One big difference between Soviet technology and American - the former was designed to be cheap, rugged and to survive a nuclear war.<p>Unlike similar American jets, you can find Mig-25's in private hands today being maintained and flying.<p>It is one of the only private experiences where you can break Mach 2 and get close to 90,000' feet[0].<p>I love the Mig-25 - like the AK-47 there is something very admirable in a plane that is designed to both perform so well but to also be so easy to maintain and with such longevity.<p>[0] <a href="http://www.rusadventures.com/tour6.shtml" rel="nofollow">http://www.rusadventures.com/tour6.shtml</a><p>[1] "edge of space" flight - <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCVMuxx7YKY" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCVMuxx7YKY</a>
Hard to believe the Soviets were using vacuum tubes instead of transistors <i>In hindsight, the MiG 25, which the West had been so worried about, turned out to be a ‘paper tiger’. Its massive radar was years behind US models because instead of transistors it used antiquated vacuum tubes (a technology that did, however, make it impervious to electromagnetic pulses from nuclear blasts). The huge engines required so much fuel that the MiG was surprisingly short-ranged. It could take-off quickly, and fly in a straight line very fast to fire missiles or take pictures.</i>
> <i>The Soviets had not built the ‘super-fighter’ the Pentagon had feared, says Smithsonian aviation curator Roger Connor, but an inflexible aircraft built to do a very particular job.</i><p>There is no mention what MiG-25 was designed for. Its task was to intercept nuclear bombers flying over Soviet Union and it did this task pretty well.<p>Because it used steel it was cheap and easy to service. At that time soviets had lot of experience with titanium (space, submarines), but expensive plane similar to SR-71 would not cover entire Soviet Union.
Another very interesting aircraft is the experimental Su-47, with only one ever being built. Its forward-swept wing design make it a treat for the eye.<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhoi_Su-47</a>
For a second I thought this was the story behind the 1977 book and 1982 film Firefox which were about the MiG-31. Might have been inspired though.<p>* <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_(novel)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_(novel)</a><p>* <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_(film)" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firefox_(film)</a>
Interesting interview with Viktor Belenko, not terribly deep but worthy of your time: <a href="http://www.videofact.com/english/defectors2_4en.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.videofact.com/english/defectors2_4en.html</a>