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The Fastest Military Jets in History

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The MiG-25 Foxbat

Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 Foxbat
Leonid Faerberg

Right as the F-4 Phantom II was just getting its proverbial wings underneath it, the Soviet Union had its own competitor to air superiority in mind: the MiG-25 Foxbat. It was designed as a pure speed, super-maneuverable supersonic interceptor. When it hit the skies in 1964, NATO allies didn’t even know what hit them. The F-4 Phantom II was the latest the Air Force had for air superiority aircraft and it was literally toe-to-toe with these new MiG-25s over Northern Vietnam. As a testament to great engineering at an affordable price, there are still MiG-25s in service even though many of them were upgraded into the MiG-31. In terms of competition for speed in the air, the only aircraft that had the Foxbat licked was the SR-71 Blackbird – a coveted reconnaissance asset during the 1970s and 80s.

  • Top Speed: 2,170 mph
  • Max Flight Distance: 1,075 miles on internal fuel