OVERVIEW: The MiG-25RB Foxbat B is a single seat, single engine, all-weather, supersonic 3rd generation reconnaissance-bomber. 

DETAILS:   The MiG-23RB is a derivative of the MiG-25R, but fitted with improved reconnaissance systems and a Peleng automatic bombing system. For its secondary mission of bombing, the aircraft can carry a bombload of eight 500 kg (1,100 lb) bombs. 

To ease production and save money, the MiG-25 was largely (80%) constructed using nickel-steel alloy.   Despite being designed for high speed flight, only 9% of the airframe was made out of titanium, which was in employed in the areas of the airframe subjected to high heat stress. The steel components were formed by a combination of spot welding, automatic machine welding, and hand welding. 

The aircraft was powered by two R-15B-300 turbojet engines, each producing  22509 lb of thrust.    Although theoretically capable of reaching Mach 3.2, the aircraft was limited to Mach 2.83 (3,000 km/hr) for a maximum of 5 minutes to avoid damaging the engines and/or overheating the airframe and fuel. The design cruising speed is Mach 2.35.  The Foxbat has high fuel consumption while sub-sonic.  It is not capable of in-flight refueling.

The MiG-25RB was relatively unmanuverable, with a maximum g-load was a mere 2.2 g  with full fuel tanks, and had an absolute limit of only 4.5 g.  

NOTES: IOC June 1970. The MiG-25RB could be armed with custom-made heat-resistant versions of the FAB-500T bomb designed to withstand heavy thermodynamic heat loads during supersonic flight.


SOURCE: Mladenov, Alexander. Soviet Cold War Fighters. Fonthill Media, 2017, (Kindel ed., locations 3817-85; (Charles), JetWhiz. "Global Aircraft -- MiG-25 Foxbat." Accessed December 22, 2021. https://www.globalaircraft.org/planes/mig-25_foxbat.pl. ;"MiG-25 FOXBAT (MIKOYAN-GUREVICH)." Nuclear Resources. Accessed December 22, 2021. https://nuke.fas.org/guide/russia/airdef/mig-25.htm. ;"MiG-25P Foxbat Interceptor." Airforce Technology. Last modified September 7, 2020. https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/mig25/. ; Practical aerodynamics of the MiG-25RB, Military Publishing House of the USSR Ministry of Defense, 1978, https://avsimrus.com/f/documents-16/practical-aerodynamics-of-aircraft-mig-25rb-20979.html ;"MiG-25RB (product 02B; «FoxBat – B»)." Испытатели. Accessed December 29, 2021. https://testpilot.ru/en/rossiya-e/mikoyan/mig25rb/.

