Mig 25BM equipped with missiles Kh 31P in the Soviet Union?

Apparently it was actually a MiG 23 equipped with Kh 31P and without the target designator pod for this. I already knew but as a teacher taught me was to see if anyone was paying attention …

Regarding the photo of MiG 25BM has been interesting since the Mig 25BM carried four pylons to the wings, but the photo appears with two and another two pylons on the ventral belly carrying free-fall bombs, which thus makes alleged that the MiG 25BM looks like the MiG 25 RB from attack and reconnaissance.

If someone could find a picture of an MiG 25BM carrying the Kh 31P missiles it would be a great discovery. Apparently the Soviet Union was more dedicated to equipping the strike fighters like the MiG 27K and attack aircraft as Su 24M with Kh 31P missiles than the MiG 25 BM own, since the lack of evidence of those aircraft are carrying these missiles during the Cold War.

[CENTER]MiG 27K equipped with Kh 31P

http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/indian-navy/97-adm-gorshkov-ins-vikramaditya-news-discussions-37.html

Su 24M Fencer equipped with Kh 31P

http://forum.keypublishing.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=111989&d=1138785444
From Member : flex297[/CENTER]

The mystery remains about the Project Snappy?

MiG 25PDS Foxbat from Iraq with AA 6 Acrid SARH missile in the internal wing pylon and AA 8 Aphid IR missiles

Artist: © Anatoli.F.Ignatiy
Source: “Aviation and Times” 2006, No.1 (83)

There are many differences between the interceptor and MiG 25PDS and the MiG 25 RB that were designed to attack and reconnaissance missions, but with respect to MiG 25 BM had been proposed to stricke against radar platforms the visual differences between the MiG 25 RB with the MiG 25 BM are are not very visible, if not desired to show the same.
There are great illustrations of the versions of the MiG 25 and great informations at the website below:

http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_247.shtml

MiG 25BM with Kh 58U missile
http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww3/f/38/19/0

Artist: © Aandrey V.Khaustov
Source: “Aviation and Times” 2004, No.5 (74)

The MiG 25 BM Iraq were not exported for any country, they were used in Iraq by the Soviet Union with the purpose carrying out real tests, and as the Iran / Iraq ended they returned to the Soviet Union, since the MiG 25 BM had never been placed for sale as the Soviet Union or even later by Russian.

The MiG 25 BM were converted to this version using the MiG 25 RB platform once they weren’t built for this standard. In fact, the VVS expected to receive a version of the MiG 31 had been specialized in SEAD missions, but due to the complexity and cost of the MiG 31, since the whole production of it was committed to the IA PVO because the missions of SR 71 on the Soviet Union.

The VVS had chosen to modify the MiG 25RB into MiG 25BM for the standard as an alternative until it could receive the Foxhound MiG 31M Foxhound, which was the successor to the MiG 31F even this last one not entered in production and would be replaced by the development of the MiG 31M.

http://www.ausairpower.net/TE-Foxbat-Foxhound-92.html

With respect to the Project Snappy for the E 3B Sentry has been designed to jammer with the radar from French origin, I would like if possible, the source of this information, since using the E 3B Sentry to jammer the air radar defense would be a new application for those aircraft in Gulf War, since the USA had the EF 111A Raven and EA 6B Prowler to carry out these missions of eletronic jamming of the radar stations.

Beyond what even the U.S. version and from Iraqi officials version who were in controlled of the air defense system of the Iraq that the air defense radars from Iraq had been suffered interference before they are destroyed in the initial night of the attack in 1991.

In many opportunities I have read about on the missile Kh 58U had been supplied for Iraq to equip the Su 24MK Fencer, but only to demonstrate that I am not the only one who has this information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraqi_Air_Force

Come Back From The Dark Side Of This Thread

To be polite I think you should read the books from authors prior to insinuate that this is doing a campaign against the former figthers from Iraq Air Force.

The impression I have about the working of those authors was that contrary to what you are implying, in my humble opinion they had the courage to study the air war from the point of view of those who have never been interviewed about the same in all those years from both side as Iranian and Iraq former figthers.

By demonstrating that the ability from Iran Air Force was much higher than what has been described and remains to be widely accepted, shows the difficulties that own the Iraqis had to face with their opponents, and so is a tribute to the efforts and bravery of those who fought and died for his country as Iraq, since Iran was much better equipped with weapons systems in that time as most advanced from the entire world, since a few years before the war, Iran was an ally of the U.S.

I understand you may have been feeling confused after receiving information on which you did not know before, this is a common reaction to strike the new to protect what was consolidated before.

The purpose of this thread was only about the Mig 25RB Foxbat and F 14A Tomcat II in the 1973 War and the conflict between the Iran / Iraq was brought at this thread in order to explore with examples well documented and accepted what could have happened in 1973.

I am not the owner of the truth, and I am here also to learn and correct me too, after all our knowledge is limited by the information that we have been received, and not everything that we are received could be true, but for this you need to question others as ourselves.

How many Iraqi pilots brought their aircrafts to Iran during the first Gulf War to prevent the destruction of those from attacks against the Iraq bases by U.S. and its allies?

I haven’t found out about it in that subject. Don’t you think that is strange the missing of this information?

AWACS aircraft in support of MiG 25 BM / RB / PDS against F 14A Tomcat II of the Iran

http://www.armybase.us/2009/05/russia-to-upgrade-military-transport-fleet/

IL 76 Baghdad I AWACS captured in the Iran Air Force

http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/737/pics/33_1.jpg

IL 76 Baghdad II AWACS captured in the Iran Air Force

http://img.wp.scn.ru/camms/ar/737/pics/33_2.jpg

At the end of the Iran / Iraq were employed AWACS ( Airborne Warning And Control System) aircraft by Iraq. Those aircraft were conversions of IL 76 Candid into AWACS that had been designed as IL 76 Baghdad I and IL 76 Baghdad II by Iraq. Its aircraft had received French radars Tiger G. The IL 76 Baghdad II were with the appearance of the Soviet Beriev A 50 Mainstay, and these last began had been entered in service on the Soviet Union around 1984.

As the IL 76 Baghad I had not become effective and the IL 76 Baghdad II probably were delivered in 1989 after the end of the war would be very likely that the Soviet Union sent some of own Bereiv A 50 Mainstay radar-equipped with Vega Shmel to support Iraq during the offensive of Iran in 1988 and testing its in a real conditions.

With support from AWACS aircraft the Soviet Wilde Weasel MiG 25 BM were able to attack with Kh 58U and Kh 31P missiles against Iran’s radar stations without to be intercepted by F 14A Tomcat II once the AWACS given warning alert for the MiG 25BM .

With the radar stations damaged or destroyed the F 14A were restricted in patrols missions to replace the affected land radars and performing air defense missions to protect the main cities of the Iran.

The MiG 25 RB in Iraq became more effective in reconnaissance and attack missions due to the support of AWACS that could warned them on the approaching of the F 14A Tomcat II.

The AWACS provided support to Interceptors MiG 25 PDS so that they were then able to operate with an escort to their own AWACs and perform missile launches of the AA 6 Acrid in long ranges without the need for support from land radar stations, thereby the MiG 25 PDS had become a real threat for the F 14A Tomcat even deep in the Iran territory.

With AWACS aircrafts Iraq began an air and land counter offensive against the Iran offensive and paralyzed this last one. In this final phase of the war the Iraq Air Force carried out many attack missions to support Iraq Army with little opposition from the Iran Air Force.

Iraq would receive in 1988 the Su 24MK Fencer attack at any time and was converting a Boeing 727 on a platform of electronic jammer that would turn the attack missions of Iraq Air Force much more dangerous.
With all this Iran after the failure of his last offensive accepted a ceasefire with Iraq ending a nearly nine years of conflict that was started by Iraq.

MiG 25P/RB X F 14A – The Story has Several Version’s

Before I even read your post’s thought there was more news about the Iran / Iraq War, but I was wrong that our knowledge depends on the sources we use, and it is always possible to find a new source with different interpretations of what knew each other before.

Due to the political implications of the Iran / Iraq, most of the information came through the vision of the allies from Iraq, which were as e.g: USA, France, Soviet Union, Saudi Arabia and many others. Formed a league of nations that had been assembled for Iraq was not defeated by Iran after Iraq’s catastrophic offensive in the beginning of war.

Iran after the Islamic Revolution of 1979 was classified as a threat by other countries in the Persian Gulf, so that a hypothetical expansion of this should be contained. The U.S. despite not regarded Iraq as an ally in the 80’s, it was of interest through the Iranian military reverses its fundamentalist government was weakened and removed from power, to enable a new rapprochement between Iran and the U.S.

In addition to the reserves Iran’s oil their geographical position in relation to the Soviet Union was very important in the scenario of the Cold War.

In 1984 as I recall, the U.S. and even Israel had been supplied weapons and spare parts to Iran, which became a scandal known as Irangate. Among the items most requested by Ira were spare parts and kits useful life to span its AIM 54A Phoenix missiles and spare parts for F 14A Tomcat II, which would be essential in missions against MiG 25 PDS / RB from Iraq . This can be interpreted that the U.S. had an interest in Iran and the defeat of Iran was not the goal.

For the Soviet Union the revolution of 1979 in Iran brought more instability its border in the south than before when the U.S. and Iran were allies, since the Soviet Union feared that the revolution would spread among its republics with Muslim majority.

In addition to ample supply of weapons and training for Iraq, the Soviet Union had used the conflict to test new weapons such as MiG 25BM with anti radar missiles as Kh 58U and Kh 31P, whose were sent to Iraq and came under Soviet command in H 3 / Al-Walid AB , as that these fighters did several missions against radar stations from Iran, which were of U.S. origin.

Besides MiG 27 equipped with air-ground missiles Kh 29 T / L, which were extensively used against Iranian Offensive “Fatima Zahra”, which had penetrated deeply into the territory from Iraq in 1985.

In general there are many conflicting facts in this war that killed more than 1 million people and had destroyed hundreds of billions of dollars from infrastructure of the two countries.

It is common to read about the fact that Iraq did not win the war that did not use their aircraft as it should. However when considering the losses of aircraft in Iraq and that this high investment made ​​in building shelters for its Air Force during the war, already should demonstrates that the Iranian Air Force was not disabled as many believed during the war.

However, the Iran Air Force could not afford to replace their losses and get new equipment’s, thus it also used its air force to preserve it, avoiding the use of offensive missions that could cause many losses from Iran Air Force against Iraqi air defenses .

The U.S. had no interest in confirming or disclose the victories of their equipment supplied to Iran, since the official version was that without U.S. assistance, would be without their equipment operating conditions, to avoid new restrictions on the part of Congress U.S. to supply new weapons on unstable countries, and if they eventually broke agreements with the U.S. since it could not be capable of maintaining the equipment without U.S.A.

A source very interesting with many confirmed details about the events of the war in Iran / Iraq conflict deeply analyzed the conflict are the books by journalist and writer Tom Cooper and Fazard Bishop, who detailed the operations of F 14A Tomcat II and F 4E Phamton II in service by the Iran Air Force.

Regarding the lack of information about the Soviet Union from its MiG 25 Foxbat in Iraq even before the start of the conflict between Iran/Iraq and after the start of it, was to avoid criticism because the supply of advanced Western weapons to Iraq , once the Iraq was already very close to Moscow, and samples of those advanced weapons could be sent by the Soviet Union to review its technology, especially in the case of the Mirage F1 and their missiles and radars.

http://www.uskowioniran.com/2008_06_01_archive.html

http://www.irandefence.net/showthread.php?t=11463&page=2

The Sky Hawk program began in 1986 during the Iran / Iraq was intended to equip the F 14A Tomcat II with the Iranians missiles MIM 23 Hawk that were originally operated as SAM (Superfice Air Missile). The purpose is to equip the F 14A with a SAM missile like the MIM 23 Hawk were because Iran had been need to find a replacement for the AIM 54A Phoenix.
Once the number this missile in the inventory had been reduced by the war, and how the AIM 7E Sparrow weren’t able to intercept at MiG 25 Foxbat, the alternative was to adapt the MIM 23 Hawk to be released by F 14A Tomcat II, once the MIM 23 Hawk had a much greater range than when compared to the release of land as SAM . This fact shows how Iran considered a high threat from MiG 25 RB / P Foxbat.

On October 3 of the 1978 an MiG 25RB from Soviet Union was trying to enter into Iran but was blocked by F 14A Tomcat II from Iran that keep this intruder locked in their radar even when MiG 25RB engaged its own jamming system but this could not jamming the radars AWG 9 from F 14A Tomcat. If F 14A had received permission to launch the AIM 54 missiles the MIG 25RB had been intercepted. After this episode, the MIG 25 RB’s from Soviet Union did not invaded the Iran until the beginning of the Iran/Iraq War.

The purchase of the F14A Tomcat II were motivated too by the introduction into service of the MiG 25 and MiG 23 Foxbat by the Soviet Union, once during the 70 years the greatest threat to Iran it was with the Soviet Union due by the alignment of Iran with the U.S.A.

On 22 September 1980 to 14:00hrs the Iran Air Force attacked the air base Shoibah from Iraq , after only two hour after the air offensive from Iraq. This base had been equipped with 24 MiG 25, and only 04 of these were under Iraqi command, the others were under the control of Soviet Union. This was the first attack against the Iraqu by the Iran Air Force and was just at the base of the MiG 25 which shows the threat that were represented by the MiG 25.

From August 1982 the MiG 25 RB had started its first offensive against the oil facility in the Kark Island. In the face of the offensive the F 14A TomcatII went keeping in 24-hour patrols over Tehran from the month of September after several attacks with loss of life among the civilian population of the Iran. On September 16 was shot down the first MiG 25 RB while he was in the approach route for Kark Island by AIM 54A Phoenix missile launched from an F 14A.

Until the end of the war Iran had to face the MiG 25, on three different occasions since 1987 the Soviet Union had sent the MiG 25 BM which were designed to attack radar stations in missions against Iranian radar , several radar stations and SAM radar systems were attacked and destroye. In one of these missions a MiG 25 BM was hit and damaged by an AIM 54A Phoenix launched from an F 14A,the Soviet MiG 25 BM was able to return at its base but after the landing had suffered damage that it was declared a total loss.