Iraqi 'Mach 3' MiG Buried in Sand (Charles Smith)

NewsMax.com ^ | August 6, 2003 | Charles Smith

[HighRoadToChina]

Iraqi 'Mach 3' MiG Buried in Sand Charles R. Smith Wednesday August 6, 2003

NewsMax.com has obtained exclusive photos of a buried Iraqi jet fighter being recovered by U.S. Air Force troops. The Iraqi jet, an advanced Russian MiG-25 Foxbat, was found buried in the sands after an informant tipped off U.S. troops. Click here to see the MiG buried in the Iraqi desert.

The MiG was dug out of a massive sand dune near the Al Taqqadum airfield by U.S. Air Force recovery teams. The MiG was reportedly one of over two-dozen Iraqi jets buried in the sands, like hidden treasure, waiting to be recovered at a later date.

Contrary to what some in the major media have reported, not all the jets found were from the Gulf War era.

The Russian made MiG-25 Foxbat recovered by U.S. Army troops in the pictures, is an advanced reconnaissance version never before seen in the west and is equipped with sophisticated electronics warfare devices.

U.S. Air Force recovery teams had to use large earth moving equipment to uncover the MiG which is over 70 feet long and weights nearly 25 tons.

Click here to see troops digging the MiG out of its hole.

Click here to see troops towing the jet away.

All photos courtesy of MSGT T. Collins, USAF

The Foxbat is known to be one of Iraq's top jet fighters. The advanced electronic reconnaissance version found by the U.S. Air Force is currently in service with the Russian air force. The MiG is capable of flying at speeds of over 2,000 miles an hour or three times the speed of sound, and at altitudes of over 75,000 feet.

The recovery of the advanced MiG fighter is considered to be an intelligence coup by the U.S. Air Force. The Foxbat may also be equipped with advanced Russian and French made electronics that were sold to Iraq during the 1990s in violation of a U.N. ban on arms sales to Baghdad.

The buried aircraft at Al Taqqadum were covered in camouflage netting, sealed and in many cases had their wings removed, before being buried over ten feet underneath the Iraqi desert.

X MARKS THE SPOT

The discovery of the buried Iraqi jet fighters illustrates the problem faced by U.S. inspection teams searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction. Iraq is larger in size than California and the massive deserts south and west of Baghdad were used by Saddam Hussein to hide weapons during the first Gulf war.

U.S. intelligence sources have already uncovered several mass grave burial sites in the open deserts with an estimated 10,000 dead hidden there. In addition, Iraq previously hid SCUD missiles, chemical weapons and biological warheads by burying them under the desert sands. U.N. inspection teams found the weapons in the early 1990s after detailed information of the exact locations was obtained.

Top U.S. weapons inspector Dr. David Kay is known to favor human intelligence as the primary means to find Iraq's hidden treasure trove of weapons and secrets.

While there are rumors of Iraqi chemical and biological weapons being shipped to nearby Syria, the weapons may very well still remain inside Iraq buried under the vast desert wastelands.

Some critics of the Bush administration have claimed that the inability of U.S. forces to uncover weapons of mass destruction is proof that the President misled the nation into the war with Iraq. However, in recent days the critics have fallen silent as word quietly leaked from Iraq that major discoveries have already been made and are now being documented completely. Bush administration officials are keeping any such discoveries secret for the moment.

[Sparta]

Not destroyed. Disabled.

My apologies.

[HRC]

I am looking for Saddam. Where do I have to start digging?

[CCCV]

I don't even think F14's can (not sure) Nope. F14's supposed to be a bit slower than the F15 (again not from first-hand knowlege), but the F15(A,B& C's, Don't know about the new Strike Eagle) can run around mach 2.2 or so; but not for long, it burns a tremendous amount of fuel at that speed.

[onedoug]

Uh, gee...how come we didn't find these hidden things right away?

[ASA Vet]

Ya think maybe a faraday cage around our smaller chip technology might be better?

[lmailbvmbipfwedu]

I wonder what a magnetic survey would bring out. It seems to me that by hanging an magnetometer on a UAV and flying a regular grid pattern these thing would pop out like the new man at a nudist colony. Then there is gravity, LADAR, and other remote sensing techniques......

[CCCV]

I don't even think F14's can (not sure)
Nope. F14's supposed to be a bit slower than the F15 (again not from first-hand knowlege), but the F15(A,B& C's, Don't know about the new Strike Eagle) can run around mach 2.2 or so; but not for long, it burns a tremendous amount of fuel at that speed.

[Veracious Poet]

From the pictures and the age of the planes (20+ years old), I doubt these birds are any threat at all...except to any pilot who might be crazy enough to fly one of them.

More propaganda from Iraq...

[RJL]

The Foxbat may also be equipped with advanced Russian and French made electronics that were sold to Iraq during the 1990s in violation of a U.N. ban on arms sales to Baghdad.

This could be interesting.

[HighRoadToChina]

What was your pic?

[Pyro7480]

This sounds sort of like the scare involving early Soviet nuclear subs. There was an incident where an aircraft carrier was being tracked by a Soviet sub, and the sub was able to keep up with the carrier, which was going 30+ knots. The only reason that they were able to go that fast was because the Soviet shipbuilders cut back on radiation shielding, and because of that, many of the sailors who served on such subs got cancer.

[HighRoadToChina]

What was your pic?

[HighRoadToChina]

What was your pic?

[nevergore]

"However, in recent days the critics have fallen silent as word quietly leaked from Iraq that major discoveries have already been made and are now being documented completely. Bush administration officials are keeping any such discoveries secret for the moment.

This is the most profound statement in the article!

Everyone new of the Iraqi jets buried in the sand before the conflict began...That is one of the reasons Saddam executed his top Air Force General because he stood down per our military's instructions......

Wait....Rumsfield at Bush's direction is carefully cataloging all WMD sites and documantary evidence for a comprehensive presentation to Congress and the American people sometime this fall... The DemoRats will be scurrying for cover......

NeverGore

[CCCV]

I don't even think F14's can (not sure)
Nope. F14's supposed to be a bit slower than the F15 (again not from first-hand knowlege), but the F15(A,B& C's, Don't know about the new Strike Eagle) can run around mach 2.2 or so; but not for long, it burns a tremendous amount of fuel at that speed.

[Sparta]

Su-35 figher

[swheats]

The recovery of the advanced MiG fighter is considered to be an intelligence coup by the U.S. Air Force. The Foxbat may also be equipped with advanced Russian and French made electronics that were sold to Iraq during the 1990s in violation of a U.N. ban on arms sales to Baghdad.

sweeeeet justice.

[Veracious Poet]

From the pictures and the age of the planes (20+ years old), I doubt these birds are any threat at all...except to any pilot who might be crazy enough to fly one of them.

More propaganda from Iraq...

[Pyro7480]

This sounds sort of like the scare involving early Soviet nuclear subs. There was an incident where an aircraft carrier was being tracked by a Soviet sub, and the sub was able to keep up with the carrier, which was going 30+ knots. The only reason that they were able to go that fast was because the Soviet shipbuilders cut back on radiation shielding, and because of that, many of the sailors who served on such subs got cancer.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Sure. If you have the money, talent, and the parts. That being said, I very seriously doubt that they would have ever flown again under Saddam's flag.

However, the U.S. may just get them flying again for the new Iraq government so that they can defend themselves.