МІВ-25Н / ІУІШ-25ВВ / MiG 25RBV / MiG 25RRT / Ye 155R / 02

The MiG-25R was a high-altitude supersonic reconnaissance aircraft cast in the same mold as the MiG-25P interceptor. It was designed and built in 1961 and 1962. Externally, the Ye-155R-1 was different from the Ye-155P-l except for the forward fuselage (right up to bulkhead no. 1), which housed the reconnaissance systems, and the wing tip fuel tanks (capacity 1,200 1 [317 US gallons]), which could not be removed because they held the winglets. The fin tips had a more square shape. The internal modifications were limited to the refurbishing of the cockpit and electronics compartment as well as the installation of addi­tional antennae. To increase the operating range, the adjustable-area nozzles were fitted with larger flaps; the fuel capacity was increased by adding built-in tanks (350 1 [92 US gallons] each) to both fins and by •These records were still standing as this book went to press.

The Ye-155R-1 the first prototype of the MiG-25R. The wing – with no anhedral—had fuel tanks at the tips supporting a downward-canted winglet (the Soviets called it a flip­per).

On the third prototype, the Ye-155R-3 numbered 3155, the wing tip fuel tanks were replaced by antiflutter bodies. The wing has a 5-degree anhedral.

developing a huge auxiliary fuel tank (5,3001 [1,400 US gallons]) for the underbelly.

The MiG-25R-l was first flown on 6 March 1964 by A V. Fedotov, OKB chief pilot. It was powered by two R-15B-300S rated at 7,350 daN (7,500 kg st) dry and 10,005 daN (10,210 kg st) with afterburner. The first test flights led to a number of modifications that were introduced on the МІО-25Р These changes were made gradually. On the third pro­totype or Ye-155R-3 (the number 3155 tagged on its nose, it was one of the first four MiG-25s used for the Domodyedovo air display in July 1967) the wing tip fuel tanks and the winglets were replaced by anti­flutter bodies, the wing chord was increased significantly, the leading edge compound sweepback was rubbed out (and replaced by a constant 41 degrees), the fin tips were given a bevel shape, and the canard sur­faces were retained. Not until later was the fin area enlarged, the slab tailplane granted a taileron function, the ventral fin area reduced and the aircraft powered by its definitive engines, two R-15BD-300s rated at 10,975 daN (11,200 kg st) with afterburner

After passing the factory tests, the state acceptance trials, and the military acceptance inspections, the Ye-155 entered production in 1969 in the Gorki factory It was also decided that year to give the aircraft a bombing capability, in 1970 the new version, the MiG-25RB passed its tests and entered the production phase Simultaneously, all MiG-25Rs already built were upgraded with retrofit kits to the standard of the MiG-25RB reconnaissance-bomber variant, which was the progenitor of many specialized subtypes such as the MiG-25RBK (к standing for Kub—“cube"—the nickname of its SLAR radar) MiG-25RBS (1972), MiG-25RBV (v standing for Virazh—"turn”—the nickname of its SLAR radar), and MiG-25RBT (1978) These later models differed only in their electronic intelligence or navigation systems

When the basic MiG-25R (RB) was developed, the OKB had to face a number of difficult technical problems

—the aircraft had to be capable of cruising for great distances at Mach 2.35 and flying at Mach 2.83 with its full external bomb load —it had to be able to escape the interceptors and missiles of hostile air forces for the decade to come (1970-1980) by relying on its speed, ceiling, maneuverability, and electronic countermeasures (ECM) equipment

—a highly accurate, automatic homing bombing system had to be invented to attack ground targets at known coordinates from supersonic speeds and altitudes above 20,000 m (65,600 feet), around the clock and in any weather conditions —a highly accurate inertial navigation unit had to be developed (the USSR’s first) to tie together the DISS system (doplerovskiy izmeritel skorosti г snosa a Doppler radar to compute ground speed and

This remarkable aerial photograph was taken near Cairo in 1971 by a MiG-25 flying at 22 000 m (72,160 feet) and 2,500 km/h (1 350 kt). The camera, with a 650-mm focal length could cover a strip of ground equal to five times the aircraft’s altitude—in this instance, 110 km (68 miles) Foreground, the pyramids.

The MiG-25RBs—both bombers and reconnaissance aircraft—were equipped with SRS – 4A or 4B electronic intelligence systems.

drift) and other course correction devices; a bank of digital com­puters (another first) linked to the automatic flight control system initiated on a preset path the release of bombs or the activation of reconnaissance equipment

—three interchangeable bays had to be engineered to house various types of powerful high-resolution cameras capable of covering a strip 90 km (56 miles) wide

—electronic intelligence equipment had to be incorporated, such as the SRS-4A(4B) on the MiG-25R (RB) and the SRS-9 on the MiG-25RBV

—a network of ground stations had to be established to pick up the data transmitted by the aircraft

—the performance of the Peleng ("bearing") navigation system had to be improved

The MiG-25R had no armament (neither cannons nor missiles) and could rely only on its speed and ceiling attributes to escape any attacker.

For photo-reconnaissance missions, the MiG-25R might have two left-right rotating cameras in one of its three interchangeable hays. One camera could have a focal length of 650 mm and be capable of covering a strip of ground equal to five times the flight altitude, while the other might have a focal length of 1,300 mm to cover an area half that long. The two cameras shot obliquely through two port and two starboard ports. A vertical camera with a short focal length was located under the cockpit to make the linking shots.

The MiG-25RB could carry six 500-kg (1,100-pound) bombs, four under the wing and two under the fuselage. Structurally significant items were strengthened at the bomb-launcher attachment points. The MiG-25RB, RBK, and RBS were commissioned for the WS in 1972 by the council of ministers. Those three versions as well as the MiG- 25RBV were produced until 1972. The MiG-25 reconnaissance variant was exported to Bulgaria, Algeria, Syria, India, Iraq, and Egypt[11] Dur­ing the Iran-lraq war, the Iraqi MiG-25Rs were upgraded to the RB stan­dard by field service personnel.

The exceptional advantages of the MiG-25RB and RBV were greatly appreciated by their operators extent of the ground area swept during a single flight by either the cameras or the elint equipment, high-speed long-distance flight, and near invulnerability to air defenses of the time. It is not widely known that MiG-21 Rs were used by branches of the public authorities for tasks such as demarcating regions affected by forest fires, snow, or floods. They were so quick and economical that neither satellites nor aircraft built especially for aerophotogrammetry (such as the An-32) could ever compete.

Specifications

Span, 13 418 m (44 ft 0 3 in); length (except probe), 21.55 m (70 ft 8 4 in); height, 6 5 m (21 ft 3 9 in); wheel track, 3 85 m (12 ft 7 6 in); wheel base, 5 138 m (16 ft 10.3 in); wing area, 61 4 m2 (660 9 sq ft), takeoff weight, 37,000 kg (81,550 lb); max takeoff weight, 41,200 kg (90,805 lb); fuel, 15,245 kg (33,600 lb); wing loading, 602 6-671 kg/m2 (123 5-137 6 lb/sq ft)

Performance

Max speed, 3,000 km/h at 13 000 m (1,620 kt at 42,640 ft); max speed at sea level, 1,200 km/h (648 kt); max Mach, 2.83, climb to 19,000 m (62,320 ft) in clean configuration in 6.6 min; with a 2,000-kg (4,400-lb) bomb load in 8.2 min; service ceiling in clean configuration, 21,000 m (68,880 ft); range at supersonic speed, 1,635 km (1,015 mi); range at subsonic speed, 1,865 km (1,160 mi); range at supersonic speed with 5,300-1 (1,400-US gal) auxiliary fuel tank, 2,130 km (1,320 mi); range at subsonic speed with 5,300-1 (1,400-US gal) auxiliary fuel tank, 2,400 km (1,490 mi).

The First supersonic business jet could have belonged to the USSR. It was planned some twenty-five years ago, and it owed a great deal to the MiG-25.