What is Foxbat? Deadly fighter jet could fly at the edge of space, was designed to counter…, not made in US, China or Israel, it is…, name is…

When talking about high-flying aircraft, most people think of American jets like the F-22 or F-35. But one of the highest-flying jets ever was not American it was built by the Soviet Union during the Cold War. This jet was called the MiG-25 “Foxbat”, and it was made in the 1960s and its job was to chase down fast American bombers and spy planes. What made the MiG-25 special was its extreme speed and ability to fly very, very high.

More than 50 years since it was introduced into the service, The MiG-25 could fly up to 123,000 feet (around 37 kilometers) into the sky. That’s incredibly close to the edge of space, which many experts define as starting at 100 kilometers (328,000 feet) above Earth.

Even though it’s an older jet, the MiG-25 is still known today for flying higher than most other aircraft ever built. It was a true high-speed, high-altitude beast of its time.

MiG-25: The jet that almost reached space

How high did it go: In special test flights, some versions of the MiG-25 flew so high they reached the edge between Earth’s atmosphere and space. It didn’t officially enter space, but it got close enough that pilots could see the curve of the Earth and the black sky above something most aircraft will never experience.

Built for speed, not tricks: The MiG-25 wasn’t made for dogfights or fancy flying but was built to fly very fast and very high to chase enemy planes. It had two powerful turbojet engines and a strong stainless-steel body, since aluminum would melt at such high speeds. It could fly at Mach 2.83—almost three times the speed of sound.

A Soviet machine that touched the sky: Even today, no US fighter jet in active service has flown higher than the MiG-25. Though it had its risks and was not easy to handle, it showed that the Soviet Union could build a jet that came shockingly close to space all without using rockets or help from NASA.

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