The desert is full of unexpected shocks, one of which is uncovering a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25. This Cold War-era interceptor, known as the Foxbat by NATO, rose to prominence for its extraordinary speed and altitude capabilities. Despite being designed in the Soviet Union, the MiG-25 served in the air forces of Syria, India, Algeria, and Iraq.
The MiG-25 was available in several variations, one of which being the MiG-25RB, also known as the Foxbat-B. This single-seater variant was outfitted with advanced reconnaissance devices and a bombing mechanism capable of carrying up to eight 500-kg bombs.
This is the same interceptor as shown in the photo above, discovered by American soldiers. The finding happened during the early stages of the Iraq War. In April 2003, the aircraft was discovered buried deep in the sand at Al Taqaddum Air Base in western Iraq.
Its presence at the base came as a surprise to many, although intelligence had hinted that various items were hidden in the area. Donald Rumsfeld, the former secretary of defense, stated: “We’d heard a great many things had been buried, but we had not known where they were, and we’d been operating in that immediate vicinity for weeks and weeks and weeks…12, 13 weeks, and didn’t know they were [there].”
Although the aircraft’s body was in astonishingly fine condition, its wings had been removed before being buried in the sand and were not found in the area. It is thought that the MiG-25RB was buried in the desert to avoid destruction by coalition forces during the invasion. As of 2006, this aircraft is housed at the National Museum of the United States Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.
This was not the only instance of this aircraft type being discovered. In fact, several dozen more were discovered in 2003, including further MiGs and Sukhoi Su-25.
Why were these planes buried underground instead of being used? Interestingly, before the American invasion, Iraq had one of the greatest air forces in the region. The military had made significant investments in improving its aviation capabilities, which included purchasing newer jets, refurbishing airbases and runways, and building new hangars.