Foxbat fury: When IAF MiG-25s flew unchallenged over Islamabad
These Russian reconnaissance aircraft could map a country the size of Pakistan in single-digit missions.
- Mar 6, 2019,
- Updated Mar 6, 2019 6:30 PM IST
Details of the February 27 dogfight over the LoC are slowly trickling in, revealing interesting aspects of the multi-aircraft encounter. According to a communique issued by the Indian Air Force, the Pakistani F-16s launched four-five air-to-air missiles at the Indian formation from a distance of 40-50 km. All the missiles, most likely AIM-120s, missed their intended targets and in fact one of them was shot down by an IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI air dominance fighter. The F-16s, being no match for the super-maneuverable Sukhois, hightailed it to Pakistan.
In the history of air combat the rarest kill is an air-to-air missile kill, so the failure of the missile barrage by the F-16s isn't such a big deal. However, if the report of the downing of an air-to-air missile by a Sukhoi is true, it is a truly astounding event because that's like hitting a bullet with a bullet.
People who question the IAF's version of events don't realise that the service never exaggerates its kills nor hides losses. This is because it needs to acquire a true picture of its capabilities - and that of its adversaries - and the best way to lose the next war is to get those strike rates wrong. For instance, for more than 25 years beginning in 1981 the IAF made frequent and regular over-flights over Pakistan, but has never divulged details of those missions. The aircraft used was the reconnaissance (spying) version of the world's fastest fighter ever - the Russian MiG-25 (NATO codename: Foxbat).
The Pakistani military and political leadership knew about these over-flights but kept quiet because they didn't want to let their people know the Pakistan Air Force was powerless to intercept it. The MiG-25s flew at speeds of Mach 2.8 or around 3,500 kmph at heights between 65,000 and 85,000 ft while the much slower F-16s (maximum speed Mach 1.9) couldn't climb over 50,000 ft. There is no fighter aircraft in the Western air forces that can match the MiG-25.
The Pakistani public first came to know of these humiliating over-flights in May 1997 when an IAF MiG-25R flew deep into Pakistani airspace on a reconnaissance mission, photographed sensitive defence sites and broke the sound barrier, sending a powerful sonic boom over Islamabad. Before the Pakistanis could figure out what had hit them or scramble their fighter aircraft, the intruding MiG-25 was back in Indian airspace.
Details of the February 27 dogfight over the LoC are slowly trickling in, revealing interesting aspects of the multi-aircraft encounter. According to a communique issued by the Indian Air Force, the Pakistani F-16s launched four-five air-to-air missiles at the Indian formation from a distance of 40-50 km. All the missiles, most likely AIM-120s, missed their intended targets and in fact one of them was shot down by an IAF Sukhoi Su-30MKI air dominance fighter. The F-16s, being no match for the super-maneuverable Sukhois, hightailed it to Pakistan.
In the history of air combat the rarest kill is an air-to-air missile kill, so the failure of the missile barrage by the F-16s isn't such a big deal. However, if the report of the downing of an air-to-air missile by a Sukhoi is true, it is a truly astounding event because that's like hitting a bullet with a bullet.
People who question the IAF's version of events don't realise that the service never exaggerates its kills nor hides losses. This is because it needs to acquire a true picture of its capabilities - and that of its adversaries - and the best way to lose the next war is to get those strike rates wrong. For instance, for more than 25 years beginning in 1981 the IAF made frequent and regular over-flights over Pakistan, but has never divulged details of those missions. The aircraft used was the reconnaissance (spying) version of the world's fastest fighter ever - the Russian MiG-25 (NATO codename: Foxbat).
The Pakistani military and political leadership knew about these over-flights but kept quiet because they didn't want to let their people know the Pakistan Air Force was powerless to intercept it. The MiG-25s flew at speeds of Mach 2.8 or around 3,500 kmph at heights between 65,000 and 85,000 ft while the much slower F-16s (maximum speed Mach 1.9) couldn't climb over 50,000 ft. There is no fighter aircraft in the Western air forces that can match the MiG-25.
The Pakistani public first came to know of these humiliating over-flights in May 1997 when an IAF MiG-25R flew deep into Pakistani airspace on a reconnaissance mission, photographed sensitive defence sites and broke the sound barrier, sending a powerful sonic boom over Islamabad. Before the Pakistanis could figure out what had hit them or scramble their fighter aircraft, the intruding MiG-25 was back in Indian airspace.