There are certain things you don’t expect to stumble upon in the middle of the desert, and a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 is definitely one of them. Known as the Foxbat by NATO, this Cold War-era high-speed interceptor was famous for its remarkable speed and altitude capabilities. Although developed in the Soviet Union, the aircraft was operated by various air forces worldwide, including those in Syria, India, Algeria, and Iraq.
Several versions were produced, one being the MiG-25RB, designated Foxbat–B. This single-seat aircraft featured enhanced reconnaissance equipment and a bombing system capable of carrying up to eight 500-kg bombs.
This is the same interceptor shown in the photo above, being unearthed by American troops. The discovery took place in the early days of the Iraq War. In April 2003, the aircraft was found buried deep in the sand at Al Taqaddum Air Base, located in Iraq’s western desert.
Its presence at the base was unexpected for many, despite intelligence suggesting that various items had been hidden in the area. 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].”
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.
This wasn’t the only aircraft of this type to be found. In fact, several dozen were found in 2003, including further MiGs and Sukhoi Su-25s.
Why were these aircraft buried underground, instead of in use? Interestingly enough, before the American invasion, Iraq had one of the largest Air Forces in the region. The service had put a significant amount of money into improving its air prowess, which included purchasing newer jets, improving its airbases and runways, and building new hangars.
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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.
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