of up to 27 km (88,583 ft). Mikoyan and Sukhoi responded.[4]
Designing a new interceptor
Work on the new Soviet interceptor that became the MiG-25 started in mid-1959,[6] a year before Soviet intelligence learned of the American Mach 3 A-12 reconnaissance aircraft.[7] It is not clear if the design was influenced by the American A-5 Vigilante.[6]The design bureau studied several possible layouts for the new aircraft. One had the engines located side-by-side, as on the MiG-19. The second had a stepped arrangement with one engine amidships, with exhaust under the fuselage, and another in the aft fuselage. The third project had an engine arrangement similar to that of the English Electric Lightning, with two engines stacked vertically. Option two and three were both rejected because the size of the engines meant any of them would result in a very tall aircraft which would complicate maintenance.[6]
The idea of placing the engines in underwing nacelles was also rejected because of the dangers of any thrust asymmetry during flight. Having decided on engine configuration, there was thought of giving the machine variable-sweep wings and a second crew member, a navigator. Variable geometry would improve maneuverability at subsonic speed, but at the cost of decreased fuel tank capacity. Because the reconnaissance aircraft would operate at high speed and high altitude the idea was soon dropped. Another interesting but impractical idea was to improve the field performance using two RD36-35 lift-jets. Vertical takeoff and landing would allow for use of damaged runways during wartime and was studied on both sides of the Iron Curtain. The problem has always been that engines dedicated to vertical lift do not contribute with any power in horizontal flight, and occupy space in the airframe needed for fuel. The MiG interceptor would need all the fuel it could get, so the idea was abandoned.[8]
The first flight of the interceptor prototype, "Ye-155-P1", took place on 9 September 1964.[11] Development of the MiG-25, which represented a major step forward in Soviet aerodynamics, engineering and metallurgy, took several more years to complete.[11][12]
On 9 July 1967, the new aircraft was first shown to the public at the Domodedovo air show, with four prototypes (three fighters and a reconnaissance aircraft) making a flypast.[13]
Record breaker
The Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau soon realized that the performance of the new aircraft gave it great potential to set new flight records. In addition to their normal duties, the prototypes Ye-155-P1, Ye-155-R1, Ye-155-R3 were made lighter by removing some unneeded equipment, and were used for these attempts. Under Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) classification the Ye-155 type belonged to class C1 (III), which specifies jet-powered land planes with unlimited maximum take-off weight. Records set included:- The first claim was for world speed records with no payload and payloads of 1,000 and 2,000 kilograms. Test pilot Alexander Fedotov reached an average speed of 2,319.12 km/h over a 1,000 km circuit in 16 March 1965.[11]
- For pure speed, with no payload, test pilot Mikhail M. Komarov averaged 2,981.5 km/h over a 500 km closed circuit on 5 October 1967.[11] On the same day A. Fedotov reached an altitude of 29,977 metres (98,350 ft) with a 1,000 kilogram payload.[14] The MiG eventually became the first aircraft to go higher than 35,000 metres (115,000 ft).[14]
- Time to height records were recorded on 4 June 1973 when Boris A. Orlov climbed to 20,000 m in 2 min 49.8 sec. The same day, Pyotr M. Ostapenko reached 25,000 m in 3 min 12.6 sec and 30,000 m in 4 min 3.86 sec.[14]
- On 25 July 1973, A. Fedotov reached 35,230m with 1,000 kg payload, and 36,240 m with no load (an absolute world record).[14] In the thin air, the engines flamed out and the aircraft coasted on in a ballistic trajectory by inertia alone. At the apex the speed had dropped to 75 km/h.
- A few years later, on 31 August 1977, "Ye-266M" flown by MiG OKB Chief Test Pilot Alexander V. Fedotov, set the recognized absolute altitude record for a jet aircraft under its own power.[15] He reached 37,650 metres (123,520 ft) at Podmoskovnoye, USSR in zoom climb (the absolute altitude record is different from the record for sustained altitude in horizontal flight). The aircraft was actually a MiG-25RB re-engined with the powerful R15BF2-300. It had earlier been part of the program to improve the aircraft's top speed that resulted in the MiG-25M prototype.[6]
Technical description
Because of the thermal stresses incurred in flight above Mach 2, the Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB had difficulties choosing what materials to use for the aircraft. They had to use E-2 heat-resistant plexiglass for the canopy, and high-strength stainless steel for the wings and fuselage. Using titanium rather than steel would have been ideal, but it was expensive and difficult to work. The problem of cracks in welded titanium structures with thin walls could not be solved, so the heavier nickel steel was used instead. It cost far less than titanium and allowed for welding, along with heat resistant seals.[6] The MiG-25 was constructed from 80% nickel steel alloy, 11% aluminium, and 9% titanium.[16] The steel components were formed by a combination of spot-welding, automatic machine welding and hand arc welding methods.Initially, the interceptor version was equipped with the TL-25 Smerch-A (also referred to as Product 720) radar, a development of the system carried by the earlier Tu-128. While powerful, and thus long-ranged and resistant to jamming, the system - due the age of its design and its intended purpose (tracking and targeting high- and fast-flying US bombers and reconnaissance aircraft), lacked Look-down/shoot-down capability, which limited its effectiveness against low-flying targets. By the time the MiG-25 entered service in 1969, this was a serious shortcoming, as strategic bombing doctrine was shifting towards low-level penetration of enemy territory. After Belenko's defection to Japan exposed this flaw to the West, a government decree issued on November 4, 1976 called for urgent development of a more advanced radar. This resulted in the pulse-Doppler Sapphire-25 system fitted to the MiG-25PD variant.
Automatic control system SAU 155П1 (interceptor) or SAU 155Р1 (scout): navigation system «Peleng-D (ETC, DM)»; heat radar 26Ш-1; корекция radio - guidance system «Lazur» (for interceptor); direction finder ARC-10; altimeter great heights RV-18 (RV-19); SPO Sirena-3M» or LO 06 «Birch»; control system air intake СРВМу-2A; system range radionavigation RSBN-6C «coral»; marker radio MCI-56П; intercom SPU-7; the Respondent CO-63B; system of air signals SVS-MO-5; voice informer RI-65; voice recorder MS-61 and others On late production was installed SEC «rainbow».
All interceptors installed «Polet-1I,» consisting of the electronic systems of navigation and landing, курсовертикали, air signals and systems of the automatic flight control. The spies were established: photographic equipment And 70 or A-72 station surveillance Cube-3M», radar side view «Sabre», the station of radio reconnaissance «Virazh» or «Pitch».
Armament interceptor includes four supersonic (M>5) UR great range R-40T (R-40TD) with thermal homing head and P-40P (R-40RD) with semi-active radar guidance system (maximum launch range, on altitudinal goal on a collision course - 35–60 km). Under the fuselage can suspended fuel tank. The aircraft could carry unguided gravity bombs in a rudimentary strike capability.[17] As the bombs would weigh no more and incur no more drag than its regular load of R-40 missiles, its performance was not impaired, leading to some impressive bombing feats; when released at an altitude of 20,000m (66,000 ft) and a speed above Mach 2, a 500 kg bomb would have a glide range of several tens of kilometres.[18]
The MiG-25 was theoretically capable of a maximum speed of Mach 3+ and a ceiling of 90,000 ft (27,000 m). Its high speed was problematic: although sufficient thrust was available to reach Mach 3.2, a limit of Mach 2.83 had to be imposed as the turbines tended to overspeed and overheat at higher speeds, possibly damaging them beyond repair.[19][20]
Into production
6
Western intelligence and the MiG-25
The analysis, based on technical manuals and ground tests of engines and avionics, revealed unusual technical information:
- Belenko's particular aircraft was brand new, representing the latest Soviet technology.
- The aircraft was assembled quickly, and was essentially built around its massive Tumansky R-15(B) turbojets.
- Welding was done by hand. Rivets with non-flush heads were used in areas that would not cause adverse aerodynamic drag.[23]
- The aircraft was built of a nickel alloy and not titanium as was assumed (though some titanium was used in heat-critical areas). The steel construction contributed to the craft's 29,000 kg (64,000 lb) unarmed weight.
- Maximum acceleration (g-load) rating was just 2.2 g (21.6 m/s²) with full fuel tanks, with an absolute limit of 4.5 g (44.1 m/s²). One MiG-25 withstood an inadvertent 11.5 g (112.8 m/s²) pull during low-altitude dogfight training, but the resulting deformation damaged the airframe beyond repair.[24]
- Combat radius was 299 kilometres (186 mi), and maximum range on internal fuel (at subsonic speeds) was only 1,197 kilometres (744 mi) at low altitude (< 1000 meter).[6]
- The airspeed indicator was redlined at Mach 2.8, with typical intercept speeds near Mach 2.5 in order to extend the service life of the engines.[22] A MiG-25 was tracked flying over Sinai at Mach 3.2 in the early 1970s, but the flight led to the engines being damaged beyond repair.[23]
- The majority of the on-board avionics were based on vacuum-tube technology, not solid-state electronics. Although they represented aging technology, vacuum tubes were more tolerant of temperature extremes, thereby removing the need for environmental controls in the avionics bays. The vacuum tubes were also easy to replace in remote northern airfields where sophisticated transistor parts might not have been readily available. With the use of vacuum tubes, the MiG-25P's original Smerch-A (Tornado, NATO reporting name "Foxfire") radar had enormous power – about 600 kilowatts. As with most Soviet aircraft, the MiG-25 was designed to be as robust as possible. The use of vacuum tubes also makes the aircraft's systems resistant to an electromagnetic pulse, for example after a nuclear blast.[25]
Later versions
As the result of Belenko's defection and the compromise of the MiG-25P's radar and missile systems, beginning in 1976, the Soviets started to develop an advanced version, the MiG-25PD ("Foxbat-E").[6]Plans for a new aircraft to develop the Foxbat's potential to go faster than the in-service limit of Mach 2.8 were designed as a flying prototype. Unofficially designated MiG-25M, it had new powerful engines R15BF2-300, improved radar, and missiles. This work never resulted in a machine for series production, as the coming MiG-31 showed more promise.[6]
Operational history
Over Middle East
On 6 November 1971, an Egyptian MiG-25 flying at Mach 2.5 was met by Israeli F-4Es and fired upon unsuccessfully.[26] A MiG-25 was tracked flying over Sinai at Mach 3.2 during this period. The MiG-25 engines went into overspeed, which led to them being scrapped.[7] Unit Det 63 was sent back home in 1972, though reconnaissance Foxbats were sent back to Egypt in 19–20 October 1973 during the Yom Kippur War.[26] Unit Det 154 remained there until late 1974.
On 13 February 1981, the Israeli Air Force sent two RF-4Es over Lebanon as decoys for Syrian MiG-25 interceptors. As the MiGs scrambled, the RF-4Es turned back delivering chaff and using ECM pods. Two IDF/AF F-15As were waiting for the MiGs and shot one of them down with AIM-7F missiles. The other MiG was able to escape.[27] In a similar engagement, on 29 July 1981, a Syrian MiG-25 was again downed by an Israeli F-15A,[28][29] after which a second MiG-25 launched its R-40 missiles at the F-15 and its wingman, but they missed.[30] However, other sources say the missiles hit and downed one of the F-15s.[29] On 31 August 1982, a third Syrian MiG-25 was damaged by an Israeli Hawk SAM and then destroyed by an F-15.[31]
During the 1970s, the Soviet air force conducted reconnaissance overflights across Iran using its MiG-25RBSh aircraft in response to joint US-Iran recon operations.[32]
Iran-Iraq War
The MiG-25 was in service with the Iraqi Air Force during the Iran–Iraq War. On 19 March 1982 an Iranian F-4E was badly damaged by missile fired by an Iraqi MiG-25.[33] Iraqi MiG-25s made another kill against Iran in February 1983, when an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Iranian C-130. On April 1984, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Iranian F-5E. On 21 March 1984, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Iranian F-4E and on 5 June 1985 an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down a second Iranian F-4E. On 23 February 1986, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Iranian EC-130E and on 10 June an RF-4E, later in October 1986, an Iraqi MiG-25PDS shot down a second RF-4E.[34]
The most successful Iraqi MiG-25 pilot of the war was Colonel Mohommed "Sky Falcon" Rayyan, who was credited with 10 kills. Eight of these were while flying the MiG-25P from 1981 to 1986. In 1986, after attaining the rank of Colonel, Rayyan was shot down and killed by Iranian F-14s.[35] The Iraqis claimed a total of 19 Iranian fighters, plus 4 foreign jets shot down by the MiG-25.[citation needed] For the majority of the air combat Iraqi pilots used R-40 missiles.
On 3 May 1981, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Algerian Gulfstream III. On 2 October 1986, an Iraqi MiG-25PD shot down an Syrian MiG-21RF.[36]
According to research by journalist Tom Cooper, at least 10 MiG-25s (9 reconnaissance and 1 fighter) may have been shot down by Iranian F-14s (one of them shared with an F-5[37]) during the Iran-Iraq war.[38] Confirmed losses in air combat and from ground fire are a total three to five MiG-25s (2-3 reconnaissance aircraft and 1-2 fighters).[citation needed]
Persian Gulf War
Two IrAF MiG-25s were shot down by U.S. Air Force F-15s on January 19th. The MiGs attempted to hide from the F-15s by using chaff and electronic jammers in order to engage the F-15s undetected. However the F-15 pilots were able to reacquire the two Iraqi MiG-25s and shot both down with AIM-7 Sparrow missiles.[42]
In another incident, an Iraqi MiG-25PD, after eluding eight USAF F-15s at long range, fired three missiles at General Dynamics EF-111A Raven electronic warfare aircraft, forcing them to abort their mission and leave attacking aircraft without electronic jamming support.[N 1][43]
In yet another incident, two MiG-25s approached a pair of F-15s, fired missiles at long range (which were evaded by the F-15s), and then outran the American fighters. Two more F-15s joined the pursuit, and a total of 10 air-to-air missiles were fired at the MiG-25s, although none reached them.[44] According to the same sources, at least one F-111 was also forced to abort its mission by a MiG-25 on the first 24 hours of hostilities, during an air raid over Tikrit.[45]
After the war, on 27 December 1992, a U.S. F-16D downed a MiG-25 that violated the no-fly zone in southern Iraq with an AMRAAM missile. It was the first USAF F-16 air to air victory and the first AMRAAM kill.[46]
On 23 December 2002, an Iraqi MiG-25 shot down a U.S. Air Force unmanned MQ-1 Predator drone, which was performing armed reconnaissance over Iraq. This was the first time in history that an aircraft and an unmanned drone had engaged in combat. Predators had been armed with AIM-92 Stinger air-to-air missiles, and were being used to "bait" Iraqi fighter aircraft, then run. In this incident, the Predator did not run, but instead fired one of the Stingers, which missed, while the MiG's missile did not.[47][48]
No Iraqi aircraft were deployed in the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, with most Iraqi aircraft being hidden or destroyed on the ground. In August 2003, several dozen Iraqi aircraft were discovered buried in the sand.
India
In May 1997, an Indian Air Force Mikoyan MiG-25RB reconnaissance aircraft created a furor when the pilot flew faster than Mach 2 over Pakistani territory following a reconnaissance mission into Pakistan airspace.[51] The MiG-25 broke the sound barrier while flying at an altitude of around 65,000 feet, otherwise the mission would have remained covert, at least to the general public. The Pakistan Government considered the breaking of the sound barrier was deliberate to make the point that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had no aircraft in its inventory which can come close to the MiG-25's cruising altitude (up to 74,000 feet).[51] India denied the incident but Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Gohar Ayub Khan, believed that the Foxbat photographed strategic installations near the capital, Islamabad.[51][52]
Lack of spare parts and India's acquiring of unmanned aerial vehicles and satellite imagery eventually led to its retirement in 2006.[N 3][49][50]
Variants
Prototypes
- Ye-155R
- Reconnaissance prototypes. Two prototypes (Ye-155R-1 and Ye-155R-2) followed by four pre-production aircraft fitted with reconnaissance equipment.[53]
- Ye-155P
- Interceptor fighter prototypes. Two prototypes (Ye-155P-1 and Ye-155P02) followed by nine pre-production aircraft.[54]
- Ye-266
- Designation applied to prototypes and pre-production aircraft (Ye-155R-1, Ye-155R-3 and Ye-155P-1) used for record breaking purposes in official documentation supplied to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale.[55]
Interceptors
- MiG-25P
- Single-seat all-weather interceptor fighter aircraft, powered by two Tumansky R-15B-300 turbojet engines, fitted with RP-25 Smerch-A1 radar and armed with four R-40 air-to-air missiles. NATO designation Foxbat-A.[56]
- MiG-25PD
- Improved single-seat all-weather interceptor fighter aircraft, which entered service from 1979. Fitted with R-15BD-300 engines and new N-005 Saphir-25 (RP-25M) Pulse-Doppler radar with look-down/shoot down capability, based on the radar of the MiG-23ML. Could be fitted with four R-60 air-to-air missiles replacing outermost two R-40 missiles. Late examples fitted with an undernose IR search and track system. NATO designation Foxbat-E.[57]
- MiG-25PDS
- Upgrade of surviving MiG-25Ps to MiG-25PD standard from 1979. NATO designation Foxbat-E.[58]
- MiG-25PDSL
- Single MiG-25PD modified by addition of electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment.[58]
- MiG-25PDZ
- Single MiG-25PD modified with retractable in-flight refuelling probe.[58]
- MiG-25M
- Two testbeds (one converted from a MiG-25RB and one from a MiG-25PD) for more powerful (98.04 kN (22,045 lbf) dry, 129.71 kN (29,166 lbf) with afterburner) engines.[59]
- Ye-266M
- Designation applied to MiG-25M when used for record breaking in 1975 and 1977, including setting an absolute altitude record of 37,650 m (123,524 ft) on 31 August 1977.[59]
- Izdelye 99
- Two aircraft used as testbeds for Soloviev D-30F turbofan as later used in MiG-31.[57]
Reconnaissance and strike versions
- MiG-25R
- Single-seat high-altitude daylight reconnaissance aircraft, fitted with cameras, and ELINT equipment. NATO codename Foxbat-B.[60]
- MiG-25RB
- Single-seat reconnaissance-bomber derivative of MiG-25R, fitted with improved reconnaissance systems and a Peleng automatic bombing system. The aircraft can carry a bombload of eight 500 kg (1,102 lb) bombs. Entered service in 1970. NATO codename Foxbat-B.[60]
- MiG-25RBV
- Modernised single-seat reconnaissance-bomber with revised Elint equipment (SRS-9 Vraz). NATO codename Foxbat-B.[61]
- MiG-25RBT
- Further improved reconnaissance-bomber, with Tangaz Elint equipment. NATO codename Foxbat-B.[62]
- MiG-25RBN
- Dedicated night reconnaissance aircraft, carrying 10 photoflash bombs under the fuselage. Only single prototype built. NATO codename Foxbat-B.[62]
- MiG-25RR
- Conversion of eight reconnaissance aircraft for high-altitude radiation sampling role. Used to monitor Chinese nuclear tests between 1970 and 1980. NATO codename Foxbat-B.[62]
- MiG-25RBK
- Single-seat dedicated Elint aircraft, with Kub-3K Elint system. Bombing capability retained but cameras not fitted. NATO codename Foxbat-D.[62]
- MiG-25RBF
- Conversion of MiG-25RBK with new Shar-25 Elint equipment. NATO codename Foxbat-D.[63]
- MiG-25RBS
- Single-seat radar-reconnaissance aircraft, with Sabla-E side looking airborne radar (SLAR). Cameras not fitted but bombing capability retained. NATO codename Foxbat-D.[63]
- MiG-25RBSh
- MiG-25RBS fitted with more capable Shompol SLAR. NATO codename Foxbat-D.[63]
- MiG-25BM "Foxbat-F"
- Single-seat defence-suppression aircraft, armed with Kh-58 or Kh-31 air-to-surface missiles.[64]
Conversion trainers
- MiG-25PU
- Two-seat conversion trainer for MiG-25P interceptors. Fitted with a new nose section with two separate cockpits. It has no radar and no combat capability. NATO codename Foxbat-C.[59]
- MiG-25RU
- Two-seat conversion trainer for reconnaissance versions. Fitted with MiG-25R navigation system. NATO codename Foxbat-C.[63]
- Ye-133
- Designation given to single MiG-25PU used by Svetlana Savitskaya to establish a number of women's speed and height records, starting with speed over a 15–25 km course of 2,683.45 km/h (1.667.47 mph) on 22 June 1975.[59][65]
Operators
- Algerian Air Force – 11 MiG-25s in service, including five MiG-25As, three MiG-25PDs, and three MiG-25RBSHs in January 2013.[66] 48 MiG-25s purchased from Ukrainian stocks. These included MiG-25PDS, RBV, PU, and RU types.[6]
- Armenian Air Force – One in inventory as of January 2013[66] One MiG-25PD based at Gyumri.[6]
- Azerbaijan Air Force – 10 MiG-25s, including six MiG-25PDs, and four MiG-25RBs in January 2013[66]
- Russian Air Force – 42 MiG-25RBs in service as of January 2013[66]
- Syrian Air Force – 11 in service as of January 2013[66] 16 MiG-25PDs, 8 MiG-25RBs and 2 MiG-25PUs trainers were received.[6]
Former operators
- Bulgarian Air Force – Three MiG-25RBTs (#731, #736 and #754) and one MiG-25RU (#51) aircraft were delivered in 1982. On 12 April 1984, #736 crashed near Balchik. The pilot ejected successfully. They were operated by 26th RAB at Dobrich until their withdrawal. In May 1991, the surviving MiG-25s were returned to the USSR in exchange for five MiG-23MLDs.
- Belarus Air Force – Had up to 50 MiG-25s, including 13 MiG-25PDs; by 1995 the type had been withdrawn.[6]
- Indian Air Force – Took delivery of six MiG-25RBKs and two MiG-25RUs in 1981. They were operated by No. 102 Squadron "Trisonics" based at Bakshi-ka-talab AB in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. One RBK crashed on 3 August 1994.[6] Retired from service in May 2006.[49] The Trishul air-base in Lucknow had Foxbats capable of flying up to 80,000 ft.
- Iraqi Air Force – Had seven MiG-25PUs, nine MiG-25Rs, and 19 MiG-25PD/PDSs as of January 1991. During Operation Desert Storm most of them were destroyed on the ground,[67] Two were shot down during and seven were flown over to Iran.[68]
- Libyan Air Force – Operated a large number of MiG-25s, some sources say more than 60 were delivered. Types were of the MiG-25PD, MiG-25RBK, MiG-25PU and MiG-25RU variants. They were operated by No.1025 Squadron at Jufra-Hun, No.1055 Squadron at Ghardabiya and an unidentified squadron at Sabha Air Base.[6]
- Soviet Air Force and Soviet Anti-Air Defence - The largest combined operator historically, Soviet aircraft were passed on to its successor states in 1991.
- Ukrainian Air Force – Took over 79 aircraft after the breakup of the USSR.[6] They have been withdrawn from service.
Survivors
- MiG-25PD Red 49 (c/n N84008895) is on display at the Central Armed Forces Museum, Moscow, Russia.[70]
- MiG-25RB (s/n 25105) is in the restoration facility at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio. This aircraft was found in 2003 during the opening months of Operation Iraqi Freedom by American forces, buried in the sand near Al Taqaddum Airbase, about 250 km west of Baghdad. The aircraft had been buried to prevent its destruction on the ground by coalition aircraft. When uncovered, the MiG-25RB was incomplete, as the wings could not be located. This aircraft was one of two MiG-25s transported by a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy from Iraq to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for examination. It was donated to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in December 2006. The museum's restoration staff is currently attempting to locate a set of wings to complete the aircraft for display.[71]
- MIG-25R (s/n KP355) is on display at the Indian Air Force Museum at Palam, New Delhi and two MiG-25U trainers (s/n DS361 and DS362) are preserved at Kalaikunda Air Force Station in the Midnapore District of West Bengal. [72]
Specifications (MiG-25P)
Data from The Great Book of Fighters,[73][page needed] International Directory of Military Aircraft,[74] Combat Aircraft since 1945[1]
- Crew: One
- Length: 19.75 m (64 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 14.01 m (45 ft 11.5 in)
- Height: 6.10 m (20 ft 0.25 in)
- Wing area: 61.40 m² (660.93 ft²)
- Empty weight: 20,000 kg (44,080 lb)
- Loaded weight: 36,720 kg (80,952 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Tumansky R-15B-300 afterburning turbojets
- Dry thrust: 73.5 kN (16,524 lbf) each
- Thrust with afterburner: 100.1 kN (22,494 lbf) each
- Maximum speed:
- Range: 1,730 km (935 nmi, 1,075 mi) with internal fuel
- Ferry range: 2,575 km (1,390 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 20,700 m (67,915 ft) with four missiles; over 24,400 m (80,000 ft) for RB models
- Rate of climb: 208 m/s (40,950 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 598 kg/m² (122.5 lb/ft²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.41
- Time to altitude: 8.9 min to 20,000 m (65,615 ft)
- 2x radar-guided R-40R (AA-6 "Acrid") air-to-air missiles, and
- 2x infrared-guided R-40T missiles
- RP-25 Smerch radar
- A RV-UM or a RV-4 radar altimeter
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Avro Canada CF-105 Arrow
- BAC TSR-2
- Saab 35 Draken
- Convair F-106 Delta Dart
- English Electric Lightning
- Grumman F-14 Tomcat
- Lockheed YF-12
- Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird
- North American A-5 Vigilante
- North American XF-108 Rapier
- Related lists
- Iranian aerial victories during the Iran-Iraq war
- Iraqi aerial victories during the Iran-Iraq war
- List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
A Requiem For The MiG-25, The Original Soviet Rat Rod
As
I write this now, two of the biggest constituent states of the old
Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, Ukraine and Russia, are preparing
to go to war. But as these two former siblings stare each other down,
one lightning-fast weapon definitely won't be used – the fearsome MiG-25
"Foxbat."
After protestors overthrew the pro-Russian government of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych,
Russia has moved to protect what it considers its own interests.
Namely, the Crimean peninsula, and furthermore, the rest of Ukraine.
While Russia preserves the pretenses of democracy, with the Kremlin giving "permission" for
President Vladimir Putin to use troops to invade Ukraine, in reality
Putin has done as dictators do, and given permission to himself to
invade whoever the hell he wants.
And no, it's not just permission to "protect Russian interests in the Crimea," whatever that means. The actual text
of the statement from the Kremlin gives permission for Putin to "for
use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation on the territory of
Ukraine." No geographic qualifiers there.
It also doesn't help that Russia's Chief Shit Disturber and actual Deputy Prime Minister, Dmitry Rogozin, is going around accusing Ukrainians of spreading swine flu on Twitter.
Things are not looking good, to use a bit of understatement.
But while the Russian invasion of Ukraine might be undertaken using fleets of attack helicopters and broken-down armored personnel carriers,
the old laser-quick holdover from the Soviet Union that served in many
of its descendant Air Forces, the MiG-25, won't be there.
The
Ukrainian Air Force retired its MiG-25 long ago, but the Russian Air
Force just decommissioned their last examples, the reconnaissance
MiG-25R model, in December. There are scattered reports of MiG-25s being
used in the services of Azerbaijan,
Algeria, Armenia, and Syria, but as those countries can barely afford
the fuel to get the titanium-and-steel bird off the ground, it might as
well be good as dead.
But what a crazy rat rod it was.
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons/Roman Bazalevski
For those unfamiliar with the term, a "rat rod"
often looks old, it looks beat up, it looks like it was never designed
to be pretty. At the very least, it looks like it's way past its prime.
And yet to be a true rat rod, it's got to have a ridiculously powerful engine under the hood. Because you just got to go fast.
I love rat rods.
Which is
why I love the MiG-25. It's not particular pretty, and every example
looked unkempt, full of grime and exposed rivet heads. But it had a huge
engine.
Two of them.
Work on the
MiG-25 began in the early 1960s in the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich
design bureau. Faced with the daunting prospect of American B-70 Valkyrie
bombers screeching over the horizon at thousands of miles an hour, the
Soviets needed a plane that could intercept them and stop them before
they unleashed their nuclear payloads.
And because
the prototype for the American bomber, the XB-70, could easily travel
at three times the speed of sound, the new interceptor needed to utilize
speed above all else.
Fighter planes designed today blend a mix of maneuverability, stealth, and advanced avionics to make a balanced weapon.
The MiG-25
was not that. To say the plane was shaped like a bullet is to do it a
disservice. It's shaped like a hypersonic space needle.
Photo credit: Alex Beltyukov
Imagine
taking the biggest engine you could find, and building a plane around
it. Now make that plane have two of those engines. That's basically what
I'm talking about. And because the Soviet Union was plagued with
constant material shortages and the plane itself presented unique
challenges, the result was absolutely incredible.
Mikoyan-Gurevich,
the plane's designer and builder, originally wanted to make most of it
out of titanium. That was a good idea, as titanium is light, strong,
extremely heat-resistant, and the Soviet Union was the world's main
source of the metal in 1964, when the plane first flew. The only problem
was that titanium was still incredibly expensive, and difficult to work
with. Which is a huge problem in a place that doesn't have the greatest
manufacturing standards.
So titanium
was used only where absolutely necessary, and the rest of the aircraft
was made mostly out of a nickel-steel alloy. It was mostly welded
together, but if an exposed rivet-head wouldn't adversely affect the top
speed, it was left as-is. Your mother's Lexus, this was not.
The radar
didn't use any of those fancy-shmancy semiconductors being used in
contemporary American planes, either, sticking to good old fashioned,
ridiculously overpowered vacuum tubes. Vacuum tubes are more likely to
survive the pulse from a nuclear explosion.
Oh, and they had a weird unintended side effect, at least if only anecdotally. Rumors tell of the radar throwing off so much energy it would kill rabbits hanging out near the runway.
And that's just the bits that didn't help it go fast.
The whole
sled was powered by two massive Tumansky R-15 turbojets, with equally
massive intakes up front, for better feeding the engines the ridiculous
amounts of oxygen they craved.
Photo credit: Alex Beltyukov
The
Tumansky R-15 is one of the most ridiculous engines ever made, and the
information available about it is barely believable. Each one produced
more than 24,000 pound-feet of force at afterburner, and the MiG-25 had
two of them. It could propel the plane to over 90,000 feet, and to Mach
3.2.
One small
problem with going over Mach 3, though. If the Tumansky was an animal,
it would be a voracious mutant. Push it above three times the speed of
sound, and it became an unstoppable, rabid force of nature, continuing
to consume fuel and spit out fire until it eventually tore itself apart.
Theoretically,
the MiG-25 could top Mach 3.2, but the throttles were redlined at Mach
2.8 in what seems like a desperate act of self-preservation by the
plane. Above speeds of 2,000 miles per hour, the Tumansky engines began
to transform. The sheer power of air rushing into the intakes at such
speeds totally overwhelmed the fuel pumps. No longer capable of limiting
their own flow, fuel would just be dumped into the combustion chamber
at an uncontrollable rate. Air would begin to speed past the turbine
compressors, turning the engines into ramjets.
A pilot
would almost certainly be killed, sitting at the front of what had
effectively become a runaway train, miles above the rest of humanity.
All that is
theoretical, of course. In reality, the plane began to eat away at
itself before it came close to its own top speed. Before the air could
bypass the compressors, the compressors themselves would become so
powerful that they would literally start to cannibalize other parts,
sucking in bits and pieces until everything would just disintegrate.
The MiG-25
was tracked by Western radars near its top speed, but only once. In
March of 1971, an Egyptian Foxbat was tracked by the Israelis going Mach 3.2 over the Sinai desert.
The pilot managed to land the plane, but the engines were destroyed.
Because the
original foe of the MiG, the Valkyrie, never made it into production,
the MiG-25 never truly found its niche. Owing to its great weight and
relatively high wing loading, it couldn't turn very well, so it wasn't
much of a dogfighter.
It did
alright in a reconnaissance configuration, though, loaded up with
cameras and other equipment, and the MiG-25R reconnaissance variant was
the final form in which it saw use. It served all over the world, often
in the desert. Saddam Hussein loved his so much, that when the Americans
invaded in 2003, he buried his under the sand, in the hopes that they
wouldn't fall into his enemies' hands.
But now, the Foxbat is soon to be no more.
It's a good
thing that Russia won't be using the interceptor and spy plane over
Ukraine, but it's a bit strange to see this crazy machine sit unused
forever. A heavily modified and modernized variant, the MiG-31, lives
on, but even that will be retired sooner rather than later.
It has no true replacement.
But while it lasted, the MiG-25 was a crazy Soviet rat rod.
Topshot credit: Alex Beltyukov
No comments:
Post a Comment