World Record: How One Russian MiG-25 Fighter Reached 123,523 Feet

Dario Leone

History, Europe

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To establish that record, Fedotov flew an experimental MiG-25 fighter. The aircraft was actually a MiG-25RB re-engined with the powerful R15BF2-300.

On Aug. 31, 1977 Alexandr Vasilievich Fedotov, an official ‘Hero of the Soviet Union’ and test pilot, set an FAI World Record for altitude when he climbed to 123,523 feet (37,650 meters) in his MiG-25.

As reported on Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI-World Air Sports Federation) website the record still stands today.

Fedotov, a highly esteemed Soviet test pilot and a graduate of the Moscow Aviation Institute, was born on Jun. 23, 1932 in Stalingrad in the then-USSR.

A test pilot since 1958 he helped test-fly the famous MiG series of planes, including the MiG-19, MiG-21, MiG-23, MiG-25, MiG-29 and MiG-31. He was the first Soviet test pilot to reach Mach 3 – three-times the speed of sound.

During his time as a test pilot he set 15 aviation world records, including the one on Aug. 31, 1977.

To establish that record, Fedotov flew an experimental MiG-25 fighter. The aircraft was actually a MiG-25RB re-engined with the powerful R15BF2-300. Flying this aircraft he reached the record height of 123,523 feet above Podmoskovnoe, Russia.