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.
A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
51–60 of 73 posts
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Intercepting a B-52 sounds like just about the easiest job in combat aviation. Chances are it was intended for https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer , which entered service around the same time.
Your point sounds good. Also, even the XB-70 was an indicator of what the US aviation industry could get going if motivated. I've seen one up close and personal, just wow.
You've seen the only XB-70, prototype #1. Two prototypes were made, and the other was destroyed in a mid-air collision. There is a very good episode of the televison show "Great Planes" on the XB-70.
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
The difference is that tubes saturate differently and they won't die due to high instantaneous voltages.
People underestimate the energies produced by nuclear EMP. Car magnetos were dying in the trials, power lines and telegraph wires were getting shot through. Your nice tube amp would have no chance.
Do you have a reputable source for any of that? EMP effect is measured by field strength in volts per meter. If you don't have an antenna, or something to act like an antenna (telegraph/telephone/electric power lines) connected to a piece of equipment, the induced voltage in the equipment cannot be extremely large.
Solid state electronics are extremely susceptible to even mild overvoltages. Tubes are not. And magnetos are not. Low-tech magnetos ignition systems are considered to be practically invulneable to EMP.
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#54Earlier quoted context omitted.
Intercepting a B-52 sounds like just about the easiest job in combat aviation. I always thought the idea that a bomber was going to strike the interior of the USSR was a patently ridiculous idea. Cruise missiles, ballistic missiles I can definitely believe. Maybe the Soviets were afraid that the Americans would revive the B-70 program, but that program had been cancelled long before the MiG-25 ever flew.
> Intercepting a B-52 sounds like just about the easiest job in combat aviation. Not particularly. A rough rule of thumb is that an interceptor needs a maximum achievable speed twice that of the cruising speed of its target in order to close the geometry of the interception. A Su-15 couldn't quite achieve that with its full complement of missiles against a Mach 0.9 B-52, but a MiG-25 could do so. [0] The second probl…
Your reckoning of the capabilities of the B-52 has me scratching my head. It can fly at 0.9 M, at high altitudes where it is guaranteed to be obliterated by long-range SAMs before it gets anywhere near a target of strategic value, and it can fly at low altitudes, at speeds where any eastern bloc fighter could have caught and destroyed it. That's why I think the idea of American long-range strategic bombers striking the interior of the USSR is just a silly fantasy. It would have required air supremacy to do that, and if you've established air supremacy over the USSR the war has already ended. Indeed, a war between nuclear superpowers would not have lasted long enough for a B-52 to get even half way to the USSR, much less for them to sit on the ground waiting for their air refueling wings to get into a forward position (and probably get annihilated, but that's another problem with the air warfare fantasy). A full-scale war between the USA and the USSR would probably not even have lasted long enough for the President to get his pants on.
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#55One big difference between Soviet technology and American - the former was designed to be cheap, rugged and to survive a nuclear war. Unlike similar American jets, you can find Mig-25's in private hands today being maintained and flying. It is one of the only private experiences where you can break Mach 2 and get close to 90,000' feet[0]. I love the Mig-25 - like the AK-47 there is something very admirable in a plane…
What about B-52s, T-38s, and come to think of it, isn't the F-16 pushing 40?
The F-16 is close to 40 years old, and the F-15 has been in service for 40 years as of 2016.
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
Your point sounds good. Also, even the XB-70 was an indicator of what the US aviation industry could get going if motivated. I've seen one up close and personal, just wow.
You've seen the only XB-70, prototype #1. Two prototypes were made, and the other was destroyed in a mid-air collision. There is a very good episode of the televison show "Great Planes" on the XB-70.
Ah, so it would appear. Parked next to an SR-71 when I saw it. Many photos were taken that day. Thanks for the episode tip!
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
People underestimate the energies produced by nuclear EMP. Car magnetos were dying in the trials, power lines and telegraph wires were getting shot through. Your nice tube amp would have no chance.
Do you have a reputable source for any of that? EMP effect is measured by field strength in volts per meter. If you don't have an antenna, or something to act like an antenna (telegraph/telephone/electric power lines) connected to a piece of equipment, the induced voltage in the equipment cannot be extremely large. Solid state electronics are extremely susceptible to even mild overvoltages. Tubes are not. And magneto…
> I also must re-emphasize the fact that during Soviet high-altitude nuclear tests over Kazakhstan in 1962, rugged diesel generators having no solid state parts were burned out by E1 EMP.
http://www.futurescience.com/emp/vehicles.html
Magnetos have induction coils, that's sufficient.
Typical E1 pulse component has up to 50KV/m at ground level and is a high-frequency spectrum, you don't need a long antenna for that. EU railway field immunity test is 10 volts per meter and huge portion of industrial electronic equipment fails that already.
Stuff that burns power lines are lower frequency (and lower yield) E2&E3 components.
https://cdn.selinc.com/assets/Literature/Miscellaneous/EMP-T...
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#58Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you have a reputable source for any of that? EMP effect is measured by field strength in volts per meter. If you don't have an antenna, or something to act like an antenna (telegraph/telephone/electric power lines) connected to a piece of equipment, the induced voltage in the equipment cannot be extremely large. Solid state electronics are extremely susceptible to even mild overvoltages. Tubes are not. And magneto…
> I also must re-emphasize the fact that during Soviet high-altitude nuclear tests over Kazakhstan in 1962, rugged diesel generators having no solid state parts were burned out by E1 EMP. http://www.futurescience.com/emp/vehicles.html Magnetos have induction coils, that's sufficient. Typical E1 pulse component has up to 50KV/m at ground level and is a high-frequency spectrum, you don't need a long antenna for that. E…
Not reputable. Does the author have any conception of diesel engine theory? I do. Prior to computer controls (circa 1990s), the only active electrical component involved in keeping a diesel like the one in my Audi 5000 running, once started, is the fuel shutoff solenoid. Jam that open mechanically, and you can throw the alternator and battery away.
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I also must re-emphasize the fact that during Soviet high-altitude nuclear tests over Kazakhstan in 1962, rugged diesel generators having no solid state parts were burned out by E1 EMP. http://www.futurescience.com/emp/vehicles.html Magnetos have induction coils, that's sufficient. Typical E1 pulse component has up to 50KV/m at ground level and is a high-frequency spectrum, you don't need a long antenna for that. E…
Not reputable. Does the author have any conception of diesel engine theory? I do. Prior to computer controls (circa 1990s), the only active electrical component involved in keeping a diesel like the one in my Audi 5000 running, once started, is the fuel shutoff solenoid. Jam that open mechanically, and you can throw the alternator and battery away.
Your Audi has an alternator, just as the diesel generator mentioned there. It has no active components, just stator coils and possibly a rectifier, yet it was cooking up.
Re: A pilot who stole a secret Soviet fighter jet
#60One big difference between Soviet technology and American - the former was designed to be cheap, rugged and to survive a nuclear war. Unlike similar American jets, you can find Mig-25's in private hands today being maintained and flying. It is one of the only private experiences where you can break Mach 2 and get close to 90,000' feet[0]. I love the Mig-25 - like the AK-47 there is something very admirable in a plane…
> Unlike similar American jets, you can find Mig-25's in private hands today being maintained and flying. The B-52 is fifteen years older than the MiG-25 and is not only still flying, but carrying out combat missions to this day.
To be fair the B-52's that fly combat missions today are nowhere near the same as what was flying 25 years ago.
I suspect MIG-25's in private hands have been maintained at a flight ready level, but not significantly upgraded in the way the active B-52 has been.