According to Wikipedia on the MiG-25: "The airspeed indicator was redlined at Mach 2.8, with typical intercept speeds near Mach 2.5 in order to extend the servi

According to Wikipedia on the MiG-25: "The airspeed indicator was redlined at Mach 2.8, with typical intercept speeds near Mach 2.5 in order to extend the service life of the engines.[28] A MiG-25 was tracked flying over the Sinai Peninsula at Mach 3.2 in the early 1970s, but the flight led to the engines being damaged beyond repair.[34]" Both citations are for Barron, John. MiG Pilot: The Final Escape of Lt. Belenko. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1980. ISBN 0-380-53868-7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25#cite_note-Barron-28 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikoyan-Gurevich_MiG-25#cite_n...