In the middle of the desert, one would hardly expect to encounter a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25, referred to as the Foxbat by NATO during the Cold War. Famous for its incredible speed and high-altitude capabilities, this Soviet-era interceptor became part of the arsenals of several air forces around the globe, including those of Syria, India, Algeria, and Iraq.
One of its versions, the MiG-25RB, also known as the Foxbat-B, was a single-seat aircraft equipped with advanced reconnaissance equipment and the ability to carry up to eight 500-kg bombs.
The aircraft were discovered in 2003
It is this interceptor that can be seen in the above photo as American troops dig it out of the sand. The discovery took place during the early stages of the Iraq War. In April 2003, troops found the aircraft buried deep in the sand at Al Taqaddum Air Base, located in the western desert of Iraq.
American troops were operating in the area for weeks before discovering them
Its presence at the base came as a surprise to many, despite there being intelligence that certain things had been buried in the region. As former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld put it, “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].”
The wings weren’t found
Although the aircraft’s body was in remarkably good condition, the wings had been removed before it was covered in sand, and they weren’t found in the vicinity. Supposedly, the MiG-25RB had been buried in the desert to prevent it from being destroyed by coalition forces during the invasion. As of 2006, this particular aircraft is now located at the National Museum of the US Air Force at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
Several other aircraft of the same type were discovered as well. In 2003, several dozen were uncovered, including additional MiGs and Sukhoi Su-25s.
Why were they buried?
What led to these aircraft being buried underground instead of being utilized? Curiously, prior to the American invasion, Iraq boasted one of the largest Air Forces in the region. The country had invested heavily in enhancing its air capabilities, acquiring newer jets, upgrading its airbases and runways, and constructing new hangars.
They wouldn’t do much against the American invasion
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However, when the US invaded and marched on Baghdad in 2003, they encountered no aerial resistance, as the Iraqi forces had decided this would do nothing to stop the much superior Americans. Instead, it was ordered that the fleet be buried in the desert, which is why the US military found so many aircraft under the sand.