Try this:
http://www.armchairgeneral.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-5846.html
Time Frame: Late Summer, 2003 The MiG Dig
The story involves an Iraqi jet fighter being recovered by U.S. Air Force troops. The Iraqi jet, an advanced Russian MiG-25 Foxbat, was found buried in the sand after an informant tipped off U.S. troops.
The MiG was dug out of a massive sand dune near the Al Taqqadum airfield by U.S. Air Force recovery teams. The MiG was reportedly one of over two dozen Iraqi jets buried in the sand, like hidden treasure, waiting to be recovered at a later date. Contrary to what some in the major media have reported, not all the jets found were from the Gulf War era.
The Russian-made MiG-25 Foxbat being recovered by U.S. Air Force troops in the photos is an advanced reconnaissance version never before seen in the West and is equipped with sophisticated electronic warfare devices.http://www.rb-29.net/HTML/03RelatedStories/03.09relcontinfo/relcontscans/MiG001.jpgU.S. Air Force recovery teams had to use large earth-moving equipment to uncover the MiG, which is over 70 feet long and weighs nearly 25 tons. The Foxbat is known to be one of Iraq's top jet fighters. The advanced electronic reconnaissance version found by the U.S. Air Force is currently in service with the Russian air force. The MiG is capable of flying at speeds of over 2,000 miles an hour, or three times the speed of sound, and at altitudes of over 75,000 feet.
The recovery of the advanced MiG fighter is considered to be an intelligence coup by the U.S. Air Force.. The Foxbat may also be equipped with advanced Russian- and French-made electronics that were sold to Iraq during the 1990s in violation of a U.N. ban on arms sales to Baghdad.
Does this help advance the theory of russian WMD in Iraq?
No. This was a worst case media story. The Iraqi Air Force did not fight. The airbases were leafleted and the Coalition warned certain members of air force leadership not to take part and disperse their inventory. The revaltion that certain discussions were ongoing with the Iraqi Air Force was highlighted in interviews with Coaliton commanders after the conflict. The Iraqis had no other options. The leaflets informed them to cover and move away from their equipment. They took it literally! They did the same for Sukhois and other MiGs in the inventory.
The story of the MiGs containing advanced French and Russian recce gear was total non-sense. It make a good press story, but doesn't stand up. These Foxbats were standard Soviet export models sold to the Iraqis in the 1980s and contained nothing but standard Soviet supplied recce gear. Algeria and India and some of the ex-Warsaw Pact members (Bulgaria) got the same equipment on their MiG-25s.
The Iraqis could have easily flown their wmd's out of the country on a handful of the four engine Antonov turboprops the Russkies gave them...