Mig 25 RBT operators

[BushBrit66]

Hi  all

 

I have the Revell boxing and am looking for o ther than Soviiet operators  of the sub type. Anyone have any info? Also available decals.

 

thanks

 

Sean

[Junchan]

Hi Sean,

 

According to the Red Star Volume 34, Mikoyan MIG-25 Foxbat, Guardian on the Soviet Borders, three MiG-25 RBTs were used by the Bulgarian AF and at least 5 were used by Iraqi AF. there are some photos in this book but, you can find photos by Googling with keywords "bulgarian mig-25 rbt" or "iraqi mig-25 rbt".

 

Jun in Tokyo

https://www.flickr.com/photos/horaburo/albums

 

 

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

Hello Sean.

Another source 'Aerofax' shows that Mig-25RB aircraft were exported to Algeria,India,Iraq,Libya,Syria and Bulgaria.

As to whether or not they had the 'Tangazh' sigint system (Hence the 'T' in 'RBT') I don't know but I don't think this had a major external change anyway.

Here's an Indian one,pretty much like all operator,no fancy colour schemes!

[Jabba]

Begemot do a 1/48th for the MiG-25, but this does include all versions.

[BushBrit66]

Thanks chaps. I guess the question is what do I leave off to render an RB

 

Cheers

 

Sean

[huvut76g7gbbui7]

On 9/4/2018 at 12:42 AM, BushBrit66 said:

what do I leave off to render an RB

Probably just a different aerial as the kit was internal but I'll get back to you when my friend translates a Russian magazine for me.

 

@Sonoran's post which follows now makes that unnecessary!

Edited September 7, 2018 by Scimitar
additional info added

[exdraken]

The kit was originally released by ICM including Decals for Lybia an Iraq I think. These insttuctions can sure be found!

 

Apart from that, the Revell release aldso offers a Russian BBC marking which is NOT Soviet afaik 

Edited September 4, 2018 by exdraken

[BushBrit66]

Cheers

 

I will hunt them down or put out a BM request

 

Cheers

Sean

[Sonoran]

On 9/3/2018 at 4:42 PM, BushBrit66 said:

Thanks chaps. I guess the question is what do I leave off to render an RB

 

As is almost always the answer when speaking about Soviet aircraft:  it depends.

 

Do you want to do an early MiG-25RB (circa say around 1972-1974)?  Or do you want to do a later one?   I have not heard any modelers yet acknowledge that ICM made an error in putting the early RB nose in their original RBT kit.  That nose has a smooth lower contour, with two small blisters at the 5 and 7 o’clock positions (which are separate parts).  When Revell reboxed the kit, they included the correct RBT nose with the bulge on the lower surface and lacking the small blisters.   

The ICM RB boxing has the correct nose for an early aircraft with the two small blisters, as well as the later nose with the lower bulge.  Both are equally correct for the RB, depending on when it was built (and possibly depot modified).  What the RB has that no other boxing has is the short upper intake ramps.  I haven’t been able to nail down exactly when that changed, but I’m guessing late 1970s.  The original intake is applicable to all interceptors and reconnaissance variants up through approximately that time.  Some aircraft kept the short intake ramp until well in the late 1980s, so I would imagine the extended upper ramp was never retrofitted, and only came from the factory on new-builds.

 

The RB boxing is also the only one that has the early knife-edged parabrake housing.  That was also a universal fit on all Foxbat variants until the early 1980s.  The bullet shaped one was retrofitted to older airframes during depot maintenance from the 1980s.  

 

Later RB variants sometimes have RHAW blisters on the sides of the intakes.  There were two styles (two different systems).  A much smaller pair of blisters were seen infrequently from the early days, but the larger blisters (which I believe are included in the ICM moldings) are a much later addition.

 

So not a simple answer to your question, but I have been studying the MiG-25 and its variants for four decades.  And there’s still a lot I don’t understand!

Edited September 5, 2018 by Sonoran

[exdraken]

9 hours ago, Sonoran said:

 

As is almost always the answer when speaking about Soviet aircraft:  it depends.

 

Do you want to do an early MiG-25RB (circa say around 1972-1974)?  Or do you want to do a later one?   I have not heard any modelers yet acknowledge that ICM made an error in putting the early RB nose in their original RBT kit.  That nose has a smooth lower contour, with two small blisters at the 5 and 7 o’clock positions (which are separate parts).  When Revell reboxed the kit, they included the correct RBT nose with the bulge on the lower surface and lacking the small blisters.   

The ICM RB boxing has the correct nose for an early aircraft with the two small blisters, as well as the later nose with the lower bulge.  Both are equally correct for the RB, depending on when it was built (and possibly depot modified).  What the RB has that no other boxing has is the short upper intake ramps.  I haven’t been able to nail down exactly when that changed, but I’m guessing late 1970s.  The original intake is applicable to all interceptors and reconnaissance variants up through approximately that time.  Some aircraft kept the short intake ramp until well in the late 1980s, so I would imagine the extended upper ramp was never retrofitted, and only came from the factory on new-builds.

 

The RB boxing is also the only one that has the early knife-edged parabrake housing.  That was also a universal fit on all Foxbat variants until the early 1980s.  The bullet shaped one was retrofitted to older airframes during depot maintenance from the 1980s.  

 

Later RB variants sometimes have RHAW blisters on the sides of the intakes.  There were two styles (two different systems).  A much smaller pair of blisters were seen infrequently from the early days, but the larger blisters (which I believe are included in the ICM moldings) are a much later addition.

 

So not a simple answer to your question, but I have been studying the MiG-25 and its variants for four decades.  And there’s still a lot I don’t understand!

I built a very very early one when based in Egypt modifying the original RBT boxing....

Probably.missed out on the early camera setup... but no photos no proof

 

 

[Sonoran]

I'm not aware of an "early" camera setup.  One thing ICM missed is the camera port just forward of the nose gear well.  They just did a scribed circle, and there should definitely be a camera there on the PHOTINT Foxbats.

 

There was a second RB camera pallet that only had two camera ports, but it wasn't seen very frequently.  All of the other PHOTINT versions had the same four camera port pallet that ICM provides.

 

It's kind of a pain that the only way you can get the early parabrake housing is in the RB boxing, since that is applicable to any Foxbat up to the early 1980s.

Edited September 5, 2018 by Sonoran

[exdraken]

On 9/5/2018 at 5:17 PM, Sonoran said:

There was a second RB camera pallet that only had two camera ports, but it wasn't seen very frequently.  All of the other PHOTINT versions had the same four camera port pallet that ICM provides.

That is probably the one I am thinking of!

Can't remember where I read it , but the very very early ones / in Egypt only had 2....

 

Goof Photos of those are a luxury though!

[Sonoran]

16 hours ago, exdraken said:

Goof Photos of those are a luxury though!

 

Any photos.  There have been only a couple of very poor quality photos released of those aircraft, and none that I am aware of show the camera port area in enough detail to determine that.  

 

That said, the two-camera pallet was a later addition to the RB fleet, so I have no reason to believe that's what the Egypt-based aircraft were carrying.  The prototypes had the standard four-camera pallet.

[exdraken]

http://forums.airforce.ru/holodnaya-voina/942-polety-sovetskih-mig-25-nad-izrailem-v-1971-73-g-g/

There seems to be quite a lot of info there....