The Mig-25 “Foxbat” is a very old fighter plane… probably first flew in the 1960s. It’s characteristics have been very well understood for nearly 30 years.

“NATO had its first detailed look at the MiG-25 when a Soviet pilot defected to Japan with one in September 1976. This exposed its 1950s-era radar and other features that dispelled much of the mythology built up by some Western analysts since the first sighting of the ‘Foxbat’ in 1967.”

For more information see

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/russia/mig-25.htm

Newsmax isn’t exactly a good source of objective reporting. Is there any other source for this information that these particular MiG Foxbats are in fact 1990’s era? The Foxbat is a very old jet design.

Reed’s comment about the old equipment on the original MiG-25 leaves out the tendency of any air force to modernize equipment on planes. The radar on the current model MiG-25 has nothing to to with older machines, and other systems have certainly been updated.

http://www.militaryid.com/Aircraft%20Pages/MiG/MiG-25%20FOXBAT/MiG-25%20Variants.htm

Several of the versions listed at the above URL “have never been exported”. If it turns out it was one of these versions …

The MiG-25 Foxbat was originally designed for one mission - to serve as a rapidly placeable missile platform for engaging inbound US Aircraft. Speculation is that its design originally was motivated by the B-58 ‘Hustler’ Supersonic Bomber of the late 50’s. It was retained even after the B-58 was retired from US service, because the Soviet concept called for simply putting up a large number of missile bearing aircraft as delivery platforms - the pilots were apparently not expected to actively dogfight with inbound American Bombers, simply to ride their aircraft into a basic firing geometry and engage en masse. Several Soviet designs had instrumentation capable of allowing ground personnel to control the onboard weapons systems, and direct the engagements. The unmanned flight of the Soviet Space Shuttle ‘Buran’ was a direct application of this type of technology and practice.

It is also thought the Foxbat was designed to be a potential interceptor/missile platform to engage the SR-71 (capable of Mach 3+/70K+ altitude).

The Foxbat series does one thing well - it goes very fast in a straight line for a limited amount of time. These characteristics were utilized in the variant buried in Iraq - a recon version. Before speed data on the SR-71 was released, a MiG-25 held the level flight speed record for a short time in the late 60’s/early 70’s, based on a sortie from Syria to Egypt over Israel at an observed speed of over Mach 2.5. The aircraft in question had to have both engines replaced upon arrival in Egypt - the speed run had burned out both Tumansky turbojets.

The Iraqis did possess these aircraft prior to the first Gulf War, and they were one of the few airframes not among the types flown to Iran to escape the coalition air assault in 1991.

It was also speculated that if there was to be an aggressive Iraqi air response, it would come in the form of a MiG-25 or two in a very fast ‘suicide run’ into the midst of a concentration of coalition aircraft, simply firing its missiles then either being destroyed or the pilot ejecting after his missile rails were emptied. This scenario was not performed by the Iraqi Air Force, to my knowledge.

Hmmm. http://site-essential.com/blog/01Aug03.shtml#2395 Rep Goss quote on the planes (I don’t always agree with his opinions, but I’ve never known him to lie): “Our guys have found 30-something brand new aircraft buried in the sand to deny us access to them,” Goss said.

From the link Bruce posted above, compared with the third photo you can see how it appears to be a MiG-25RBSh FOXBAT D with the SLAR antenna and ESM fairing. Those are currently in use by Russia and were never exported to the West.

I’m not an expert, but I can tell you that Charles R. Smith reports on developments with a wide range of weapons systems, has many high level DoD contacts, and has uncovered lots of juicy FOIA details regarding the U.S. military and intel community being sold out to politics during the Clinton years.

Not that he can’t be wrong, but I wouldn’t be so quick to doubt him. He should have provided more specifics up front though — that’s why he’s still just a poor man’s Bill Gertz.

And don’t forget this… “Top secret documents obtained by The Telegraph in Baghdad show that Russia provided Saddam Hussein’s regime with wide-ranging assistance in the months leading up to the war, including intelligence on private conversations between Tony Blair and other Western leaders.

Moscow also provided Saddam with lists of assassins available for “hits” in the West and details of arms deals to neighbouring countries. The two countries also signed agreements to share intelligence, help each other to “obtain” visas for agents to go to other countries and to exchange information on the activities of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qa’eda leader.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/13/wrus13.xml&sSheet=/news/2003/04/13/ixnewstop.html

If it IS a recon Foxbat, it’s a big intel coup. We’ve had the chance to examine the fighter version, but the late-model recon systems?

FWIW, I’m informed that ALL the hardware on that EP-3 was trashed before landing.

I’m no expert either, but it appears to me to be a MiG-25RBF Foxbat B or RBT rather than RBSh - notice that the grey di-electric panel is trapezoidal rather than rectangular and is located further forward (note the differences in this photo. I imagine you could upgrade the MiG-25RB, which was exported to Iraq, to an RBF or RBT by just changing out some of the electronics. Given that these variants were developed by the Russians in 1981, I’m not sure that the Iraqi’s hadn’t upgraded their RB models by the Gulf War.

Maybe this is a big find, but I lean to no big deal (except the implications on finding anything in Iraq).

Great catch Kevin, you’re exactly right. Those diagrams weren’t as clear as your photo and I was fooled by the perspective in the head on angle in the Iraqi photo.

It’s almost impossible to determine which Foxbat B, but I’m guessing that Charles Smith has good sources for the info we’re all trying to guess at. The key is probably that it was said to be “more than just an RB” and the Air Force inspectors on scene were elated. Further inspection will determine the exact upgraded guts.

Thanks, Chris.

After commenting here, I went over to Tacitus, who has up a rather large Power Point Presentation of the excavation of the planes which on the title page calls it a Foxbat B. I wish I’d checked there first before squinting at a half dozen airplane pictures. Oh well.

I think it’s clear that the airframe (which is what the B or D refers to) is a pre-embargo model. But from the pictures you can’t tell what the electronics are. They could be standard issue Russian stuff (RBT or RBF), or they could be something special for the Iraqi’s. A friend of mine once worked on a radar upgrade for Egyptian MiG-21’s; maybe the Russians, or a possibility according to the reporting, the French put something together just for the Iraqi’s (or maybe the French and Russians have been working together on upgrades), or even less likely but still possible, the Iraqi’s put together something for themselves (they did develop their own extended range SCUDs). As you say, only the intel guys know and they aren’t talking (yet).

I think we have a definitive answer to the question of what variant of the MiG-25 Foxbat was dug up by U.S. forces recently: it’s a Foxbat B used for recon and elint. The source of this information is the August 11, 2003 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology, easily the most reliable and accurate source of unclassified aerospace info around. Gene Eisman