The MiG-25 is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was first designed in the USSR. The Mig-25 designation stands for Mikoyan and Gurevich Design Bureau, 25 being the approximate speed of sound at sea level. Unlike most modern fighters, it has twin engines and a T-shaped tailfin with large wing fences to prevent them from entering airflow near the wingtips.
The MiG-25 was originally created as an air defense fighter by the Soviet Union during the 1960s as they felt that they needed an aircraft capable of replacing their existing fleet of aging MiG-19 fighters, which were used by other countries such as China (J6), Cuba (F-86F) and North Korea (MiG 15). However, due to its high cost, this didn’t happen initially so instead they decided upon producing variants specifically designed for reconnaissance missions instead.
The Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau, or MIG for short, was a Russian aircraft design firm that created the MiG-25. The bureau was founded in 1939; its lead designer was Artem Mikoyan (1903–1970) and his nephew Mikhail Gurevich (1908–2002). They were both born in Tbilisi, Georgia but moved to Moscow after graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1930.
The MIG-25 was first conceived as a high-speed interceptor by the Soviet government in response to reports of American spy planes flying over Russia during the Cold War era. It entered service with the Russian Air Force in 1964 and retired by 2003 due to a lack of maintenance funding after being superseded by newer fighters like MiG-31s and Sukhoi Su-27s.
The MiG-25 first flew in 1964 and entered service with the Soviet Air Forces in 1970. The MiG-25 was used by a number of nations, including Syria and Egypt, who still operate it today. It is also still in service with Russia, although it has been replaced by newer aircraft for most non-Soviet air forces.
The MiG-25 was the fastest plane on planet Earth for several years, until it was surpassed by the SR-71 Blackbird in 1976. The Blackbird had a top speed of Mach 3.3 (3 times the speed of sound), whereas the MiG’s maximum speed was Mach 3.2.
The SR-71 used two large afterburners to achieve its incredible acceleration and climb rate, but these engines were designed with efficiency in mind rather than power. To maximize their effectiveness at high altitudes, they burned through fuel so fast that they could only be used for a few minutes at a time before being shut down and allowed to cool off between missions—a process that would take hours depending on how badly damaged they’d been during combat operations!
In contrast, the MiG used four turbojets instead of just two; this made it possible for each engine to contribute more thrust than its American counterpart could produce on its own (which meant less waiting around between flights).
The MiG-25 was used in several important conflicts:
- The Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. In this conflict, the Indian Air Force flew the MiG-25 and used it to destroy 10 Pakistani F-6 aircraft. The IAF also used its MiG-25s to attack a Pakistan Navy warship and other naval vessels.
- The Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt in 1967 saw Israeli fighters shoot down four Egyptian MiGs (three with air-to-air missiles, one by cannon fire). A fifth was heavily damaged but managed to return safely despite significant damage from an explosion on board; its pilot was awarded a medal for his actions during the battle.
The MiG-25 was the first operational aircraft to have a variable-sweep wing. In addition, it’s able to reach supersonic speeds while carrying an external fuel load. It remains in service with Russia today and is still considered an “air superiority” fighter jet by its users.
The MiG-25 has several variants but was never exported to any NATO nations. In addition to the MiG-25R and MiG-25RB, there are several variants of the MiG-25 that were produced for different purposes:
- The MiG-25P was a reconnaissance aircraft designed to perform photo reconnaissance missions at low altitudes. It had an advanced camera system that could photograph targets up to 100 km away and at a resolution of 2 meters.
- The MiG-25PD was a modified version of the original -P model that had upgraded engines and avionics systems, but it still lacked certain features such as ECM equipment.
- The MiG-25R is a long-range interceptor designed to engage enemy aircraft while flying at high speeds and altitudes (usually above 50,000 ft). It could reach speeds up to Mach 3 due to its unique turbojet engine design which generates both thrusts and lift simultaneously; this allowed it to fly faster than any other airplane ever built before or since!
The MiG-25 was designed to be as easy to fly as possible, with a very simple cockpit and control layout. The plane is basically controlled by two sticks: one for the throttle and one for steering. Most pilots are trained on the MiG-25 in a simulator before they ever get in an actual aircraft because it’s so easy to learn how to fly.
This makes sense when you consider that this warplane was designed primarily as an emergency interceptor—an aircraft that needs no training whatsoever because it has no place in peacetime airspace. Successors to the MiG-25 are still being designed and produced today. This includes not only interceptors but also strike fighters.
The MiG-25’s success in the export market did not go unnoticed by the Soviet Air Force (VVS), which began looking for a replacement for the MiG-25. The result was the Mikoyan Project 1.44/1.42, a heavy air superiority fighter that would eventually become known as the MiG-31 “Foxhound”.
The Foxhound is much larger than its predecessor—its wingspan is more than twice as long—and it can carry up to 12 tonnes of ordnance in addition to its internal cannons and missiles. While it does not have the same speed or agility as its older brother, it does have better range and carries more weapons internally: six short-range R-33 air-to-air missiles and two medium-range R-37 missiles instead of four short-range missiles and one medium-range missile.
MiG-31s continue to serve with Russia’s VVS today alongside Su-27s; both are based on aircraft designs from 1977!
The MiG-25 has participated in dogfights against F-15s and F-16s (and won).
In 1978, the MiG-25 flew into Israeli airspace and engaged several F-15s. Soviet air forces had been flying reconnaissance missions over Israel since the end of the Yom Kippur War, and they often came across American fighters. This time, one MiG pilot scored a kill against an F-15. The American pilot, Mark Skliar, didn’t even realize what hit him: he was blown out of his plane in midair by a missile from another MiG that hadn’t yet been detected by radar.
The MiG-25 was designed in response to a requirement for an interceptor designed expressly to shoot down American bombers at high altitudes.
The design team at Mikoyan-Gurevich had been working on their first supersonic fighter since 1955. The company already had a great deal of experience designing high-performance aircraft; they’d previously designed swept winged fighters such as the MiG 21, which set all sorts of speed records when it entered service with both Poland and Egypt during the 1960s (and remains in limited production today).
As you can see, there is a lot of information about the MiG-25. It’s one of the longest-serving aircraft in the world and has seen action in many different corners of the globe. And even though it is over fifty years old, it is still used today by elite air forces and maintained for parts by specialty firms to this day. However, the MiG-25 has seen so many variants that it would take an incredible amount of time to cover them all, so instead, I’ll leave you with a sampling of non-SR versions and then let you do some more research on your own.