MiG-31 - a long story with a possible continuation
Probably the most unique aircraft in the world, the MiG-31, owes its appearance to the massive appearance of cruise missiles in the US arsenal. The regular interceptor of that time, the Tu-128, was not exactly obsolete, no, it was an aircraft that could serve (and eventually served until the 90s) for a long time, but, apparently, they wanted something that would make all the enemies shudder.
Actually it worked out. The head of many does not stop hurting from what was created by Mikoyan's designers in the 70s of the last century. And we would be happy to repeat, but here, something does not work out very well. And angular, huge, noisy (I appreciated it when four 31s flew to our airfield in March), the noticeable MiG-31 is still a cause of great concern for those whose soul it can fly to.
Given that there are no planes in the world that can get away from the 31st, there is something to worry about.
In the continuation of this material there will be many forecasts based on changes in the political situation in the world, but now we will make historical technical excursion. It's just the same way.
So, in the 60s, despite the presence of the loitering Tu-128 interceptor, it was decided to create a fundamentally new aircraft with a fundamentally new concept of application.
The Tu-128 was an aircraft that operated in close connection with the air defense system, focusing on working with ground-based radars. The new aircraft had to be able to operate outside the air defense radar system and was intended primarily for the protection of the Arctic borders, where the radar was very bad. The main enemy was American cruise missiles, which the new interceptor was supposed to detect and destroy at altitudes from 100 meters to 30 kilometers.
Plus, the new interceptor had to be incredibly fast. A speed of about 3500 km / h was expected, plus a fairly long flight time. However, reason prevailed and the creation of an engine capable of Mach 3 and having a sane appetite for proper flight duration was abandoned due to the realization that this was simply impossible. Therefore, the Soviet military was satisfied that the speed of the new aircraft would not be lower than that of the MiG-25. Which, we note, at that time was generally the fastest aircraft in the world, giving out about 3000 km / h (2,83M).
MiG-25
The MiG-31 was taken to design the MiG-25, but the MiG-31 is not a modification, it is a completely different machine, despite the existing external similarity. Inside there were a lot of differences, in the design of the power set, chassis, new D-30F engines with an afterburner, a new navigation system, sighting system, radar and a crew of two.
It is worth saying a few words about the engines. D-30F - it was a masterpiece performed by engine builders from Perm.
The basis was the regular D-30 engines of the Tu-134 aircraft, which the Permians were able to disperse from 6 kgf of thrust to 800 in afterburner. Since the engines consumed just a huge amount of air, the air intakes of the MiG-15 were much larger than those of the R500B-31 engines that were on the MiG-15.
Well, the most important component of the new interceptor is the SBI-16 Zaslon radar, the world's first phased array radar on a combat aircraft. Zaslon, created by the designers of the NPO Fazotron, was capable of tracking up to ten targets in the air and firing missiles with semi-active radar-guided seekers on four of them. Targets to kill were selected automatically, using the Argon-K on-board computer.
The sighting system made it possible to detect targets at a distance of up to 300 km, the range of automatic tracking was 120 km. PAR scanning angles +/-70 degrees in azimuth and from -60 to +70 degrees in elevation.
In addition, a chic feature of the MiG-31 was the ability to transmit information about detected targets to other aircraft or ground command posts of the air defense system using the RK-RDLN and APD-518 automated data transmission system. That is, the MiG-31 could be used as an AWACS aircraft
In addition, a search and tracking system with a heat direction finder was placed on the MiG-31, which was interfaced with the radar and could issue target designation to missiles with an IR seeker of the R-40TD and R-60 types from a distance of up to 50 km. The direction finder was located in a special compartment in the forward part of the fuselage and, when inoperative, was retracted into a special compartment.
Such a set of detection and guidance systems required a new weapons. Long-range R-33 missiles with a target range of up to 120 km have become a new weapon. Four of these missiles were suspended from the lower part of the fuselage in special recesses, plus four more missile suspension units were located under the wings.
That is, compared with the Tu-128 or MiG-25, the new aircraft carried exactly twice as much weapons. Plus, the MiG-31 was armed with a six-barreled gun GSH-6-23 with a caliber of 23 mm and with an ammunition load of 260 rounds, which was not the case with previous aircraft.
The navigation complex turned out to be very effective, but cumbersome and complex. It was necessary to take into account a lot of factors, as a result of which it became clear: INS, sighting and navigation system, short-range and long-range radio systems - all this requires more attention than a pilot could really pay.
One person could not effectively simultaneously pilot an aircraft, monitor the tactical situation, monitor the operation of aircraft systems and work with weapons. Therefore, the crew of the new interceptor consisted of two people - a pilot and a navigator-operator. Given the role assigned to the navigator-operator, for the MiG-31 it was quite fair to say that the pilot is just a delivery man to the navigator's place of work.
The pilot and navigator were placed in the cockpit in tandem one after the other on ejection seats K-36DM. The navigator-operator was really a very busy person. To help him cope with his duties:
- automatic control system SAU-155MP;
- navigation complex KN-25, consisting of two inertial systems IS-1-72A and a digital computer "Maneuver";
- short-range radio navigation system A-312 "Radical-NP";
- radio-technical system for long-range navigation A-723 "Kvitok-2";
- equipment of radio navigation systems "Tropic" and "Route";
- onboard automatic defense system, which included a passive jamming system and electronic warfare equipment.
MiG-31 pilot's workplace
The workplace of the navigator-operator of the MiG-31
The first prototype was taken into the air by test pilot A.V. Fedorov September 16, 1975. After a set of tests, a decision was made on mass production, which began in 1977.
Tests of the MiG-31 were difficult and not without losses. As a result of a flight accident, the “godfather” of the MiG-31 A.V. died. Fedotov and his navigator V.S. Zaitsev. But they were replaced by others who still made the plane fly. Menitsky, Orlov, Fastovets brought the test program to completion. The finale was the flight of the crew of Taskaev and Popov across the North Pole to Chukotka with aerial refueling.
At the end of the test program, the ability of the MiG-31 to repel an attack of multiple targets was tested. Ten target aircraft "attacked" Volgograd along a front 100 km wide. All targets were shot down by four MiG-31s.
In 1981, the MiG-31 with the Zaslon radar was put into service. The planes went to combat units, where the planned replacement of the Su-15 and Tu-128 with the MiG-31 began. Mostly those that covered the Arctic and the Far East.
The first combat mission of the new interceptors was the fight against the American high-altitude and very fast SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.
The Blackbird was one of the fastest aircraft of that time (up to 3 km/h, 000 km/h in afterburner) with a working ceiling of up to 3 km.
The SR-71s acted in a very peculiar way: the aircraft approached the borders of the USSR without hiding, invading the airspace for several tens of kilometers. The Soviet air defense system came to a state of combat readiness, but simply did not have time to launch on the SR-71, the Blackbird went back.
On the other hand, the aircraft of the American electronic intelligence, which flew outside the Soviet airspace, calmly recorded the parameters of the radio-technical air defense systems of the USSR.
The MiG-31 became the main driver of the Blackbirds, especially in the skies over the Kola Peninsula, where representatives of many NATO countries generally flew. MiG-31s in 1988 carried out 436 sorties to intercept planes staggering near the borders of the USSR, of which 86 sorties were on the SR-71.
The pilots of Kamchatka in the same year flew to intercept 825 times. "Orions", "Blackbirds", RS-135 - the MiG-31 has become a very difficult object for those who like to fly near the borders.
With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the role of the MiG-31 in the protection and defense of air borders has not changed at all. Considering that all the units in service with the MiG-31 were located on the territory of Russia, the number of aircraft in service with the new Russia has not changed at all. As the functions have not changed.
In 1994 and 1999, the MiG-31 was involved in the tasks of monitoring the air situation over Chechnya, performing the functions of an AWACS aircraft. In the 2000s, MiG-31s were repeatedly involved in practicing interceptions of a mock enemy together with Su-30 fighters and A-50 AWACS aircraft.
"Walks" Tu-22MR and Tu-95, covered by the MiG-31 over the waters of the Sea of Japan, near the borders of Japan very well excited Japanese society and kept in good shape.
In general, the MiG-31 proved to be a very efficient aircraft. But on the other hand, it was a very difficult aircraft to operate. From the very beginning, the MiG-31 was plagued by accidents and disasters. From the beginning of operation to 2000, 35 aviation incidents, of which 12 are catastrophes. According to the investigations, 19 were the fault of the pilots. 16 people died in the accidents.
Oddly enough, but the main causes of accidents were not the design flaws of the MiG-31, but frankly insufficient flight crews. The MiG-31 is very strict in control and does not tolerate abrupt evolutions with ores and a control stick. As practice has shown, pilots with an unacceptably small flight time of 30-40 hours PER YEAR got into accidents. It is clear that times of crisis, lack of everything and so on. But in the USSR, a fighter pilot flew 150-170 hours, and in the USA - about 200. The MiG-31, which was an order of magnitude more difficult to control than the MiG-29 or Su-27, did not forgive mistakes associated with a lack of piloting.
The improvements associated with the normalization of the situation in the Russian Air Force had a positive effect: from 2000 to the present time, only 31 flight accidents were recorded with the participation of the MiG-20, of which 3 ended in disasters. 5 people died.
In general, the trend is positive, since the aircraft still consumed the resource, however, there were few failures of the technical part. As before, pilots and difficult weather conditions were often to blame, but there were definitely fewer accidents and disasters.
The enemy highly appreciated the aircraft. Of course, a lot of eyes were watching the new interceptor, so the data gradually leaked to those who really needed it. American experts openly called the MiG-31 "the main intimidating force of the USSR." Fair.
They tried to offer the aircraft for export. The MiG-31 model was shown at an exhibition in Manila in 1990, and the foreign public saw the aircraft in its natural form in 1991 at the Le Bourget air show.
Of course, after the demonstrations of the MiG-29 and Su-27 at Le Bourget in 1990, when the great Viktor Pugachev simply killed all the spectators with his "cobra" on the Su-27, the MiG-31 did not cause such a stir. Well, a couple of passes, a little aerobatics ... The audience did not appreciate it.
But the professionals were shocked. Wow, those Russians did it again!
Considering that our aircraft was exhibited with the fairing removed, demonstrating to everyone the “Barrier” radar with HEADLIGHTS, there was something to be stunned by. Plus the six-barreled gun GSh-6-23, the existence of which, to put it mildly, was doubted in the West. And the “Russian Phoenixes”, the R-33 miracle missiles, were also seen by Western experts not in mock-ups.
Of course, it was necessary to criticize. Specialized magazines were filled with opinions about the fact that the aircraft was painted like a tractor, and the quality of welding leaves much to be desired, and so on. And they simply did not believe in a phased antenna array.
But real experts made their correct conclusions: the MiG-31, despite the external similarity with the MiG-25, is a completely different aircraft. A very powerful interceptor and fighter, which, thanks to its detection systems and engines, is capable of catching up and destroying any combat aircraft at any altitude. And there is no point in comparing the MiG-31 with any other new generation fighter. No need to look for aerodynamic delights or stealth technology. They are not here. The MiG-31 is just an executioner, brutal and efficient.
And indeed, why stealth aircraft, from which you can not get away? Why aerodynamic tricks, if the engines accelerate the car to breathtaking speeds?
But it was not possible to sell the MiG-31 to someone abroad. Shows at air shows, let's say, were overly optimistic. Who could buy from among the non-friends, the plane would not be sold to him. And to whom it would be possible to sell, those were scared away by the complexity of the machine.
Well, you must admit, which of Libya and Syria are the MiG-31 operators? They are with the 21st and 23rd barely a soul in the body ...
So the only country that bought the MiG-31 was China. But we will talk about this in the next article, because the 24 aircraft acquired by the PLA Air Force can play a very interesting role in the future.
A total of 519 MiG-31 interceptors were built. Of these, about 250 vehicles have survived to this day, of which 143 are in active operation, the rest are either in reserve or under modernization.
LTX MiG-31
Wingspan, m: 13,46
Aircraft Length, m: 22,69
The height of the aircraft, m: 5,15
Wing area, м2: 61,60
Weight, kg:
- empty aircraft: 21 820
- normal takeoff: 41 000
- maximum take-off: 46 200
Engine type: 2 x TRDDF D-30F-6 x 15200 kN with afterburner
Maximum speed km / h:
- at an altitude of 17 m: 500 (3M)
- at an altitude of 3 m: 000
Practical range, km:
- without PTB: 2 150
- with PTB: 3 300
Combat range, km
- when flying to at supersonic speed: 720
- when flying at subsonic speed: 1
- when flying at subsonic speed with PTB: 1
- when flying at a speed of 1M and with one refueling: 2
Duration of barrage, h
- with refueling in the air: 6
- without refueling: 3,5
Practical ceiling, m: 20 600
Crew, prs: 2
Armament:
- one 23-mm cannon GSh-6-23M (no 260 shells)
- 4 UR long range R-33
- 2 medium-range missiles R-40T and
- 4 short-range missiles R-60, R-60M
The MiG-31 is equipped with a six-barreled 23-mm automatic gun GSh-6-23M with 260 rounds of ammunition. The rate of fire of the gun is 6000 rounds / min.
Four R-33 long-range missiles are placed in a semi-recessed position on AKU-410 launchers mounted on the lower surface of the middle part of the fuselage. The mass of the rocket is 480 kg, the mass of the warhead is 47 kg, the firing range is 120 km.
Four underwing pylons provide for the suspension of R-40 missiles with radar or thermal homing heads. In the case of the suspension of R-40 missiles, the number of R-33 missiles on the ventral hardpoints is reduced to three, because it is necessary to install a container with missile guidance equipment in one place.
On the outer pylons, it is possible to suspend four URs (two on each) of the short-range R-60.
MiG-31B
The first modification of the aircraft was due to the fact that the interceptor, which was entrusted with the duties of a heavy fighter for long-range escort of strategic bombers, needed to add range.
The aircraft was equipped with a retractable filling rod and all the necessary equipment, including for long-distance flights.
On July 30, 1987, test pilot Roman Taskaev and test navigator Leonid Popov flew a MiG-31 over the North Pole along the route Monchegorsk - North Pole - Anadyr (Chukotka). Two mid-air refuelings and a flight in an area with difficult navigational conditions showed the excellent capabilities of the MiG-31B for long-distance flights. The flight lasted 6 hours and 26 minutes.
Of course, this was practically an experimental flight, since it would be imprudent to chain the pilots to their chairs for 6 hours purely physiologically and expect them to accurately fulfill the assigned tasks. But since 1990, all MiG-31s have been equipped with filling stations at the factory.
In addition, the weapons were seriously improved. The impetus for this was given by the story of Adolf Tolkachev, who worked for Western intelligence services and passed on secret information about the MiG-29 and MiG-31 weapons systems. Tolkachev handed over 54 secret developments in the field of electronic equipment of Soviet aircraft to the CIA, for which he was sentenced to death after exposure. It is believed that the damage from Tolkachev's actions was more serious than from Belenko, who stole a MiG-25 to Japan.
All this forced the MiG-31 to be equipped with a new weapon system. As a result, the MiG-31B appeared with more powerful D-30F-6 engines, an upgraded radar, a Zaslon-A weapons control system, improved on-board electronics and electronic warfare equipment.
The missile armament was supplemented by R-40TD medium-range missiles and R-60 short-range missiles.
Naturally, after Tolkachev's betrayal, all previously released MiG-31 models were upgraded to the level of the MiG-31B.
MiG-31BM
This aircraft made its first flight in 1999. It was a modernization of the interceptor into a multi-purpose aircraft. MiG-31BM received a new weapon control system "Barrier-M", which allowed the use of high-precision weapons. Due to the modernization of on-board radio electronics and new weapon systems, the efficiency of the MiG-31 compared to the MiG-31 has increased by two and a half times.
The detection range of air targets has been increased to 320 km, and the range of their destruction - up to 280 km. This is a very serious indicator. For comparison, the American F-14D Tomcat interceptor is capable of hitting air targets at a distance of no more than 180 km.
R-33S or R-37 missiles were placed in the ventral nodes, in addition, the MiG-31BM was armed with the most advanced medium-range missile RVV-AE (4 pcs). They left the old, but proven R-40TD.
In addition, the range of weapons was expanded with Kh-31P, Kh-25MP or Kh-25MPU anti-radar missiles (up to six units), X-31A anti-ship missiles (up to six), Kh-59 air-to-surface missiles and Kh-29T (up to three) or Kh-59M (up to two units), up to six KAB-1500 corrected air bombs or up to eight KAB-500 with television or laser guidance. The maximum payload weight is 9000 kg. Compared to 3000 kg and the MiG-31 - more than luxurious.
It is believed that the MiG-31BM is the only serial fighter in the world capable of intercepting and destroying cruise missiles with an efficiency of more than 90%.
It is planned to upgrade to the MiG-31BM level all the MiG-31 family aircraft in service and in reserve, with the exception of the MiG-31K.
LTH MiG-31BM
Wingspan, m: 13,46
Length, m: 22,67
Height, m: 6,10
Wing area, м2: 61,60
Weight, kg
- empty aircraft: 21 825
- normal takeoff: 42 400
- maximum take-off: 48 200
Engine type: 2 x D30F-6M with unforced thrust x 16500 kN
Maximum speed km / h
- at a height: 3 (000M)
- near the ground: 1 500
Practical range, km
- with PTB: 3 300
- without PTB: 2 500
Combat range, km
- without PTB at a speed of 1M: 720
- with PTB at a speed of 1M: 1
- with PTB with a speed of 1M: 1
- with one refueling at a speed of 1M: 2
Practical ceiling, m: 20 000
Crew, prs: 2
Armament:
- one 23-mm six-barreled gun GSh-6-23 (260 rounds) combat load - 9000 kg
- up to 6 long-range missiles R-33S or R-37,
- up to 4 medium-range missiles R-77 or RVV-AE,
- 2 UR R-40TD,
- 3 UR "air-to-surface" X-59 and X-29T or 2 X-59M
- 6 anti-ship missiles X-31A
- up to 6 anti-radar UR Kh-31P, Kh-25MP or Kh-25MPU
- up to 6 corrected air bombs KAB-1500 or up to 8 KAB-500 with television or laser guidance
MiG-31BSM
Modernization, which includes a new SUV, radar and upgraded on-board computer. This set of upgrades allows you to detect targets at a distance of up to 320 km, track up to 10 targets and fire at 6 targets at a distance of up to 280 km.
Changes are available in the cockpit. Multifunctional displays appeared, and a periscope and rear-view mirrors were installed in the cockpit to view the rear hemisphere.
The navigator received three displays to display tactical, navigational and radar information.
The boom and refueling equipment are missing.
MiG-31K
The latest upgrade of the MiG-31. This is a complex for the use of hypersonic aeroballistic missiles "Dagger".
The fighter received new on-board equipment, an increased fuel supply, and special communications equipment.
The X-47M2 "Dagger" missile has a significant weight (about 4 tons), which led to a shift in the center of gravity of the aircraft and required a special training program for pilots to take off with a suspended missile.
With the advent of the Kinzhal, the MiG-31K was retrained as a heavy strike aircraft, which actually serves as the first stage of the missile.
The MiG-31K lifts the Kh-47M2 to a height of about 25 km and accelerates it to a speed of 3 km/h. Further, the control system helps the crew to bring the aircraft to the optimal flight mode in terms of speed and altitude, and launches. After that, the loss of mass and the change in the center of gravity of the aircraft are compensated.
The flight performance of the MiG-31K has not changed compared to the MiG-31BM, with the exception of a set of weapons. When using the Kh-47M2, the suspension of other missiles becomes impossible, so the entire set of weapons of the MiG-31K consists of the GSh-23-6 gun and the Kh-47M2 missile.
For forty-five years this unsurpassed aircraft has been guarding the borders of our country. Quite a bit before the present anniversary. Strict and complex, but very effective and deadly, the aircraft has every chance to celebrate half a century of service with honor. Few aircraft can boast such a service life, especially the front line aircraft.
But we will talk about the prospects for the MiG-31 and RSK MiG in the next article. And the second part will be no less interesting, and perhaps even more so. After all, we are talking not so much about the future prospects for the development of an elderly aircraft, but about the survival and rescue of the "RSK MiG" thanks to the MiG-31.
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