Blackbird v. Mig-25

"Nele VII" wrote in message
...
Mr. Cooper, it seems you are suggesting that the former USSR fired some
4,000 SAMs against SR-71. Yet, SR-71 was "intercepted" with Swedish JA-37
(or so they say). I don't know, but if I were a Soviet PVO commander in
chief in that time, I would be p*ssed off big time!

Well, that's the figure given by Robert J. Gilliland, former SR-71-test
pilot, in an interview published by Warren E. Thompson in Air Enthusiast
Sept/Oct 2004. Perhaps my memory is not the best, but I think I've read a
figure of over 5.000 SAM-firings somewhere else before (not only over the
USSR, but also Cuba, North Korea and some other places).

Re. interceptions by Swedish JA-37s: perhaps they did it, perhaps not, I
don't know. But, what I actually find funny in this exchange with Venik is
the fact that his only source about MiG-25/31s is so obviously Y. Gordon's
book published by Aerofax (which in turn strongly resembles the book "MiG-25
i Modifikaciy", by G. Dmitriev, S. Sergin, and S. Popsuevich, published by
Arhiv-Press, in Kiev, 1995, and some other earlier Russian publications).
Consequently, Venik can't know about such examples like an ex-Soviet
MiG-31-crew that indeed took several photographs of an SR-71 they
intercepted somewhere near Kamchatka. Of course, the SR-71 was still almost
40.000ft higher and far much faster underway than they were, and they've
seen it only for few seconds - but they photographed it (sadly, they are
also demanding a pretty horrendous sum for these shots).

Now, I know that you have a lot of good information, but being an aircraft
"fan" I prefer some information over "I dare you, Venik". More like
"Vladimir Malukh" first (or good second-hand) stuff.

Sadly, you can't talk with Venik in a very reasonable way. Even when TJ got
him so obviously with his pants down (remember the story about a USAF B-52
"shot down" over Yugoslavia) he'll avoid and ignore all the facts put up
against him like they were never presented in the public.

And no, I don't believe
that SR-71 was withdrawn because of MiG-31. Also, to be thruthful, MiG-31
was tested under a name MiG-25MP and further developed into MiG-31BM...

IMHO, there is an interesting parallel in combat deployment of MiG-25s and
SR-71s, then both types were active over Iran during 1987. In that year at
least two Foxbats were shot down by IRIAF F-14s, including the Soviet-flown
MiG-25BM that got caught by AIM-54A fired in HOJ-mode during an attack
against Mehrabad AB. The SR-71s, involved in Op Eager Glacier, were never
even fired at by Iranians. Black Birds were not retired because of this
experience, but in the weeks after the BM was splashed the Iraqi, Libyan and
Syrian air forces have all cancelled their orders for MiG-25PDZ and
MiG-25RBV, instead going for Su-24MKs.

P.S. what the heck were MiG-25s doing at low-level to be shot by F-5s!? At
that altitude their performance is such they well might have plunged
themselves into ground!

One, a MiG-25RB shot down in 1983, was previously damaged by AIM-54 while
attempting to attack Tehran and underway back towards Iraq at low speed and
level; it got intercepted by an F-5E that was underway on a CAS-sortie
against target in Suleimanyah area and blasted away by two AIM-9Ps. The
other, a MiG-25PD(e) shot down in 1986, was flown by the leading Iraqi "ace"
of that war (Mohammad "Sky Falcon" Rayyan, a personal favourite of Saddam
Hussein), who obviously got pretty arrogant after scoring two kills against
IRIAF fighters in the days befo he was cruising at something like Mach 1
and 25.000ft; the F-5E approached - almost running itself out of fuel in the
process - from behind with radar on "stand by", got a missile failure and
thus attacked with 20mm cannons, spending all ammo in two long bursts - but
setting the right wing afire. The Foxbat came away, but only for few
minutes: it crashed somewhere in the northern Howeizeh Marshes; the Iraqis
were searching for it for three days - without success.

In total, obviously in order to increase their range, the Foxbats were
cruising at speeds around Mach 1 - Mach 1.9 during that war: Iran is quite a
large country. Only once closer to a target, or when threatened by Iranian
interceptors, would they accelerate to more than Mach 2.

--


Tom Cooper
Freelance Aviation Journalist & Historian
Vienna, Austria

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Author:
Iran-Iraq War in the Air, 1980-1988:
http://www.acig.org/pg1/content.php

Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...hp/title=S7875

Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...hp/title=S6585

African MiGs
http://www.acig.org/afmig/

Arab MiG-19 & MiG-21 Units in Combat
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...=S6550~ser=COM

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