Why the MiG-25 Foxbat Scared the West
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- In the first episode of a new channel series, Ward reviews the history and tactical impact of the MiG-25 Foxbat.
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I may have told this story before here.. In 1975 I was flying from the UK to Australia in a passenger plane, a Douglas DC8, if I remember correctly, I was just a kid.. One of our stop offs was in Tashkent, due to a slightly late takeoff and wind conditions we were 30 minutes late over Soviet airspace and the pilot warned that we may be 'buzzed' by Soviet aircraft and to not take any photographs.. I had ridiculously good eyesight and began scanning the snowy mountain peaks below us and saw two white planes that suddenly were upon us, they then circled us fore and aft, and then around the centre.. Being a kid that was avidly into aviation I was fascinated. At one point a Foxbat drew level with my window, I waved at the pilot, he waved back, and then they both shot off back to the mountain tundra, so quick that we might have been standing still... Both birds were bristling with missiles, but boy were they fast!
Thank you 😊
That is cool that they waved to you ! You did your part to reduce tension between the 2 countries !!!
Thank you for sharing!:D
That's a cool story. I bet that Soviet pilot has since told the story of some kid in the window of a DC8, who wasn't frightened at all and gave him a wave. lol
At the end....we all want to live in harmony with each other...regardless of political leanings....
Badass video as always. What’s the benefit of becoming a patreon supporter?
Love this channel; fantastic content!
My dad was a MiG-25 pilot in the 102nd Squadron "The Trisonics" of the Indian Air Force.
He was there in 1997 when an indian MiG-25 flew over Pakistan's capital Islamabad at over Mach 2 generating a very loud sonic boom which was mistaken for a bomb blast. He told me that a few years later in England he met this Pakistani gentleman who was in their air force and he distinctly remembered that day, he said that he thought now some Pakistani pilot is gonna get his ass kicked for flying supersonic over their capital, it was later that he found out that it was an indian MiG-25.
Was that during the tit-for-tat nuclear testing between India and Pakistan? I was in Islamabad March 1997. Crazy. 50000 Pakistani men outside the parliament complex chanting 'we have nukes, kill India now!'. There was a tremor in the night, I went down to the concierge of the hotel (the Marriott that got car bombed a few years ago!) 'has the war started?' I joked nervously, 'no, it's just an earthquake, we get them all the time'. 🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@cagesound I'm loving these (non) war stories!
@@peterjones596 Yep, he's a damn good narrator.
Does some ecellent interviews & history stuff too.
I’m loving the name “Trisonics”.
Mach 3 baby.
Id very much love to hear about or from your Dad.
Mooch-
Haven't missed an episode since the 1st one.
I like the hat tip to Rick Beato.
Keep the "what makes this plane great" videos coming. Awesome idea.
Hawgman
When you make a plane so good that the americans over react and create the best 4th gen jets ever and completely dominate airpower for decades to come
It kinda, backfired (pun) didn't it ?
Except the mig 25 wasn't good
@@cortney3280 it was really good at what it was designed to do.
@@xavierrodriguez2463 failling dying? Being outdated? Falling apart at Mach 2.9
@@cortney3280 - making the world believe that it was good.
The MIG-25 Foxbat was living proof that anything will fly if you put enough engine in it :)
"Hey what am I chopped Liver" The F-4 Phantom
And metal that won't melt...
Kind of reminds one of the fictional Soviet planes used by Boris & Natasha. Blocky;seemingly as though Secret Government Tech had not quite learned about aerodynamics lol.
@@johnharris6655
Foxbat: You are slower brick, you need Soviet might.
Phantom: Listen pardner, I'm as 'Soviet' as Merkan planes get.
F-5: Oh really?
@@johnharris6655 When I was flying Phantoms in the Nebraska Guard, one of our crew dogs built a camouflaged replica of the F-4 out of a brick with sheet metal upbent wingtips, and downswept stabilator tail feathers. The finishing touch was a pair of corn cobs for afterburners! The model made the point that even a brick will go supersonic if you give it 34,000 pounds of thrust!
I remember the Wings of the Red Star episode for this plane noted that the alcohol used for the avionics was… sometimes diverted.
@@mathewkelly9968 Their rocket program had a similar issue if I'm not mistaken. Moral of the story? If you leave pure ethanol around, it is going to end up in a belly. More so if you give it to some technician working for a failing technocrat autocracy.
fantastic show, back when history channel still did documentaries lol
@@lobstereleven4610 it was Discovery Channel.
That and Shark Week are all I remember of their content.
Mig-21 radar used alcohol too. They had a whole episode on the 21 I think. The 90s were so much better than today...
Gosh, I wonder why" :-)
A lot of good info in eight minutes. I can only suggest having included a mention of the book _MiG Pilot_ by Viktor Belenko (and ghost writer), which is the only book I have ever purchased at a book store _after_ having read it. (I literally read it cover to cover while sitting in the bookstore, because it was _that_ engaging).
Great book! A looong time ago! I love the part where he goes into the grocery store and can’t believe it’s real and empty of customers(!), and looks behind the displays.
@@Schu2505 empty?
@@kentgregory3299 no customers
The part that I most remember from the book: He refuses to put down a gift of a military issue leather flight jacket on an aircraft carrier(?) because he thinks if he does it will be stolen, and is only persuaded to do so once he is given an assurance that it will be replaced if that happens.
Make that two: There is a poignant “last act“ of a decent into an existential despair and depression. In Belenko´s mind he has planned to defect back to the Soviet Union, plead forgiveness of his former countrymen, and rejoin his family in _Gulag_ there, that has suffered for what happens there to all families of defectors. The crisis point comes down to a “dark night of the soul“ in a country restaurant, wherein a kind waitress there sincerely inquires what is troubling him. In that moment, according to his own words, “the spell was broken.“
It didn't take me much longer to read it either. If you want another one like this read the book "Mutiny" by Boris Gindin & David Hagberg. It is the true story of what Red October was patterned after, and really happened. FLY NAVY!!!
I'm sure Belenko looked over his shoulder a time or two. His Mig-25 provided a trove of intelligence...and surprises. One I recall was the electronics were not transistorized but vacuum tube driven. This caused a chuckle until it was shown that tube electronics don't fail from nuclear blast EMP as transistor driven electronics do.
The vacuum tubes were not a design choice. The Russians were 20 years behind the West at that time in electronics technology. The could not have built a radar with that power using integrated circuits. The Russians have long tried directly copying western designs but they don't have the technical sophistication so they resort to brute force engineering.
... Also, the sniggers from American aviation designers and engineers, when they saw that the empennage was rivetted (!) with exposed round-head (!) rivets! Only later was it realized that these were located in an area of the aircraft with detached airflow anyway, and the rivet heads actually _mitigated_ induced drag, as well as being much stronger than the flush rivets utilized in American (and European) aircraft.
@@brianhiles8164 you don't know what induced drag is.
That would be form drag, Brian, not induced drag.
I believe that would be parasite drag. If I recall correctly induced drag is caused from lift.
What a plane to start the series with. Can I suggest a plane? It may not be a fighter but it has been known to fight. It was built by Grumman but not fielded by the US Navy. Or the Air Force, for that matter. It was a US Army fixed wing. The Grumman OV-1 Mohawk.
A modified, 70's muscle car.... beat everyone on the strip... just don't try to turn it.
got to admit, it's one good looking aircraft.
If you get passed it's standoff weapons it can't really defend itself, it has to run. The Mig 25 and 31 have basically been repurposed for killing AWACS planes.
It has a real football player vibe to it - if you get in the way you will be run over.
Yup, the Mig-25 with those giant engines and huge wings just looks like an absolute beast. It's like the jet equivalent to the Mi-24 Hind. It's a very intimidating and powerful looking aircraft for sure. The updated versions were also quite dangerous in the right hands.
@@wigon Soviet aircrafts always look the meanest. and in many cases sexier (Mig 29vsF 16)
I've know these general facts of the MIG-25 since I was a kid but your concise and even entertaining delivery made this one of the best/most entertaining vids I've seen on this plane. Your channel is ridiculously wonderful man, keep up the great work!!!
Ward for Pres 2024!
Interesting fact - the Smerch-A was so powerful that we knew exactly where these aircraft were as soon as the radar was turned on. Not sure which was easier to track, the Mig-25 or the TU-95. We could spot and geolocate the TU-95 as soon as it turned its radios on. We could track the TU-95's from Severomorsk to Gitmo with ease.
They also saw you lol
@@garynew9637 Not so much. I don't think you know the first thing about the capability of that radar set. I bet Ron does, and I damn sure do.
@@karlchilders5420 26XX. I might know a few things. :)
@@ronhutchins3780 good deal.. I saw their radar sets from the air.. can't talk about the details same as you prob for obvious reasons but we could easy see them from a long way, and that matters...
@@karlchilders5420 Something people fail to realize - radar and radio waves don't just stop at a certain distance. They might get weaker but can still be detected and anything that can be detected can be tracked with the right gear.
Oh, another piece of random trivia, the Foxbat is larger than a B-17F
That’s one thing that surprised me about seeing the B-17 in person - it’s really not that big.
It’s tiny compared to the little turboprop airliners I used to go on between PDX and SEA.
There is something to be said for Russian aerospace technology. Its always built like a tank, zero comfort for the pilot, and no regard for the maintenance to keep the jets flying. New engines every month?? This fits right in line with the soviet doctrine that a job for every person. So it doesn't matter if you need to replace a jet engine every month. With the entire population your work force and no cost overruns, anything is possible.
And they wonder why the Soviet Union collapsed.
its a military jet that should see combat where an average life expectancy is 15minutes with an equally potent enemy...so its not a civil passenger jet making money :D
@@tomast9034
It's because they used cruise missile engines, y'know, engines that were designed to only be used once.
They took those cruise missile engines and put them into a high performance aircraft. It's no wonder they had to replace the engines every month.
Thank God Soviet pilots had relatively few flight hours per year. If Soviet pilots got as many flight hours as Western pilots did, they probably would've had to replace the engines every 1 or 2 weeks.
What war are you talking about, by the way? The 15 minute life expectancy thing? Are you talking about a hypothetical World War 3 between the US and the Soviet Union? If so, trust me: the USSR was not an equally potent enemy. MAYBE between 1964 - 1970 the USSR would've had a chance at beating the West. MAYBE. But after that? Definitely not. The USSR entered the Era of Stagnation in the 1970s, resulting in Perestroika in 1985 and ultimately the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The USSR was never really as powerful as we gave it credit for. Same goes for the modern Russian Federation. The USSR and Russian Federation have always been paper bears.
@@Dushmann_ Continue to think like that, comrade!
I think I’m gonna love this series. Amazing aircraft to start with too.
after that defection the jets were loaded with just enough fuel to fly back to the base after a border patrol mission or exercise.
I think all things considered, this is my favourite non Western Aircraft. I saw a picture of two guys standing up in the exhaust nozzles, OBSCENE I immediately fell in love.
It be beefy
The one thing that always got me about this aircraft was the size of the outlets. Serious business.
Almost looks like an F1 car in some aspects for sure haha
The MiG-31 is the fastest operational combat aircraft in the world.....
There is something really elegant about jets that are designed as pure interceptors even with something as crude as the MiG-25.
They really were of the "beat to fit, paint (maybe) to match" variety.
Mirage F1 :-)
It's called "GET THE JOB DONE" boy did they ever.
@@ironsideeve2955 Close, but no cigar.
@bryanbernart439
No. That was the SR-71, YF-12, M-21, A-12 etc. Hand built aircraft with kit-bashed engines that required hours to prepare for a mission and a week of maintenance and repairs between them.
The Mig-25 was a series built interceptor (nearly 1200 were made) which could be kept hot-and-ready on a hard stand for a two minute scramble and a quick turned inside of an hour. Even if you cooked the engines.. less than 8 hours for conscripts to change both of them vs taking the entire wing apart like they had to do on that SR-71 that force landed in Sweden.
Could you do a video about the battle of Samara, where American F-15s went up against Iraqi Mig 25s.
The best thing about the FOXBAT?
It expedited the F-15.
I was one of the USAF Security Service desk jockeys stationed in Berlin and monitoring radio communications between the Soviet Air Force pilots and their ground stations as they flew their missions. The Foxbat was our top priority, special attention and focus when we picked them up. This was from Dec. 74 to Dec, 76.
I have been deeply involved with the 25 and its history. MOST of the disappointments in this excellent fighter were from Western expectations. It was superbly designed as an interceptor and recon aircraft. In fact, for quite a while it was untouchable. Some of Belenkos claims are not backed up by its operational experience before he defected (A sore subject to this day) Det 63 in Egypt routinely operated past Mach 3 with the R-15 with NO DAMAGE or replacement. In fact by that time,1971, the R-15 had been cleared for 40 minutes of continues A/B use. Later R-15s had TBOs of 750 to 1000 hours while the J-58 I believe was 350 to 400 hours The use of steel (VNS-2) was brilliant. It could absorb heat and not lose life, was easy to maintain and readily available. The cockpit is what you are used to and much of the placement makes complete sense once understood (I have 600 plus hours in MiGs) The Soviets did use titanium in the 25 but not to the extent of the SR which was a HIGHLY Maintenace intensive aircraft(and brilliant) Also Belenkos claim of short range in blown away by the missions Foxbats were flying, roughly 400% greater than his statement. Belenkos Mig was a Mig-25P. Later MiG-25s such as the PD had considerably upgraded avionics AND look down radar and could, and did, intercept SR-71s.The R-40 missiles were designed specifically for high altitude operations and were effective in their multiple parameters. An interesting story is that one MiG-25RB accidentally went Mach 3.6. The canopy had to be pried off with a crow bar. Airframes /engines were inspected and found to be NOT damaged, canopy replaced, and the aircraft returned to service.
Ward,well done as usual!
I’m not sure about that Mach 3.6 figure but it’s always worth pointing out that the MiG-25 had a long and successful career, particularly as a photo reconnaissance platform. The Indian Air Force operated them very successfully for a long time.
Which MiG or MiGs did you fly?
Sure…and the Soviets deliberately played on those expectations….it was out of respect for the possibility that it could’ve been what the west assumed it was. As a pure interceptor it was good, though wedding that airframe to that engine coupled with the necessary speed cap was undeniably half cocked. Because fear of the 25 inspired the F-15, the greatest air superiority fighter ever all things considered, it was bound to disappoint.
@@33moneyball Sounds more like American paranoia than Soviet subterfuge.
Belenko's comment about range could be that after he departed his flight he descended to low altitude. That would have increased his fuel flow considerably.
I've flown jets since 1997, so Desert Storm was a little before my time, but I flew with some F-15 pilots who went against the Mig-25. After years of combat with the Iranians, the Iraqi pilots had a surprisingly good grasp on tactics, and if weren't for incompetent and overwhelmed ground control, the Iraqi pilot who shot down Scott Speicher would have shot down an A-6 as well on the same sortie. The MiG-25 is the only aircraft to come close to shooting down an F-15, hitting one with an R-40 missile and taking out an engine, the same type of missile that took down Speicher's F/A-18. The R-40 is a massive missile designed to take out the Valkyrie, coincidentally.
And the nibble little Viper got the first ever kill with an AMRAAM against an Iraqi Foxbat.
That's an incorrect use of "coincidence".
One of the reasons why the Foxbat was effective even in the hands of Iraqi pilots, was due to it's massively powerful radar that could burn through ECM jamming. That, along with it's speed made it quite formidable. In the Russian Air Force, it's replacement, the Mig-31 is vastly more deadly. While not quite as fast, it's still plenty fast, has an even more powerful and capable radar, has digital data-links to other aircraft, has long range IR sensors, and has longer range missiles. To top it off it can launch advanced hypersonic ground attack and anti-ship missiles. It's airframe was also improved to allow it to be much more maneuverable than it's predecessor. It's not a dogfighter, but in the hands of a good pilot, even in close range dog fights, it can be dangerous.
the f18 was carrying bombs and part of a flight to bomb. the F15's were on the defense
It was anything but a perfect plane like the F-15. As a cheaply built interceptor that had to cover the largest country on earth? All while keeping SR-71's out of your airspace? Yeah, huge success
I know everybody loves fighters/bombers (including myself), but what I'd really I'd love to see is something on the Prowler or the Hawkeye.
A-6 Intruder please!
Unfortunately a lot of the electronics on both of those aircraft are classified and Mooch could find himself in trouble.
Shut up, swabbie. You know who to ask.
@@TheModelGuy Thryve both been out of service for more than a decade. They’re unlikely to be classified any more.
@@thethirdman225 the E-2 is still in service and the tech and tactics in the EA-6B are still in use with the Growler. Even if the tech has been updated, info from ten years ago can help adversaries fill in some holes.
Ward I remember the news of the mig-25 taken by Victor Valenko landing in Japan and the Russians not being to pleased. Can't believe so many years have already.... passed WOW. Thank you great job as usual.
Victor's book is an interesting read about Soviet aviation.
@@davidsmith8997 He was given a new identity here in the and he is living in the Desert SW of the USA. 🤔🤐
@@jamesburns2232 Yes, some sort of witness protection program as per the book. To hide him from KGB retaliation.
@@jamesburns2232 Not any more. He died in September.
I met Viktor Belenko back in the late 80's. I remember that he was an incredible story teller. One heck of a nice guy too.
He's not the authority, he was 25
Well...you do realize, you've got to a Fox hound episode.
Very minor point of fact, the XB-70 program was canceled well before the midair incident and crash. The two built prototypes were used as NASA/USAF research at the time. The proper B-70 production program was dead in 59, but kept around in a zombie state for research and political/election/“keep jobs in my state” purposes for years. The crash was in 66.
Why was it dead?
I love that plane...
Im still bummed that they never went for a max altitude run with the wingtips down to pickup that lift from the pressure wave
@@cluelessbeekeeping1322 Mach 3 is turtle speed compared to ICBMs.
@@cluelessbeekeeping1322 It was dead b.c. the way the US wante to use it wouldn't work anymore. The soviets would have been able to shoot it down with the high flying MiG-25 like sayed in the video and so another solution was needed. The US decided that they can use the B52 for the same missions without haing those massive costs involved and than there was the low flying B-1 . You have to remember that this plane was not about defense like the F-14, it was to attack someone and if your enemy can stop it like a regular bomber, there is no more use for it. *I had to look for some infromations to not spread wrong facts, so i deleted and rewrote my comment*
@@cluelessbeekeeping1322 ICBMs made more sense. Not only was it going to be B-70s doing a mad high speed high altitude dash to the USSR all the way from American conus base, it would of had F-12 ( YF-12A, Weaponized SR-71s with AIM-47 or AIM-54 missiles ) as deep penetration escorts . It would of also needed a Mach 2 or 3 capable air refueling tanker, which was one of the reasons president Kennedy started the program of the U.S. Government assisted funding of the American SST ( Super Sonic Transport ) commercial airliner. The Boeing 2707 was also to have a aerial refueling tanker derivative to mid mission refuel the B-70s and F-12s over the north pole if they thought they could make it to USSR to complete there bomb missions and make it to Turkey Iran Pakistan India Burma or Thailand cause they damn sure could not turn around and make it back to America.
ICBMs was the better option .
Though all of you miss Bulgaria for some odd reason we had MiG-25RBT in our inventory and one mig-25ru
A bit of a quibble...the USAF had gone to low-altitude penetration well before the MiG-25 fell into their hands. The B-1 contract was awarded well before then.
When did the B-1 enter service, though?
The Amazon link for Punk's Trilogy is broken.
There’s an interesting book by a Bulgarian Mig-25 pilot who shares a few interesting scraps mainly with the Greek and Turkish Air Forces during the Cold War. The beginning however is interesting. When we received the 25s he was a 21 pilot taxing for a night patrol when he saw the 25 in front of him and realized that probably the whole nose and fuselage of the 21 could fit inside the afterburner nozzle of the Foxbat, and it went in afterburner with flames longer than the Fishbed making the tiny fighter shake violently even though it was quite far away on the taxiway, and at that point he realized he must do anything to fly that machine.
That's awesome. Do your recall the name of the book?
@@michaellefevers4248 It’s called the “The steel beauty” or “Стоманения Красавец” in Bulgaria. However it’s a very limited print by some military publishing house and only in Bulgarian I’m afraid.
Ward and Simon Whistler dropping MiG25 documentaries on the same day. Wow.
A friend of mine was a 747 co-pilot for Northwest Airlines at the time. He mentioned to me that when Beleko came to the USA he was brought into the cockpit for a look around and was amazed that "such a large airplane only had a three person crew".
In the 1980's Israeli F-4's, F-15's, and F-16's, were in repeated combat with Syrian MiG 25's over Lebanon. I remember US officials being extremely happy at how the Israeli Eagles and Falcons (Vipers) dominated the Foxbats and even the Phantoms were competitive. The Foxbat was, perhaps, the ultimate Interceptor...a type that the US inventory reached it's pinnacle with the F-106. (Although the 106 turned out to be a capable dogfighter, but without a suitable weapons load to dogfight with.)
Thing is that Russian never gives their best variant. I'd love to know if there would have been any difference if their best or atleast top 3 variant
@@hemendraravi4787 no. The IAF and it's pilots are arguably the best.
@@joegilgan9295 hmm , most of the kills they scored were on aircrafts that were on the ground not on the air. not saying they are bad or anything they are pretty good . im just stating the facts.
@@hemendraravi4787 no, those aren't the facts as you now claims. See your original comment "over Lebanon!"
FYI - there were never any Syrian fighter aircraft on the ground in Lebanon, except of course the ones shot down. Lebanon doesn't even have an air base to support a combat ready fighter aircraft!!
@@joegilgan9295 im talking abt the whole history of israeli air force not just this one conflict. u said they are the best in the world. .
The Mig 25 was a mach 3.2 interceptor
The MiG-25 was great for what it was, which was a bomber killer. It wasn't a dogfighter, it was meant to get off the ground and to altitude quickly, launch its missiles, and scoot before it could be interdicted by enemy fighters.
What enemy fighters? There wouldn't have been any.
So often people get the Fighter/ Interceptor role mixed up only now do we have birds capable of both. E.g. BAC EE lightning interceptor not dogfighter.
The MiG 25 was designed as an interceptor one job only kill bombers.
MiG 31 redressed most of the issues and gave it the dogfighter monica
All the while, keeping a keen eye on the fuel gauge!
It was a nuclear interceptor, so it didn't even care about the 'scoot' part. I expect the majority of interceptor pilots would have been prepared to use their aircraft as the final missile if they were intercepting a nuclear bomber. They almost certainly wouldn't care that they were past RTB (bingo) fuel.
@@0MoTheG The USAF had plans for the F-108 rapier, escort fighters to support the B-70.
Would love to see an episode or series of episodes about F-18 HARV
F-16XL and F15 ACTIVE
The concept works great with rock songs and bands (Rick Beato 😉) and it will definitely lead to enhanced insight in various planes. Great idea Ward! Liked the first episode a lot. 👍
Enjoyed, thanks for sharing 👍
I saw a thrashed Mig25 setting as a gate guard at a base in Western Iraq. Good lord those engines are BIG.
and in 1982 clint eastwood went to russia and stole a foxbat
Yet the SR71 would spend hours on end at Mach 3 plus and loved it
Quirky or not, limited as it was, the MiG-25 has to be one of the coolest, most iconic fighters ever built.
A subtle tribute to Mr Beato. It works for aircraft just as it does for legendary music. Well done Ward! You both make outstanding content.
Russia: T-72 is King of all MBTs.
Untied States: M-1 Abrams hold my beer!
There's one really outstanding characteristic of the MiG-25 that gets overlooked by most folks. While the Foxbat wasn't in the same league as the Lockheed A-12 or SR-71 in raw performance, it was a Mach 3 airplane that could be parked out on an alert pad and launched on a couple of minutes notice. The Blackbirds required about 24 hours of preparation for a flight - for example, its high temperature hydraulic fluid was nearly solid at normal temperatures, and needed to be heated and circulated through the systems. Not something you can put on 5 minute alert.
It could also and was produced in large numbers (circa. 1,000) which even with the USAF massive budget wasn't very feasible for the SR-71 and co.
To catch another aircraft doing mach 3, you would have to take off way in advance. The Foxbat never caught the SR- 71, never got close to an interception, or was able to formulate a firing solution.
And in the attempt, the engines were destroyed.
Part of why I assume the YF-12 fighter variant was little more than a smokescreen to hide the spy plane.
@@davidturcotte5677 The oft. quote MiG-25 that was destroyed by exceeding Mach 3 was actually a MiG-25R while AVOIDING interception. An armed MiG-25P would just not reach those speeds due to the drag caused by the cone and the R-40's.
One drill weekend, Viktor Belenko visited my 173rd TRS F-4 unit at the Nebraska ANG to brief us on Soviet tactical air doctrine and Russian ACM. It was in the late '80s during the Gorbachev Era towards the end of the USSR. I remember that during the Q&A after Belenko's presentation, In response to a question, he made a very memorable and hilarious remark about how the US should deal with Gorbachev and the Soviets diplomatically. In his rich Russian-accented English he said, "Shake their hands, but squeeze their balls."
He was asked if he as a Soviet defector was concerned about his personal safety living somewhat openly in the US when everyone knew that the KGB had global reach and a very long memory. He said that he had good security but chose to no longer live under a covert identity. He related that when strangers he encountered during his frequent travels detected his accent and asked him where he was from, he would simply tell them the truth about being the guy who defected with the MiG-25 to Japan in September of '76. They always laughed and refused to believe his story, so he started telling people that he was a Russian professional hockey player who had defected to the US, a story which they readily accepted without skepticism!
Viktor spent the weekend and partied with us at the O club bar. He and I hit it off, after all, my call sign is Bear, and he liked that. He wanted to fly with me on the Sunday flight schedule the next morning, but the Group commander nixed it since Belenko's presence was still classified and in the event of an incident or mishap it might get out that we had a former Soviet MiG pilot flying in one of our jets.
Before Belenko's surprise visit to the unit, I had read his autobiography, "MiG Pilot" with great interest in what it revealed about the depressing living conditions in the USSR for even military elites like Foxbat pilots. I enthusiastically commend the book to anyone who is interested in Cold War history or military aviation. It's a great read. Bear, USMC A-4, A-6, ANG RF-4C.
What a classic Russian bird! Another vote to do the B-58 next!
I second the B-58 Hustler. Seriously, there are enough planes to cover that Ward could do this for quite a few years. People laugh at me, but I think the greatest airplane ever built was the DC-3. So a C-47 WMTPG would be awesome.
F-14 service ceiling was 50k, but what was its real maximum altitude? The A-6 Intruder maximum altitude is supposed to be 42,400 feet. We had a bored crew get up to just over 59,000 feet before they stalled out. They wrote up all kinds of gripes but we couldn't do anything to fix them because we could not duplicate them at that altitude, so we signed the gripes off as due to manufacturers recommended maximum altitude specifications of 42,400 feet, do not exceed this altitude. We all know everything goes higher or faster than what is published for our military equipment, including out ships speeds.
Ironically we covertly acquired titanium for the SR71 from the Soviet Union.
Yep I believe The CIA set up a dummy corporation to mine and transport the materials back to the States.
Typical, all Russian/Soviet (and even Chinese) hype, but when it counts, falls way short. Ergo, recent events.
THOSE ARE HUGE ENGINES !!
XB-70 development was halted way before the mid-air. Well before first flight I believe. The built the two as research planes with a nod to the SST project.
This was great. I'd love to hear about the F4U Corsair, or the F6F Hellcat.
Copy that.
Eeee gawd the size of those engines on the foxbat look HUGE!!!...standard rooski-ski tho rite,...giant engines on everything?
What makes this plane great!
Hint of Beato there :-)
Indeed. All those guitars behind him suggest he may know of Rick's channel!
@@ianstobie He's been on Rick's channel.
Ward, did you use differential throttle maneuvers on the F14 very often.
Thanks for all you do. I'm half broke almost all the time, and you're the first TH-camr I've ever supported. I couldn't not, especially after your "What Makes This Plane Great" segment. I love aviation to the point of tears, but I have no useful vision. Being able to learn about these iconic planes from the point of view of an experienced aviator, particularly one with your extensive knowledge and training, is a real treat.
Here's an interesting story to go with the Thanks:
When I was a kid living in North Carolina, my mother had to take a business trip to Chicago. She has a deep dislike for and fear of flying, but Chicago was too far for her to drive. For the purposes of keeping her job, she flew both there and back. I don't know what aircraft or airline she flew; all I know it was a prop-jet. Anyway, my grandparents wanted to give me something to do other than worry about my mother, so we took a beach trip. We toured the U.S.S. North Carolina, which was fascinating enough to make up for its tremendous heat, particularly belowdecks. I think the ventilation (what of it there was) was on the blink that day. I was rather exhausted after the climb through the metal marvel, but wouldn't you know it, they had another surprise in stor:. I was to join them on a real, actual airplane flight in and around Topsail Island. We drove to the airport, where our plane and pilot were waiting. The pilot was a fellow who managed to be informative, enthusiastic, and calming at the same time. The plane was a Cessna Skywing, which, though it was just a puddle-jumper, was quite as exciting as a rocket-ship to my mind.
We climbed in the craft, and it was joy beyond compare when I realized I'd be up front with the pilot. Even better, I had real life working controls in front of me. I got to do the talking on the radio, requesting the various clearances, both for takeoff and landing, and while we were in the air, the pilot went over the controls with me. I learned everything my tired little mind could absorb, even being given permission to change flight level and wave our wings to a tourists' boat below.
I didn't know it while this was going on, but this pilot was a certified instructor. He signed and presented me with documentation that I'd had forty-five minutes of official flight training. My grandparents had it framed, and one of my few regrets is its disappearance.
As pedestrian as these experiences are from an everyday perspective, they changed my life. I wasn't afraid to fly when it was my turn to go by jet some years later, in spite of my mother's continuing fears which I grew up with. I began to research airplanes and aiation, watching and listening to everything I could get my hand's on.
Thank you, then, for all you have done to provide me with insight into this fascinating, almost mythical domain.
Thanks for the comment and the support, Dakotah.
Nice!!
_@Dakotah Rickard_ I empathize with the eyesight issue; I do not know you but I daresay that mine is even worse than yours.
Take space that no military pilot has “just“ 20-20 eyesight. Many have 10-20, which is _twice_ the visual acuity.
As for me, a child fascinated by aviation and aircraft (I later become an aerodynamicist), I have no similar seminal experience -- except one: I was in a tourist flight in a private airplane. Another child begged and cajoled the pilot to fly inverted, and to my surprise the pilot did. All were -satisfied- terrified, I was thrilled, and later the pilot told me that he had surreptitiously surveyed his (paying) passengers to see that they were properly buckled in, and decided, _What the heck!?_
Such is how these things happen.
@@brianhiles8164 That sounds like a really fun flight experience.
I have no useful vision. I have light and contrast perception, but I can't focus my eyes, so I experience everything through other senses, prediction, analysis, and extrapolation.
Edit: I forgot a question I wanted to ask.
What is it, exactly, that you do? I don't quite understand, but I'm very curious now.
@@brianhiles8164 Many military pilots wear corrective lenses. Spectacles and contact lenses are both allowed as long as you have no other problems.
Who cannot appreciate Soviet/Russian engineering solutions with steel, in this case a steel honeycomb, ot overcome challenges? Never mind you have to replace engines... The Foxbat is one of the greatest Intercetpors ever built!
I absolutely love this idea! I love aviation but have no useful vision. Hearing about aircraft like this from random researchers and arbitrary civilians is one thing, but hearing about them from the perspective of someone with real flight experience is a totally different bird, so to speak.
I know it was hardly done for me personally, but I still want to offer my heartfelt, personal gratitude for this new program feature.
why are you comparing the zoom climb record of the Mig25 to the service ceiling altitude of the F-14? they have nothing to do with one another.
Imagine if they had the resources to really make it a serviceable Mach 3 aircraft. It's a pretty remarkable achievement considering.
Imagine if dictators/ communists lived upto their impossible dreams.
Dictators steal EVERYTHING and kill anyone in their way. The strongest wins the top position.
Dictators build shitty teams and rarely get their hands on top technology.
Dictators teams are little dictatorships.
Dictators are dangerous to their peoples and neighbours, and their neighbour's children.
It is called Mig-31 and mentioned in this video.
@@0MoTheG mig 31 can only go Mach 2.8
@@cortney3280 Which is still faster than anything in service anywhere.
There are so many great aircraft produced, some were canceled before they could show their full potential unfortunately. I am of course talking about the famed Avro Arrow that our Government screwed us out of.
This brings up an interesting query: I've often wondered just how much weight is given to experienced fighter pilots for new jet development and actually used in production?
A massive amount. They cover this in documentaries for the f-22 and f-35. Before the plane was even built they are running flight simulators where they are already developing the behavior of the fly-by-wire system. These systems are continually developed and updated to improve performance.
If u look into the f-35 it had a srs buffeting issue at high angles of attacks that was so jarring the pilots couldnt see. It was eliminated by adjusting the software. Modern avionics are just as much a marvel as the planes they control.
For Russia? Not so much. Engineers design and build, then the pilot learns to fly it. For Western aircraft? Right from the initial design stage.
My first scale model plane was a MIG 25 Foxbat. My dad bought it for me when i was 6 years old.
You have an amazing dad.
I always thought the Mig-25 was a very ominous looking bird.
Good gravy, the size of the SHNOZZLES on that thing!
I remember reading a book in the late 80s/early 90s about his defection and life in the US. It's a fascinating story. Great video!
The catfood story is hilarious.
It was called Mig Pilot, written by John Barron in 1980. It was a little rah rah American for my taste but still a very interesting story and portrayal of Soviet life. The two things that stood out to me were: 1) the fact that they didn’t use insulation, they just made wall thicker as a thermal break, so you might have two foot thick concrete walls, and 2) The apartment block that Viktor lived in had cracked so their solution was to wrap a big steel band around the building to cinch it back together. If you can get your hands on a copy of the book it is worth a read.
@@rpgroome That's the one! Certainly need to find it and read it again. I read it back in High School in the late 80s. I was then, and still am now, a huge military aviation geek; But not as much as one of my childhood friends, and nextdoor neighbor growing up, who went on to work for Lockheed-Martin. LOL
Really interesting video! Thanks
Low Tech & Cost effective other than the 150 hour engine life🔥👍The U.S. Army had a Russian Mi24 Hind Helo in Desert Cammo. It had [U.S. ARMY Test Activity] stenciled on the tailboom. I snapped a photo of it taxiing up to the Test Activity hangar one morning in 1989 at Ft Rucker. There was enough humidity in the air that the vortex was visible off the main rotor blades as it roll taxied. I was in the aft crew seat of a UH-1H hovering on the way out to the taxiway when I snapped the photo. For some reason that shot wasn't developed. Every other picture on the roll of film except that one came out perfectly🖖😎☮
A few years ago, I was picking up a load of surplus helicopter parts at a base on the east coast, and as my trailer was being loaded, I heard a sound that was NOT American.
A few minutes later, in-between buildings, a Mi-8 taxis by, and I said to the gentleman in charge of loading "Hey - that's a Hip!!!"
He responds with "Yes, it is...and, how do you know that?"
I answered "I've been around...".
@@Britcarjunkie 《☆》The Big Russian Utility helos are being used in the Logging & other heavy lift industries in The USA & Canada. I had a chance to install main rotor blades on a Hip that had just arrived at Blount island from overseas. I didn't even have time to go look at it but it would have been interesting.
@@bdogjr7779 Really?
(This one was at a military base, but had no markings on it - at least, none that I could make out from the distance I was at, and it was painted a desert camo: I was told it was for "training")
Regardless of the fact if it's any good or not, (and I wouldn't call it a slouch) the shape of the MiG-25 just looks cool with its long nose and the anhedral wings coupled with the slightly canted fins. (Same thing with the Tomcat, the differing angles of the air intakes, fins, the way the forward fuselage fairs into the rest of the plane... It makes the F-14 interesting to look at where the F-15 is A.J. squared away and boring. Like something's missing.) Probably THE most impressive thing about the Foxbat though are the exhausts. They are HUGE and when the burners light off it looks like someone stuffed the sun up each of the tailpipes! I just wonder how loud it is, it'd be cool to see an air display in person.
Excellent telling of the backstory of the MiG-25. I like the format of this new series. Question, am I the only one who finds it ironic that the Soviets had issues procuring titanium to build the MiG-25....when the Americans were able to purchase enough titanium for the SR-71 from the Soviet Union?
Also Ward, are you a fan of Rick Beato?
Manufacturing of large complex parts out of titanium is the problem. Took a fair amount of time to learn the processes during the A-12/SR-71 project.
Ward appeared on a video on Rick’s channel, so I guess you could say that
It wasn't a problem, just not worth the effort/price. The aircraft was a glorified first missile stage, and quantity was more important to that than a minor improvement in quality. Lightening it up could increase range slightly, but not improve speed, as that was engine limited (titanium parts in the engines were widespread, because they did see benefit). Interception missions do not benefit from extra range if they will get to the destination late anyway, so extra range isn't that useful either.
The whole point of the MIG-25 was to get that R-40 missile to altitude as soon as possible.
The solution to DCS redFor is the Mig25
Or the Mig31
@@92HazelMocha classified unlike the 25
The U.S. could of had Mach 3+ capable interceptors from the 1950s starting with the Republic F-103 Thunder Warrior. With titanium alloy skin frame and a hybrid Turbojet Ramjet engine. American built Curtis Wright J-67 ( license Bristol Rolls-Royce Olympus 301 ) with a bypass ramjet duct with afterburners. kind of weird that it had a periscope with side windows and no forward windshield, it was expected to do Mach 3 and was purposed back in 1952 i believe.
Then there was the F-108 Rapier Mach 3+ interceptor. Using two of the same 6 pax GE YJ-93 engines that the XB-70 Valkyrie used and armed with 3 AIM-47 Falcon Missile ( precursor to the AIM-54 Phoenix missiles ). It was canceled in mid 1959.
Last but not least was the YF-12 " Archangel " ( weaponized SR-71 ). 3 were built to test. deemed too much and unnecessary.
So America had options for jets to out run the Mig-25 " Foxbat " but did not want to make them. So why be alarmed and flabbergasted when you could of had equal or better machines ???? The Israelis could of loved a few F-108s to chase out some MIG-25s back in the 70s....
They were alarmed because the American trisonic prototypes were too expensive to produce and operate while the Soviets had no problem churning out MiG-25s. The USSR had much more titanium, domestically mined, than the USA could get its hands on and was even making titanium submarines. If the MiG-25 really was a titanium jet that used its large wings to be very maneuverable, that wouldn't have been something easy to counter.
@@Hypernefelos The MIG-25s where made of a stainless steel nickel alloy they said, Not titanium.
@@leonswan6733 That's the neat part: They didn't know.
@@leonswan6733 Yes, but the Americans didn't know that. That's why they were panicking.
@@Hypernefelos But that shows you how awesome that airframe is where stainless Steel nickel alloy is way heavier than a titanium alloy airframe.
The MiG-25 Foxbat has some impressive stats. However, it looks almost "kitbashed" to me... sorta lacking in cohesive aesthetic.
So stoked for the continuation of this series!
So... a Russian super-weapon that turned out to be not so impressive. Sounds familiar somehow...
This is going to be a great series of episodes! I can remember watching the network news one evening and they did the story about the defectiugp pilot and the Mig 25. Is the pilot still living, he would be great guest for your channel?
Wikipedia says Belenko is alive at age 75, but does not give interviews.
@@gordonrichardson2972Belenko died in September.
Not that it's all that important, although it was President Ford who granted political asylum to the defecting pilot, not President Carter.
I saw with my own eyes an air battle in the 1982 Lebanon War; A MiG-25 intelligence interception plane penetrated from the north to photograph the IDF forces ahead of a huge armored battle in the Lebanon Valley. An Israeli Kfir plane (similar to an F21a) chased it and shot it down with a Python missile. The MiG tried to escape high above the Kfir, and was faster by several tenths of Mach. But the Israeli missile was much faster. It exploded with 8 kg near and under the Russian cockpit. The Israeli passed by the plane The Russian who came from Syria to take a look at the cockpit. Above 50,000 feet the cause of death is the boiling of the blood because there is almost no air. The perforation of the cockpit with shrapnel sucks the air out of it. The MiG 25 continued motionless with a punctured nose and engines. I received a report that it fell nose down in the Lebanon Valley .
It sounds like complete nonsense.
The IDF shot down a few MiG-25R's. But to my recollection all of them were by F-15's using AIM-7's. Given that earlier F-4E never managed to catch reconaissance MiG-25's I highly doubt that a Kfir, which is a modified Mirage V with the same engine as the F-4E (except it carried one rather than two) and with zero BVR capabilities could have done it so long as the MiG was flying on its envelope, so you'll have to pardon my skepticism.
@@miquelescribanoivars5049 Ignore the official announcements. Even from the Israeli Air Force website which claims it was an F-15 that killed the MiG 25. The MiG 25's penetration into the Sinai skies was in the 70's. Sinai was very far from the center of Israel. It took a long flight time for the Phantoms to meet the MiG 25. The MiG penetrated several times and escaped when its engine was destroyed by a red jet, 2.7 Mach. In one encounter the Phantom launched a missile whose fragments hit the MiG's tail because the missile was tuned for normal aircraft. This time The last one in which the MiG 25 dared to visit Sinai. Rafael (the Authority for the Development of Weapons) developed more revolutionary missiles. In the 1982 Lebanon War, Python missiles were widely used, the speed of which is more than one mach above the speed of the fastest fighter planes. It should be remembered that "Kfir" is the son of "Nesher" and the grandson of "Mirage". It is a sharp and very small plane with an improved Phantom engine Which easily reaches 2.4 mach. Its avionics are much more sophisticated. The Israeli Air Force was preparing to meet the best Russian equipment, to settle the score. This is an air battle in which Israel's air control is helping the pilot because the Syrian missile batteries and radars have already been destroyed. The range was also not beyond the visual range (bvr). I was standing on a high mountain in Jezin, South Lebanon. I saw the same event well as far as Beirut, Lebanon. By the way the Americans used 50 planes from the f21a version to simulate MiG 25 in the US air combat schools like "Top Gun". The Kafir, which was used for attacks and interception in the Israeli Air Force, surpasses the MiG 25 in many areas. And there was even an intelligence interception version of this plane.
@@MrZakay > Ignore the official announcements.
> Announcements done "pressumibly" by your country.
> But *Trust Me TM*
Doesn't track my friend.
@@miquelescribanoivars5049 A large part of the weapons and fighting methods that Israel develops are used again and again until they become obsolete. Other countries buy knowledge and products from Israel. My government also protects a military advantage that it has sold or bought from other governments. After decades the technology and method are replaced by new ones. I was active in a civil group for the investigation of battles and wars. We uncovered many amazing details about past wars that were allowed to be published.
Collosal engine...then build a wing and hang some missile on that thing... 1000 m/s why not...
Excellent commentary, Ward. There had been some speculation that Russia got the overall design idea for the Foxbat from the RCAF CF-105 Arrow interceptor from 1958. That aircraft had enormously powerful engines designed specifically for high altitude and Mach 2+ speeds. Although it never got into serial production due to govt change after an election and subsequent cancellation it would have been the most advanced fighter of the day and was the first with fly by wire design.
God, just stop it.
@@jamesharris9816 Do some research on the Arrow, it had the first use of titanium on the wings and fuselage to handle the speed it was intended to fly at. After the Arrow was cancelled the people that worked on it went to work on another aircraft with their Ti experience -- the SR-71 Blackbird.
I’m new to this chanel, is there a reason this is episode 1? Can we expect more history on MIGs or other stuff? Just curious
Great video and story Ward... I have to share that while visiting my daughter in Hungary, I learned my daughter's boyfriend, who's signed up with the Hungarian military, has the same passion for jets as I did growing up. I hope my daughter is ready for the life, if they stay the course, and though I'm also hoping he'll never have to see combat, I'm glad if he does, it'll be as part of a European NATO force! Serendipitously while shopping for some gifts for my cousin's kids, I found a "Maverick" F-14 Tomcat Revell model in the store which I bought and plan to build as a gift for my daughter's boyfriend. One can only hope these magnificent weapons of destruction are used only for good, to fight for the liberties and freedoms we have, to keep us safe. I'm also glad the country my parents had to flee, now shares the freedom, and privilege to serve, with the rest of the free world.😎🤘🎸🇭🇺🇺🇸
Mach 3 and melt the motors. (Landing after such a dash must have been a nervous business.
What would it matter if they were making 300 engines a year?
The video footage of a MiG-25 trying to escape and out maneuver in afterburner an F-14A Tomcat firmly locked on it balancing the pipper during the Gulf of Sidra conflicts was a sight to behold.
On gulf of Sidra conflict was a Mig 23 not 25!
@@camencowogh8333 I am talking about a different engagement that happened in 1985 just before the Operation El dorado Canyon. It was 2 MIG-25s intercerpting two F-14As over the 'line of death' in the Gulf of Sidra and it was a MIG-25 Foxbat. I never said SU-25. The HUD videos from Bucci's F-14 was declassified.
@@2ZZGE100 I said Mig 23 not Su 25 (Su 25 is a atack aircraft like A10 not fighter) In first gulf of Sidra incidend was (1981) was Su 22 (some kind of ground atack but can launch AA milssile)!
@@camencowogh8333 WTF? Learn to read. I did not talk about kills. The conflict went for many years and F-14s would engage all the time while exercising freedom of navigation over 'Line of death'. I said MIG-25 Foxbats and only F-14s locked on to them. It is neither the SU-22 1981 or the 1989 MIG-23. The one I am talking about, took place in 1985 against two Foxbats. There were no kills in those cases. Just F-14s locked on to MIG-25s while they were seeking clearance to shoot in the radio chatter, but never got permission to shoot due to the ROE.
One big problem you didn't mention.
IT SUCKS GAS.
This, and the SU-15 (NATO: 'Flagon') were my favs back in the day, with the SU-22 (NATO: Fitter) a close third.
Great series, looking forward to more. Thanks Ward.
Really cool!
Very nice video! I want to add a couple of things. to cool the fan and anterior stage of the compressor, the Foxbat utilized a mix of methanol and water according to my reading. When this supply ran out (a few minutes' worth) Mach 3 flight was no longer possible without completely destroying the engine. Thus, the flight profile was Mach 2-2.5 for most of the flight, with a brief burst of speed to Mach 3.2. This was enough, however, to fly recon missions over Israel with impunity in 1973 In contrast, the SR-71 Blackbird can officially sustain Mach 3.4 (2,242 mph) for 90 minutes (then it has to refuel). Also, the B-1A Lancer (canceled by Jimmy Carter)was designed for supersonic high altitude penetration. The B-1B (cleared for production by Ronald Reagan) was designed for low level penetration.
The engine problem was related to a runaway fuel pump and was cured from the R-15D-300 onwards. It didn’t destroy the engines either but it would have seriously overtemped the hot section of the engine to a point where they would no longer have been repairable. Since the Foxbat had the glide performance of a bulldozer, a MiG-25 with ‘destroyed’ engines would not have made it back. No MiG-25s from that era and those incidents are known to have been lost.
That Blackbird never did Mach 3.4 either. The difference between max cruise and max speed at that altitude and that speed would have been negligible. The engines were basically functioning as ramjets anyway, with very little power coming from the core and nearly all of it from the inlet and the ejector.
@@thethirdman225 I appreciate your explanation about the Foxbat engines. A similar issue appears in today's geared turbofan, in that the combustor lining and high pressure turbine have had issues leading to shorter useful lifespan. As to your Blackbird comments, 2,242 mph divided by 660 is Mach 3.39, and Brian Shull reached Mach 3.5 over Libya in Operation El Dorado Canyon, so yes, the Blackbird did reach Mach 3.4. The limiting factor was the Air Force's applying an 800 degree F limit to the temperature allowed at the air inlet. For Shul's flight, due to the enhanced SAM threat, the Air Force waived the limit and Shul pushed his airplane harder. The Blackbird can reach about Mach 3.6 in burst mode as it were, but, given enough fuel, it could easily cruise at 3.4 all day long. Also, while the ramjet effect was important, the engine core's contribution was not zero. It was about 60% or so. There are diagrams available online to show you the difference in ramjet vs turbojet power depending or where the inlet spike is and whether the bypass doors are closed or open.
@@ronaryel6445 The Smithsonian gives the SR-71 speed as Mach 3.3 and working backwards from that, we get a speed of 2,214 mph. I think even that might be slightly optimistic. Most sources I have say Mach 3.2 but like anything on the internet, it is subject to a bidding war. Speed in miles per hour is not very useful because the speed of sound varies with temperature. Mach 3.3 is what matters here because that doesn’t change. It is simply a ratio of the aircraft’s speed in relation to the speed of sound. These variations are not a licence to make up whatever speed (in mph) suits our arguments. Temperature at 85,000 feet doesn’t actually change much.
Because of the way the engines worked, these claims of burst speeds are extremely doubtful. I have heard others question Brian Shul’s claims several times and though I don’t own his book, I have definitely looked through it. Shul became something of a controversial figure in the SR-71 community and was sanctioned by his CO, Rich Graham, whose book I do have. Graham has expressed doubts about Shul’s claim of Mach 3.5 and many in the community - almost any of whom could write their own book - have questioned his motives. Graham also criticised Shul for taking his camera into the cockpit, something he was not authorised to do.
As I described earlier, the engines were operating basically as ramjets at that speed and altitude so there were no ‘burst speeds’ and Mach 3.6 is highly unlikely. The SR-71 was not a high performance sports car. This was an aircraft which was operated by the book. The pilot set the throttles and flew accordingly, mostly on autopilot. Operating as a ramjet - or near enough as makes no difference - means that the majority of the fuel is going through the afterburner and the fuel/air mix is far less precise. The exact figures for the engine at Mach 3.2 at 54% for the inlet, 17.6% for the engine core and 28.4% for the ejector (source _’Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird’,_ Paul F. Crickmore, Osprey Publishing, 1986, p. 95). Since the inlet spike was ‘scheduled’ by an onboard computer and was at maximum rearward travel when the aircraft was at Mach 3.2 and the throttles were also set, with the engines operating in bypass mode, there was no throttling up for burst speeds.
@@ronaryel6445 By the way, maximum speeds for aircraft like these are limited by Mach number. That means that, even in a dive with the engines set, the speed will not increase much, if at all. So it’s not like in WWII when a fighter like a P-51 would be flying at say, 430mph and then put its nose down and find itself doing 500. They too, were limited by Mach number but for different reasons.
There are terminal speeds in high speed aviation that are not always easy to understand. Supersonic aerodynamics is very different from subsonic.
@@thethirdman225 Incorrect. The limits on speed are determined by pressure, temperature, and gas properties. The Mach number is simply a measure of just how fast we get. In practical terms, however, the highest Mah number we can reach depends on how much thermal heating from friction we can wihstand. The X-15 reached Mach 6.7, or 4,420 mph; maximum altitude reached was over 300,000 feet.. The SR-71's titanium fuselage and wings could easily withstand Mach 4 or even higher, because the titanium gets tougher at those temperatures. However, the inlet and spike could not. Hence, the USAF put a limit of 800 degrees on flights, but waived it on at least one occasion (1986 El Dorado Canyon operation). The plane did just fine, but the the USAF's caution was prudent. I recommend you brush up on your physics. I'm glad you have an interest in it, and I encourage you to learn as much as you can.
I would never call the Mig-25 great until its final development into the MIG-31. The MIG-25 was was crude as hell.
Knowing the hoops Lockheed jumped through to make the SR-71 Mach 3.2 steady state capable shows how far off the mark the Foxbat was. But the Foxbat was still an awesome achievement all things considered.
More appropriately, the YF-12 was Mach 3.2 capable with a functional long-range weapons system in 1966 and was in fact ordered into production before being cancelled to divert funds to systems useful in Vietnam.
6:09 As opposed to the current Russian work ethic of "don't get it done, but say you did."
The fears of the MiG 25 are part of what we call wolf at the door syndrome. To maintain defense force budgets there always has to be fear in the enemies abilities to counter anything we may be able to front. From early on they knew the Foxbat was nothing more than a flying fuel can with missiles. The actual aircraft they were designed to hit was the Sr71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft. The problem was that by the time they were identified and the Foxbats actually got to altitude then Blackbirds were so far gone it was a wasted effort.
SR-71s never flew in peer-contested airspace, just places like Vietnam. Flying over the USSR would have been a suicide mission.
Further to that, NATO had a pretty good idea of where Soviet air bases were, where Soviet radars covered, and the performance of the Soviet interceptors. It was a simple calculation with deterministic outcomes. A flight plan would either have a 0% chance of being intercepted successfully*, or a near 100%, and the planners knew in advance which. It was not a wasted effort, because the defender's objective is to prevent reconnaissance, not destroy aircraft. If the mission gets rejected at the planning phase then that is a defender victory.
Well, shoot. Now I need this for DCS. It'll be pretty, next to the fulcrum.