Azerbaijan to upgrade its MiG-25 fleet

Azerbaijan’s Air Force is going to upgrade its MiG-25 fleet, APA says, citing an unnamed military source.

The upgrade of the jets will be carried out at the country’s aviation repair plant, the Baku-based agency said.

The plant previously upgraded MiG-25 fighter jets for Algeria.

The Azerbaijani Air Force is believed to have ten MiG-25’s, six MiG-25PD’s and four MiG-25RB’s, according to APA. 

The supersonic Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 was among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. The first prototype flew in 1964, and the aircraft entered into service in 1970. 

When first seen in reconnaissance photography, the large wing planform suggested an enormous and highly maneuverable fighter, at a time when U.S. design theories were also evolving towards higher maneuverability due to combat performance in the Vietnam War. 

The capabilities of the MiG-25 were better understood in 1976 when Soviet pilot Viktor Belenko defected in a MiG-25 to the United States via Japan. It turned out that the weight of the aircraft necessitated large wings.

Production of the MiG-25 series ended in 1984 after completion of 1,190 aircraft. A symbol of the Cold War, the MiG-25 flew with Soviet allies and former Soviet republics, remaining in limited service in Russia and several other nations. It is the second fastest and second highest-flying military aircraft ever fielded after the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.

ANN.Az