In the early 1960s, the hectic race for speed produced the Mikoyan MiG-25 (NATO reporting name Foxbat). The Mikoyan Design Bureau, at that time the Soviet Union's primary tactical aircraft design house (then known as OKB MiG and now as RSK MIG), embarked upon the extremely ambitious task of developing a Mach 3-oapable. yet affordable, tactical combat aircraft to be built in two principal versions - lighter-interceptor and tactical reconnaissance aircraft. Initial design work began in 1961; a somewhat uneasy time as the 'missile fever' of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had considerably slowed down the country's aircraft industry, a significant proportion of its design and production capability having been redirected to the missile-making sector. Nevertheless, the medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems, of the Voisk ProtivoVozdushnoy Oborony (VPVO - Soviet Air Defence Forces) still needed the support of a high-altitude/high speed interceptor to counter the existing and expected high-speed reconnaissance aircraft, such as the CIA's Lockheed A-12 and its successor the SR-71 Blackbird, operated by the USAF.
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