The Soviet Superplane That Rattled America

[dexter]

 

[war&peace]

This was a good concept. USSR worked on many innovative concepts but its collapse halted everything.

 

[Azadkashmir]

if only ppl knew the truth thanks major jordan diary and western tech and soviet economic development by Antony sutton.

 

[gambit]

So let us get this straight...

The idea of a 'skimmer' craft is not new and practically every flying country experimented with it.

The craft would be restricted to the waters.

The craft would be restricted to calm waters and good weather.

The craft would have practically zero margin of errors while in operation (timestamp 9 min).

The craft must 'fly' at a fixed speed in order to take full advantage of the ground effects.

The craft would have limited maneuverability because of its required low altitude which means the craft would be limited to straight line movement while airborne. This also mean AWACS guided artillery would have an easier time predicting its course.

The US was definitely 'rattled'.

 

[Avicenna]

So let us get this straight...

The idea of a 'skimmer' craft is not new and practically every flying country experimented with it.

The craft would be restricted to the waters.

The craft would be restricted to calm waters and good weather.

The craft would have practically zero margin of errors while in operation (timestamp 9 min).

The craft must 'fly' at a fixed speed in order to take full advantage of the ground effects.

The craft would have limited maneuverability because of its required low altitude which means the craft would be limited to straight line movement while airborne. This also mean AWACS guided artillery would have an easier time predicting its course.

The US was definitely 'rattled'.

Hyperbole aside from the title of the video....

Its quite possible when the US first noticed the existence of this platform that they were concerned.

Whether that concern was warranted or not is of course debatable.

An example may be the hype behind the Mig-25 before one defected to Japan in '76 which put aside any such fears with that particular aircraft.

 

[gambit]

Hyperbole aside from the title of the video....

Its quite possible when the US first noticed the existence of this platform that they were concerned.

Whether that concern was warranted or not is of course debatable.

The hyperbole 'rattled' is more reflective of the author's emotions than of any objectivity. Of course, we were 'concerned'. It was the Cold War so most likely anything that came out of the Soviet Union -- we would be 'concerned'.

An example may be the hype behind the Mig-25 before one defected to Japan in '76 which put aside any such fears with that particular aircraft.

There is no valid comparison between this skimmer aircraft and the MIG-25, and am not talking about the physical aspects.

The MIG-25 was a conventional aircraft. Conventional in the sense that it was designed to fly at altitudes common to other aircrafts and share characteristics with other aircrafts. So yes, the US had no choice but to raise expectations and specs on an unknown.

Lastly, the MIG-25 came from the American A-5 Vigilante, just in case...

 

[Avicenna]

The hyperbole 'rattled' is more reflective of the author's emotions than of any objectivity. Of course, we were 'concerned'. It was the Cold War so most likely anything that came out of the Soviet Union -- we would be 'concerned'.


There is no valid comparison between this skimmer aircraft and the MIG-25, and am not talking about the physical aspects.

The MIG-25 was a conventional aircraft. Conventional in the sense that it was designed to fly at altitudes common to other aircrafts and share characteristics with other aircrafts. So yes, the US had no choice but to raise expectations and specs on an unknown.

Lastly, the MIG-25 came from the American A-5 Vigilante, just in case...

The only reason I brought up the Foxbat was to put concern over the capabilities of an unknown system in the context of the Cold War.

Anytime the US or for that matter the USSR picked up on the existence of something new, I'm sure that there was a certain level of anxiety. (whether its this, the Foxbat or any other new fighter or bomber, or a new type of submarime etc. etc.)

The Foxbat was conventional but hyped up as being some sort of "superplane" as you are aware.

In this case, an ekranoplan likely confused Western analysts as to what exactly they were seeing and thus perhaps caused concern.

Of course I am just conjecturing.

Also, true the A-5 might have influenced the Mig-25 but you can make the arguement that the Mig-25 influenced the F-15.

 

[gambit]

Also, true the A-5 might have influenced the Mig-25 but you can make the arguement that the Mig-25 influenced the F-15.

When I was active duty at MacDill and before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, we had a chance to see the technical analyses of the MIG-25 before it was put back in the safe somewhere in the Pentagon, in a manner of speaking. It was not something base wide like in the base theater with a packed house. It was more like a presentation in the squadron break room where everyone, officers and enlisted, get to see.

In the first few minutes, the presenter made it clear that the F-15 was not based upon the MIG-25 and that both were based upon the A-5. The A-5's original design had twin vertical stabilizers but the conservative Navy deemed it too 'radical', so North American, the manufacturer, installed a single tall vertical stab, which had to be foldable because it was too tall to clear an aircraft carrier hangar. In the end, US engineers gave the MIG-25 some positive endorsements, but overall, the MIG-25 was a POS.

Russian fanboys will always make the 'F-15 came from MIG-25' argument.

 

[Avicenna]

When I was active duty at MacDill and before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, we had a chance to see the technical analyses of the MIG-25 before it was put back in the safe somewhere in the Pentagon, in a manner of speaking. It was not something base wide like in the base theater with a packed house. It was more like a presentation in the squadron break room where everyone, officers and enlisted, get to see.

In the first few minutes, the presenter made it clear that the F-15 was not based upon the MIG-25 and that both were based upon the A-5. The A-5's original design had twin vertical stabilizers but the conservative Navy deemed it too 'radical', so North American, the manufacturer, installed a single tall vertical stab, which had to be foldable because it was too tall to clear an aircraft carrier hangar. In the end, US engineers gave the MIG-25 some positive endorsements, but overall, the MIG-25 was a POS.

Russian fanboys will always make the 'F-15 came from MIG-25' argument.

I will always defer to your first hand experiences regarding this topic.