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<blockquote data-quote="TinWing" data-source="post: 13116" data-attributes="member: 10"><blockquote data-quote="Tam">Nice to see rows and rows of Foxhounds, maybe some Foxbats, and an occasional Fencer in pristine storage condition.&nbsp; Where is this place?</blockquote>I don't think the word &quot;pristine&quot; would apply to these aircraft.&nbsp; Bad things happen when you store airframes in a humid climate that features freezing conditions.&nbsp; Why do you think that U.S. stores airframes in the Arizona desert?&nbsp; Low humidity, with moderate temperature changes.&nbsp; Consider for a moment that the a MiG-25 constucted primarily out of high tensile, thin gauge steel is far more vulnerable to corrosion than a comparable Western airframe built out of aluminum.&nbsp; These aging airframes have deteriorate far more than most people would have imagined.Of course, conventional alloy airframes might have had some value as scrap metal.&nbsp; It is also clear that the airbase appears to be neglected and overgrown.&nbsp; Notice the abandoned building in the first photo.&nbsp; In the third photo there is even a garden planted next to what appears to be a caretaker's cottage.&nbsp; It isn't surprising to see garden, especially when you consider that wages frequently went unpaid for years - until the current oil-funded economic recovery under Putin.&nbsp; Overall, this is a sad testament to the poverty and decline of post-Soviet Russia.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="TinWing, post: 13116, member: 10"] [quote="Tam"] Nice to see rows and rows of Foxhounds, maybe some Foxbats, and an occasional Fencer in pristine storage condition. Where is this place? [/quote] I don't think the word "pristine" would apply to these aircraft. Bad things happen when you store airframes in a humid climate that features freezing conditions. Why do you think that U.S. stores airframes in the Arizona desert? Low humidity, with moderate temperature changes. Consider for a moment that the a MiG-25 constucted primarily out of high tensile, thin gauge steel is far more vulnerable to corrosion than a comparable Western airframe built out of aluminum. These aging airframes have deteriorate far more than most people would have imagined. Of course, conventional alloy airframes might have had some value as scrap metal. It is also clear that the airbase appears to be neglected and overgrown. Notice the abandoned building in the first photo. In the third photo there is even a garden planted next to what appears to be a caretaker's cottage. It isn't surprising to see garden, especially when you consider that wages frequently went unpaid for years - until the current oil-funded economic recovery under Putin. Overall, this is a sad testament to the poverty and decline of post-Soviet Russia. [/QUOTE]

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