Jet & Prop by FalkeEins: Russian MiG 31 'Foxhound' interceptor "Homeland watchdog"

Wednesday, 19 December 2018

Russian MiG 31 'Foxhound' interceptor "Homeland watchdog" - Kinzhal, hypersonic missile

The MiG 31 was conceived as long-range Mach-3 interceptor capable of lengthy patrolling and destroying multiple targets including cruise missiles on the same sortie at "extreme ranges". Although not specifically designed in response to the F-14 Tomcat, developmental work began soon after the first appearance of the US type in 1972 according to Yefim Gordon - when the Cold War was at its coldest. Like the F-14 the MiG 31 carries long-range air-to-air missiles, efficient avionics and weapons-control systems, and, again like the F-14, well over 500 examples were manufactured.. The first prototype ('Blue 831' - Izdelye 83, aircraft No.1) was completed in mid-1975. Unlike the MiG-25, the MiG 31 features a two-man crew, the back-seater being a weapons systems officer to operate the Zaslon radar. Full-scale production in Gorkii began in 1979. Despite the loss of several aircraft during trials, the MiG-31 worked up a good reliability record in actual service. The aircraft possessed unique capabilities, being the world's first production interceptor fitted with a phased-array radar, the Zaslon S-800 Passive Electronically Scanned Array radar designed to track multiple low-flying targets. The radar was capable of detecting targets in the front and rear hemisphere over land and water, day and night in VFR and IFR conditions. It could track up to ten targets simultaneously and aim long range missiles at four targets at once. It originally had a range of 125 miles, which Russia has since upgraded multiple times.The MiG-31 needs about 3,900 feet to take off.

The tricycle landing gear featured novel twinwheel main bogies: the tandem mainwheels
did not have a common track (ie, the front wheels faced inboard and the rear ones outboard).
This enabled the bogie to rotate and fold into a remarkably small space during retraction while decreasing runway loading considerably, thus enabling the aircraft to operate from dirt and ice strips.

It has two Tumanski R-15BD-300 turbojets, which can bring the Foxhound to nearly 34,000 feet in eight minutes.

The MiG-31BM variant below features a Zaslon-M radar. It has a range of nearly 2000 miles, longer-range air-to-air missiles like the R-33S, and more.

The MiG-31BM variant below features a Zaslon-M radar. It has a range of nearly 200 miles, longer-range air-to-air missiles like the R-33S, and more.

Russia also successfully test fired a Kh-47M2, or Kinzhal, hypersonic missile from the MiG-31BM in March, and is currently fitting the missile to the MiG-31K variant.

Moscow claims that the Kinzhal can hit speeds of up to Mach 10, has a range of 1,200 miles and are basically impossible to detect by modern air defense systems.

While many western analysts remain skeptical of the Kinzhal's capabilities, the missile appears to be an adaptation of the Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile that flies at hypersonic speeds. The MiG-31 can also reach 65,000 feet in nearly nine minutes and even hit altitudes of 67,500 feet.

The MiG-31 can also reach 65,000 feet in nearly nine minutes and even hit altitudes of 67,500 feet.

The second layer of the atmosphere, the stratosphere, starts at 59,000 feet. It has a top speed of Mach 3 and can hit Mach 1.23 at low altitudes.

There have been a number of accounts of MiG-31 fighters catching the legendary high-altitude SR-71 US spy plane.

There have been multiple accounts of MiG-31 fighters chasing away SR-71s, the legendary high-altitude US spy plane.

A Russian pilot claimed he locked his missiles onto an SR-71 Blackbird during one incident, and six MiG-31 Foxhounds once cornered a Blackbird in another.

The Foxhound's main armament is the R-33 long-range missile, similar to the (obviously now retired from US service) F-14's AIM-54 Phoenix missile, and it can lock onto four targets at once.

The Foxhound's main armament is the R-33 long-range missile, similar to the F-14's AIM-51 Phoenix missile, and it can lock onto four targets at once.

It can carry four of the R-33 long-range missiles, two R-40TD-1 medium-range missiles, and four R-60MK short-range missiles. It also has a 9-A-768 23mm gun. The Mig-31DZ, a variant released in 1989, was the first MiG-31 able to refuel in midair.

" ...Imagine flying a plane so high that the world looks spherical and the sky is pitch-black. The Mikoyan Mig-31 fighter is the only jet plane in the world to make it possible to fly on the very edge of space.

With an incredible speed of 3,000 km/h, the Soviet-designed interceptor is the world’s fastest serving aircraft, and it can fly twice as high as a commercial flight. Travelling at more than twice the speed of sound, the MiG-31 can touch the stratosphere and breach what's known as the Armstrong limit. beyond which a pilot’s tears and saliva would boil without a pressure suit.

Even at such incredible heights, the MiG-31 can still deal with its enemies. The fighter is armed with long and short-range missiles that can be launched against high-speed targets.

At Khotilovo air base, RTD attempts to give viewers a first-hand experience of near-space travel aboard this unique aircraft by mounting cameras on the airframe and inside the cockpit. See what breaking the sound barrier looks like and why, despite being designed in the 1970s, the MiG-31 remains at the top of its game and unrivalled to this day...."