MiG-25 Spirt-Voz

History

With the successful production of the F-4 Phantom, followed by the modified F-4R and its variant, the MiG-21 Balalaika, Mikoyam Guluvich proceeded with the development of the MiG-23 Cheburashka. However, despite being backed by @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)'s government, which was all too eager to achieve domestic development and production so as to stop relying on @The United States of America (USA) for military aid in the war against the BETA, the lack of the Soviets' fundamental understanding and sufficient research into basic TSF technology, combined with the loss of infrastructure due to successive setbacks and retreats on the Soviet frontline, resulted in production TSFs, especially the MiG-23, falling short of their intended performance values, especially when compared to their western equivalents.

Frustrated by the hopeless technology gap present, the Soviet government turned to examining the 2nd generation technology of the USA by secretly buying and accumulating the wreckage of F-15 Eagles from various frontline countries, and just like how the MiG-21 was created from the F-4, the @MiG-25 Spirt-Voz was constructed as a Soviet redesign of how they thought the F-15 operated. The MiG-25’s required specifications resulted from an assumption that the usage of nuclear weapons in Hive capture would require bombardment support capability and high-speed performance, which differed significantly from the F-15’s original role, which was to mainly provide mobile bombardment at close ranges. Its jump units were enhanced to provide greater thrust in order to achieve the capability for it to carry large-scale nuclear missile warheads, and it was envisioned to excel in area dominance by achieving a breakthrough in a straight line, travel the shortest distance to a designated point, and carry out successive nuclear assaults on a Hive in order to achieve quick subjugation of a Hive.

For that reason, melee combat response and damage capabilities were not given much consideration. Its frame was 20% larger than the F-15 so as to provide for the armor durability to break through the BETA present around a Hive; both forearm hardpoints were equipped with specially-designed multi-purpose armor to that end, and high-speed cruise capability and extended ranges were pursued.

Despite the ambitious goals envisioned for its use, the MiG-25 never succeeded in destroying a BETA Hive during its service history, contributing heavily to the negative conotations associated with the TSF. The period during which the MiG-25 was used for these nuclear blitzkreig missions would never faded from the memory of surviving members of the Soviet states.

Deployment

During the MiG-25’s first deployment, it took all the vodka frontline commander Lieutenant-General Alseni Bogdanov had for the few pilots to sortie, due to its maiden mission being a “suicide mission with nuclear weapons” in all but name. This contributed to its name of Spirt-Voz. However, as the MiG-25’s survival rate continued to remain low regardless of the strategy used, the nickname was eventually taken to mean the common viewpoint that “no one would ride this TSF unless drunk”.

Pilots hailing from the now-defunct Soviet Air Force have also given the MiG-25 the derogatory nickname of SS-25, as a reference to the SS-24 intercontinental ballistic nuclear missile used by Soviet forces.