The CEO of Russia’s Mikoyan aircraft company recently made some wild claims about the MiG-41 — the successor to the MiG-31 — saying it would fly in space, reach speeds of 2,800 mph, carry lasers, and more.
Despite these predictions, the MiG-41, if it’s made, would not be ready for deployment until between 2035 and 2040, which means the MiG-31 will be Russia’s main interceptor well into the 2030s.
And while these predictions are rather fanciful, they’re not impossible, given the MiG-31’s impressive capabilities.
Take a look at what the MiG-31 can do.
The MiG-31, which NATO calls Foxhound, made its first flight in 1975 and succeeded the MiG-25. As an interceptor, the Foxhound was not made for dogfights but for defending Russia’s borders from enemy bombers, able to swoop in quickly and hit targets before jetting out. Unlike the MiG-25, it has a back seat for the weapons systems officer to operate the Zaslon radar. The Zaslon S-800 Passive Electronically Scanned Array radar was made to track low-flying bombers. 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.
Feature image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Read the full article at BUSINESS INSIDER.
The CEO of Russia’s Mikoyan aircraft company recently made some wild claims about the MiG-41 — the successor to the MiG-31 — saying it would fly in space, reach speeds of 2,800 mph, carry lasers, and more.
Despite these predictions, the MiG-41, if it’s made, would not be ready for deployment until between 2035 and 2040, which means the MiG-31 will be Russia’s main interceptor well into the 2030s.
And while these predictions are rather fanciful, they’re not impossible, given the MiG-31’s impressive capabilities.
Take a look at what the MiG-31 can do.
The MiG-31, which NATO calls Foxhound, made its first flight in 1975 and succeeded the MiG-25. As an interceptor, the Foxhound was not made for dogfights but for defending Russia’s borders from enemy bombers, able to swoop in quickly and hit targets before jetting out. Unlike the MiG-25, it has a back seat for the weapons systems officer to operate the Zaslon radar. The Zaslon S-800 Passive Electronically Scanned Array radar was made to track low-flying bombers. 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.
Feature image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Read the full article at BUSINESS INSIDER.
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