Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
Family of interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 (Russian: Микоян и Гуревич МиГ-25; NATO reporting name: Foxbat) is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that is among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau, it is an aircraft built primarily using stainless steel. It was to be the last plane designed by Mikhail Gurevich, before his retirement.[2]
MiG-25 | |
---|---|
A MiG-25PU two-seat trainer | |
Role | Interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft |
National origin | Soviet Union |
Manufacturer | Mikoyan-Gurevich / Mikoyan |
First flight | 6 March 1964; 60 years ago (1964-03-06) |
Introduction | 1970 |
Status | In limited service with the Syrian Air Force |
Primary users | Soviet Air Defence Forces (historical) Indian Air Force (historical) Algerian Air Force (historical) Syrian Air Force |
Produced | 1964–1984 |
Number built | 1,186[1] |
Developed into | Mikoyan MiG-31 |
The first prototype flew in 1964 and the aircraft entered service in 1970. Although its thrust was sufficient to reach Mach 3.2+, its speed was limited to prevent engines from overheating at higher air speeds and possibly seriously damaging them, therefore the operational top speed was limited to Mach 2.83.[3][4] The MiG-25 features a powerful radar and four air-to-air missiles and was theoretically capable of a ceiling of 27 km (89,000 ft).
When first seen in reconnaissance photography, the large wings suggested an enormous and highly manoeuvrable fighter, at a time when U.S. design theories were also evolving towards higher manoeuvrability 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 requirements for the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, then under development in the late 1960s. The capabilities of the MiG-25 were better understood by the West 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 1,186 aircraft. A symbol of the Cold War, the MiG-25 flew with Soviet allies and former Soviet republics, remaining in limited service in several export customers. It is one of the highest-flying military aircraft,[5] one of the fastest serially produced interceptor aircraft,[6] and the second-fastest serially produced aircraft after the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft, which was built in very small numbers compared to the MiG-25.[7] As of 2018[update], the MiG-25 remains the fastest manned serially produced aircraft in operational use and the fastest plane that was offered for supersonic flights and edge-of-space flights to civilian customers.[8][7]