Russian MiG-25 Foxbat Could Hit Could Hit Mach 2.83 and Broke the Record at 123,523 Feet in the Sky

On August 31, 1977, Soviet test pilot Alexandr Vasilievich Fedotov set an altitude record when a modified MiG-25 Foxbat climbed to 123,523 feet (37,650 meters). The aircraft, designated Ye-266M and based on the MiG-25RB reconnaissance/light bomber variant, used two upgraded R-15BF2-300 engines that added a compression stage for higher-altitude operation—at the cost of higher fuel consumption. Designed for intercepting high-speed targets, the MiG-25 platform nevertheless accumulated 29 records during its service, with several still standing. To reach the stratosphere where air-breathing engines can’t operate, Fedotov accelerated lower, then pulled up to let momentum carry the jet upward until the engines stalled; he then glided back to breathable air and recovered safely. Fedotov, born in 1932 in Stalingrad, later received major Soviet honors including Hero of the Soviet Union.