• @PugJesusOPM
    link
    English
    702 months ago

    Explanation: When the Americans learned of the Soviet Mig-25 ‘Foxbat’, the US was certain that the high-speed jet shown by the Soviets was, due to its design and the classified nature of its technical details, an ultra-maneuverable ultra-fast fighter jet, and in response, poured money into the F-15 ‘Eagle’ to make it a weapon that could compare to its Soviet counterpart!

    Some ten years later a defector landed with a Mig-25 and handed it over to Western intelligence. Turns out, it wasn’t maneuverable at all, or a fighter, for that matter. It was an interceptor made for catching nuclear bombers, and had all the maneuverability of stiff cardboard. Very fast, though! C’est la vie!

    • Synapse
      link
      English
      52 months ago

      Once dismantled and analyzed, it was discovered the airframe of the MiG was mostly made of steel and the avionics entirely based on vacuum tubes.

      • @Johnmannesca
        link
        English
        52 months ago

        So it was practically a brick on wings?

        • @I_Has_A_Hat
          link
          English
          52 months ago

          A very fast brick with wings, but yes.

    • @[email protected]
      link
      fedilink
      English
      152 months ago

      “the F-15 landed at twice the normal speed to maintain the necessary lift, and its tailhook was torn off completely during the landing.”

      • @[email protected]
        link
        fedilink
        English
        212 months ago

        I like this part even better:

        He added, “Only when McDonnell Douglas later went to analyze it, they said, OK, the F-15 has a very wide [lifting] body; you fly fast enough and you’re like a rocket. You don’t need wings.”

        • @AA5B
          link
          English
          62 months ago

          But the pilots quote was best of all

          “it’s highly likely that if I had seen it clearly I would have ejected, because it was obvious you couldn’t really fly an airplane like that.”

          • @PugJesusOPM
            link
            English
            32 months ago

            because it was obvious you couldn’t really fly an airplane like that.

            Looney Tunes “Don’t look down” level achievement

  • @yamanii
    link
    English
    22 months ago

    Love centurii-chan