Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (Russian: ?????? ? ??????? ???-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 primarily using stainless steel; one of
the few combat aircraft to do so. It was the last plane designed by Mikhail
Gurevich before his retirement. The first prototype flew in 1964, and the
aircraft entered service in 1970. It has an operational top speed of Mach 2.83
(Mach 3.2 is possible 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 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 the 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 aircraft's
weight necessitated its 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 one of the highest-flying military aircraft, and the second
fastest after the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.


Role
Interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft

Design group
Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB

First flight
6 March 1964

Introduction
1970

Status
In limited service

Primary users
Soviet Air Defense (historical)
Algerian Air Force
Syrian Air Force
Ukrainian Air Force (historical)

Produced
1964–84

Number built
1,186

Developed into
Mikoyan MiG-31

Inaccurate intelligence analysis caused the West initially to believe the MiG-25
was an agile air-combat fighter rather than an interceptor. In response, the
United States started a new program which resulted in the McDonnell Douglas F-15
Eagle. NATO obtained a better understanding of the MiG-25's capabilities on 6
September 1976, when a Soviet Air Defence Forces pilot, Lt. Viktor Belenko,
defected, landing his MiG-25P at Hakodate Airport in Japan. The pilot overshot
the runway on landing and damaged the front landing gear. Despite Soviet
protests, the Japanese invited U.S. Air Force personnel to investigate the
aircraft. On 25 September, it was moved by a C-5A transport to a base in central
Japan, where it was carefully dismantled and analyzed. After 67 days, the
aircraft was returned by ship to the Soviets, in pieces. The aircraft was
reassembled and is now on display at the Sokol plant in Nizhny Novgorod.

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.

The aircraft was built of a nickel steel alloy and not titanium as was assumed
(although some titanium was used in heat-critical areas). The steel construction
contributed to the craft's high 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.

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
meters).

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. 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.

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. 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 made the
aircraft's systems resistant to an electromagnetic pulse, for example after a
nuclear blast.

The unarmed 'B' version had greater impact than the interceptor when the USSR
sent two MiG-25R, and two MiG-25RB to Egypt in March 1971 and stayed until July
1972. They were operated by the Soviet 63rd Independent Air Detachment (Det 63)
set up specially for this mission. Det 63 flew over Israeli held territory in
Sinai on reconnaissance missions roughly 20 times. The flights were in pairs at
maximum speed and high altitude (between 17,000–23,000 m).

On 6 November 1971, a Soviet MiG-25 operating out of Egypt flying at Mach 2.5
was met by Israeli F-4Es and fired upon unsuccessfully. 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. 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. Unit Det 154 remained there until late 1974.

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.

The Swedish Air Force observed via radar a Soviet Air Defense MiG-25 at 63,000
ft trailed 2.9 km behind the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird at 72,000 ft over the
Baltic Sea in the 1980s.

Specifications (MiG-25P)

General characteristics
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


Performance
Maximum speed:
High altitude: Mach 3.2 (3,470 km/h, 2,170 mph); Mach 2.83 (3,200 km/h, 1,920
mph) continuous engine limit
Low altitude: 1,200 km/h (648 knots, 746 mph) at altitude[87]

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)

Armament

2x radar-guided R-40R (AA-6 "Acrid") air-to-air missiles, and
2x infrared-guided R-40T missiles

Avionics

RP-25 Smerch radar
A RV-UM or a RV-4 radar altimeter