When the Americans first got their hands on the MiG-25 after Viktor Belenko's defection, they quickly concluded that its maneuverability was poor, citing its steel construction as the reason. In reality, this was a serious misjudgment.
Even during the Gulf War, the MiG-25 proved it could hold its own. It wasn't just flying—it was fighting back, and it had even downed American jets. For a machine forged from steel, it remained a formidable force, thanks largely to its powerful twin engines.
Its stainless-steel structure allowed the MiG-25 to endure high-stress maneuvers. At this moment, Andre could feel his body being crushed into the seat by the force of the turn. A single roll pulled 4G—enough to break the enemy's lock, but also increasing the distance between them. The solution was simple: turn again. Two rapid turns formed an S-shaped path—the most basic form of evasive maneuvering in aerial combat.
The MiG-25 had already decelerated to subsonic speeds, drawing a wide one-kilometer radius arc in the air. Critics often dismissed it as a "straight-line fighter," claiming it couldn't turn. True, at maximum speed, its turning radius was in the tens of kilometers. But when the MiG-25 slowed down, the story changed. The turning radius shortened rapidly. Its differential horizontal tail provided additional torque, enabling sharper turns.
Designed for high-altitude maneuvering, the MiG-25 had oversized rudder surfaces. At lower altitudes with denser air, their effect was amplified—sometimes even too much, leading to overcontrol. But when used correctly, the aircraft's agility became surprisingly potent.
Back then, even second-generation fighters like the F-4 Phantom had a minimum turning radius of around 1,500 meters. Let the armchair experts scoff. Andre was flying this beast of steel himself. Under the guidance of those massive control surfaces, he completed a second turn while dropping from 22,000 to 18,000 feet.
Andre's eyes scanned the sky. Two glints of light broke through the clear blue—targets acquired.
The TP-26-SH1 infrared search and track system, recently integrated into the MiG-25, displayed a glowing signal. On a day this clear, it could detect heat signatures up to 40 kilometers away.
While Soviet electronics were often less advanced individually, combining these systems could still yield formidable results. This was one of their strengths—practical, layered integration over flashy specs.
Andre flipped a switch. The R-60 missile under his wing began to warm up. These early infrared-guided missiles lacked head-on engagement capabilities, so they could only home in from behind. For now, there was no concern about the enemy launching preemptive strikes.
The distance closed rapidly. As the fighters passed head-on, Andre's eyes caught a flash of color.
A crimson sun roundel.
From an island nation. Andre gritted his teeth. No time for emotion—he pushed the stick hard right and stomped on the rudder. The MiG's twin vertical stabilizers twisted in unison, aided by differential steering and wing-mounted surfaces. The aircraft rolled into a turn with surprising speed.
Simultaneously, Andre activated the afterburners. Turning bled both speed and altitude, and he needed thrust—fast.
With eleven tons of fuel already burned and missiles still mounted, the MiG now weighed roughly 25 tons. Each engine could generate more than 11,000 kilograms of thrust. Together, they produced 23,000 kilograms—pushing the thrust-to-weight ratio to 0.92. That was nearly on par with lighter fighters like the J-7.
The engines roared, surging energy back into the airframe. The MiG began accelerating through the turn. Meanwhile, the two F-4s had also begun to maneuver. Their mission was clear: intercept and neutralize the intruding MiG.
Inside one of the Phantoms, Warrant Officer Yamada was being crushed into his seat by the G-forces. He fought to turn his head, trying to locate his target. First, he had to roll, then bring his nose around to line up a shot on the MiG's tail.
Their head-on pass had lasted only seconds, but it had been enough. Yamada recognized the twin-engine, twin-tail profile—and the red stars. It was the MiG-25, a machine that had sparked panic across the West when first unveiled at a Moscow military parade. Claimed to be capable of flying at three times the speed of sound, it had terrified intelligence analysts.
And now he was face-to-face with it in combat.
Even so, he couldn't back down. An AWACS support plane was operating in the rear. If that fell, they'd lose their early-warning advantage. Yamada had no choice—he had to stop the MiG.
As he turned, the sky outside spun in his vision. But where was the MiG now?
"Captain, six o'clock! He's behind you!" came the voice of his wingman through the headset.
The two Phantoms had broken into separate turns, forming a wide circle. Yamada's wingman, after fighting through the blackout-inducing maneuver, recovered just in time to see the MiG-25 sliding behind his leader.
Six o'clock. A deadly position. And the enemy was right there—how could a MiG-25 move that quickly?
Andre briefly glanced at his fuel levels. The afterburner was draining the tanks rapidly. But he was locked in now. The two J79 engines on the F-4 ahead blazed with heat—perfect for his R-60's seeker.
The missile had already acquired its target.
He gripped the control lever tightly. One button press, and he could take the shot.
The Phantom pilot, realizing the danger, also activated afterburners in a desperate attempt to escape. The tail flames surged even brighter.
Mistake.
Inexperienced. Using afterburners now only made the heat signature stronger.
Andre watched him through the narrow goggles of his flight helmet. "If you want to run, I'll play along."
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