IAF Foxbats Over Pakistan: The True Story Revealed | Ctrl Alt Defence Ep 59
For nearly 25 years, the Indian Air Force operated one of the world's fastest and most secretive reconnaissance aircraft in near-total secrecy.
The MiG-25 Foxbat could climb beyond 65,000 feet, cruise at more than twice the speed of sound and cross sensitive airspace before an adversary could fully react. But what was it actually like to fly this extraordinary machine?
On Episode 59 of #CtrlAltDefence, Shiv Aroor and Vishnu Som speak to Air Marshal Sumit Mukerji and Wing Commander Pradeep Jaswant Thakur, two former MiG-25 pilots who reveal what it was like to fly the Foxbat and carry out some of India's most closely guarded reconnaissance missions.
Episode 59
Watch now: https://youtu.be/n5blYF7aE1s
Flying the MiG-25 at Mach 2.4 and above 65,000 feet
The extreme pressure suit and claustrophobic cockpit
What happened when the aircraft's skin temperature crossed 300°C
Seeing the curvature of the Earth from the edge of the stratosphere
The truth behind the legendary 1997 MiG-25 mission over Pakistan
The MiG-25's reconnaissance missions during the Kargil War
How its cameras captured critical strategic intelligence
The extraordinary mission to photograph a total solar eclipse
From its extreme operating altitude and blistering speed to its pressure suits, enormous reconnaissance cameras and covert missions, this episode takes you inside one of the most extraordinary chapters of Indian military aviation.
India finally retired the MiG-25 in 2006, after nearly 25 years of service.
But the stories of the men who flew it, and the missions they carried out in secrecy, remain a remarkable part of the Indian Air Force's history.
Watch Episode 59 of #CtrlAltDefence.
