this post was submitted on 20 Jan 2025
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NonCredibleDefense
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Explanation: When the Americans learned of the Soviet Mig-25 'Foxbat', the US was certain that the high-speed jet shown by the Soviets was, due to its design and the classified nature of its technical details, an ultra-maneuverable ultra-fast fighter jet, and in response, poured money into the F-15 'Eagle' to make it a weapon that could compare to its Soviet counterpart!
Some ten years later a defector landed with a Mig-25 and handed it over to Western intelligence. Turns out, it wasn't maneuverable at all, or a fighter, for that matter. It was an interceptor made for catching nuclear bombers, and had all the maneuverability of stiff cardboard. Very fast, though! C'est la vie!
Not to mention it was built on such a shoestring budget that it used stainless steel in several parts, had rivets that were not flush to the surface in places they wouldn't affect aerodynamics and used vacuum tubes on several avionics.
The last part, some tankies would want you to believe that it was stroke of genius from MiG, because tubes are less susceptible to EMPs. The truth is, the Soviet industry was so behind the west, they simply were incapable of manufacturing EMP hardened semi-conductors.
It was also so fast because it was using a pair of repurposed cruise missile engines that had to be completely replaced after about 100 hours of flight time because they were designed to be single use.
Also, when the Soviets demanded we return the plane to them, we happily did so…in individual pieces.
It was mostly a logistics decision. They had to supply every single base at the ass end of Siberia. They didn't have supply chains for transistor boards yet. They did have them for vacuum tubes.
Everyone knew where things were going, and future Soviet planes had transistors and ICs. So no, definitely not because of EMP.
The Soviets also flew the engines off of one on European radar. Which is why the West was so certain it was a super plane.
I've learnt something today!