From Defenders to Forwards: The MiG-31's Anniversary
Today we have an aircraft that is unique in many respects. And not even in terms of its performance characteristics, but in terms of its career. To go from defender to attacker like that—that's in stories aviation It didn't happen very often, and certainly not effectively. Perhaps the previous example would be the Su-7B, a fighter jet that was, to put it mildly, mediocre and unsuccessful in many respects. However, having switched to a bomber role, it not only served with gusto, but also gave birth to the very respectable Su-17, which served in our Air Force until 1998 and is still in service in other countries as the Su-22.
Something similar happened with the MiG-31, but it's hardly a failure. It's unique. And unique not because "it just happened that way," but because it was exactly the kind of aircraft the country needed.
In general, what did the Soviet Union need at that time?
The question is in the winged ones rockets, which began to firmly enter into common use. The new aircraft was created primarily to protect Soviet territory from cruise missile attacks from the Arctic, where there was no continuous radar coverage or airfield network.
A heavy loitering interceptor was needed, capable of detecting and engaging targets against the earth's surface in the altitude range from 100 m to 30 km using guided weapons.
The MiG-25 became the base model. An epochal aircraft, but not without its flaws. When the traitor Belenko stole a MiG-25 to Japan and the Americans studied the interceptor that had terrified the SR-71 Blackbird pilots, they were somewhat stunned by how such a fast aircraft was… a compromise, so to speak.
The MiG-25 was also a unique aircraft, created in defiance of many technical dogmas. It was designed by people who thought in terms of "if it's necessary, we'll do it," not "if it's possible." The rest of the world considered steel too heavy for a fighter, but Soviet engineers made it their primary material. When engines melted and couldn't handle their own power, they were forced to work using special alloys and titanium. Silicon transistors, delicate at the time, couldn't handle the stress and heat, so our engineers said, "To hell with them," and installed proven vacuum tubes. And with them, the MiG-25's radar "saw" further than many American counterparts.
And the result of the Mikoyan Design Bureau's extensive work was the MiG-25MP, now known worldwide as the MiG-31. You could say it's the next stage of development, but in essence, it's a completely different aircraft. In general, we're seeing a trend where modernization results in something truly incredible.
The MiG-31 is a completely new aircraft. New in its combat philosophy, aerodynamics, engines, and onboard equipment. And the external resemblance... The Su-35 also looks like the Su-27, so what?
The MiG-31's radical differences from the MiG-25 include its D-30F engines, targeting and navigation system, radar, and new-generation weapons. And finally, its two-person crew, with the navigator serving as the weapons operator.
The D-30F is a unique phenomenon in the world of engines. This engine is a modernized version of the one installed on the Tu-134 passenger jet. More precisely, a proven civil aviation engine served as the basis for the military engine. By upgrading the engines and adding an afterburner, thrust was increased from 6800 kgf in the original version to 15500 kgf with afterburner. However, the air intake cross-section had to be significantly enlarged compared to the MiG-25, as the D-30F consumed a much larger volume of air.
The speed of the MiG-31 became somewhat lower than that of the MiG-25, but the aircraft stopped guzzling fuel like crazy and became capable of “hovering” in a given area, making it suitable specifically for the role of a loitering interceptor.
Next up, we have the element that made the MiG-31 that exceptional aircraft. The SBI-16 "Zaslon" radar, the world's first phased-array radar installed on a production combat aircraft. This radar was developed for the Tu-148 heavy interceptor and the MiG-25PA interceptor.
The electronically scanned antenna was created at the Instrument-Making Research Institute, and the radar was developed at NPO Fazotron. The Zaslon system was a breakthrough at the time: it could simultaneously track up to ten airborne targets and simultaneously guide missiles with semi-active radar seekers to four of them, with the target's importance and priority determined automatically by the Argon-K onboard computer. Target detection range was up to 300 km.
The next important development was the availability of automated digital data transmission equipment RK-RLDN and APD-518. These systems could transmit information about detected targets to other aircraft or to ground control in real time, and the processor could compile data received from multiple Zaslon missiles into a single image.
In other words, the MiG-31 was already capable of serving as an AWACS aircraft back then. What capabilities the Zaslon-M offers to modern modifications remains anyone's guess.
Additionally, for covert interception, the MiG-31 is equipped with an infrared search and tracking system based on the 8TP thermal direction finder. The thermal direction finder is linked to the radar and provides target designation for R-40TD and R-60 IR-guided missiles. The maximum target detection range of the 8TP thermal direction finder in favorable conditions is 50 km.
Well weapon The equipment matched the weaponry. These included long-range R-33 missiles with a maximum range of 120 km. These were the longest-range missiles of the last century. Four missiles are mounted semi-recessed to the underside of the fuselage, and there are also underwing pylons—two under each wing. Eight missiles are more than enough to counter any threat.
Furthermore, missile launch could be controlled remotely from the ground. The Rubezh ground guidance station could use the MiG-31's weapons in director mode, providing target designation.
In the new century, the MiG-31 has undergone extensive modernization. The MiG-31BSM, which made its maiden flight in 2014, is a modification of the MiG-31BS to the MiG-31BM standard, which forms the core of the Russian Aerospace Forces' MiG-31 interceptor fleet.
Unlike the baseline MiG-31BS, the latest interceptor features a new combat control system, radar, and upgraded onboard computer, enabling it to detect targets at ranges of up to 320 km, track up to 10 targets, and engage six targets at ranges of up to 280 km. Naturally, it features multifunctional displays in the pilot and navigator cockpits, displaying tactical, navigational, and radar information.
And so, the interceptor, and not only the interceptor, turns exactly half a century old. The true lifespan of a combat aircraft is traditionally counted from the moment of its first successful flight. And exactly half a century ago, on September 16, 1975, Hero of the Soviet Union and test pilot Alexander Fedotov lifted the fourth-generation MiG-31 interceptor into the air from an airfield in Zhukovsky, near Moscow. From that moment on, the MiG-31's lifespan begins.
And the aircraft's life was a unique one. Its adversaries changed. At first, they were Tomahawk cruise missiles and B-1B Lancer supersonic bombers. Later, other targets emerged, but the MiG-31 long ago moved beyond being a "Tomahawk hunter."
The "Flying Headquarters," with its then-most powerful Zaslon radar, also helped guide other aircraft to their targets. Toward the end of the USSR, in 1985, RAC MiG developed the even more advanced MiG-31M, but it never went into production due to a complete lack of funding.
In 1994, the last MiG-31s were assembled using airframes built during the Soviet era. Today, these aircraft are being upgraded to the MiG-31BSM and MiG-31K.
But more sophisticated modifications could have been viable. The MiG-31 somehow refused to age, and the surviving military enthusiasts continually developed new modifications. While isolated individuals showered the MiG-31 with increasingly beautiful nicknames, such as "a clumsy legacy of the Soviet era," this clumsy legacy never tired of holding the title of the fastest aircraft in the world, and the 31's altitude performance was perfectly fine.
It was the combination of “speed and altitude” that gave rise to such variants as the satellite fighter with the “Kontakt” complex in the MiG-31D modification, and the complex for launching small satellites into orbit with the experimental version of the MiG-31I.
And, naturally, the MiG-31K. In 2018, the MiG Corporation launched a MiG-31K modification. Its distinctive feature is the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal/Izdeliye 9-A-7660 hypersonic aeroballistic missile for attacking ground targets. To operate the Kinzhal, the aircraft received a new avionics suite, increased fuel capacity, and specialized communications equipment.
The Kh-47M2 Kinzhal missile is quite heavy (around 4 tons), which resulted in a shift in the aircraft's center of gravity and required a special pilot training program for takeoff with the missile attached.
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 an altitude of approximately 25 km and accelerates it to a speed of 3,000 km/h. The control system then assists the crew in guiding the aircraft to the optimal flight mode in terms of speed and altitude and initiates launch. After this, the aircraft's mass loss and center of gravity are compensated for. All of this is handled automatically by the control system.
The MiG-31K's performance characteristics remain unchanged from the MiG-31BM, with the exception of its armament. When using the Kh-47M2, the attachment of other missiles becomes impossible, so the MiG-31K's entire armament consists of the GSh-23-6 cannon and the Kh-47M2 missile.
Overall, the MiG-31 hasn't changed all that much over the past 50 years. Yes, it has more powerful and fuel-efficient engines, more modern electronics, and longer-range missiles. This is the path all aircraft in the world follow, destined for a longer life than others.
Aviation publications around the world focused on other aircraft, with the F-15, F-16, F-22, Su-27, Su-35, and MiG-29 always at the forefront. The MiG-31 always seemed to play a backseat, a clumsy symbol of the Soviet era.
But who said a weapon must be beautiful and elegant? Oh yes, the beauty of a ceremonial sword with a silver- or gilded blade and jewels on the hilt is a beautiful weapon. Just like the modern gilded pistols of various princes and barons. But beauty is completely incompatible with effectiveness. This has been proven by conventional weapons.
The MiG-31 is a very common and quite effective weapon, used when necessary.
It would be very strange to see such an aircraft in service with any European country, whose territory the MiG-31 can cross in a leisurely half-hour flight. But in the vast expanses of the Russian North, where the 31st mostly served, or over the Pacific Ocean, from Kamchatka to Vladivostok, the MiG-31 looked quite normal and capable.
There are universal aircraft. There are highly specialized ones. And then there are simply good aircraft with great potential. The MiG-31 is one of them. A flying command post, an interceptor, a ground-attack missile carrier, a satellite killer—basically, anything your imagination can imagine, the MiG-31 can do.
The 1970s were a true renaissance of military engineering. In so many countries around the world, weapons that are still relevant today were created with such ease that it's simply astonishing. "Falcons," "Hawks," "Mirages," TanksTheir Abrams and Leopards, our T-72s—all from that era. And our Su-27s and MiG-31s, too.
So, half a century is certainly a long time, but not for a good weapon. That's why the MiG-31's transition from an interceptor/defender to a missile-carrying attacker happened so smoothly. Smoothly, of course, for us.
Of course, one shouldn't dwell on the MiG-31K; it's more of a testing ground for the Kinzhal, a missile that's easier to handle for more specialized aircraft like the Tu-160M or Tu-22M3M. And it must be said that combat testing has demonstrated the Kinzhal's suitability, and therefore the MiG-31 has also proven itself as a strike aircraft. However, first and foremost, the MiG-31 is the guardian of our country's airspace, and it is in this role that it is most valuable, as there is currently no aircraft in the world capable of even adequately escaping this interceptor.
Half a century ago, the teams of the Mikoyan Design Bureau and the Perm Engine Design Bureau, under the leadership of General Designer R. A. Belyakov, G. E. Lozino-Lozinsky, K. K. Vasilchenko, V. A. Arkhipov, A. A. Belosvet, E. K. Kostrubsky, and Chief Engine Designer P. A. Solovyov, created a true masterpiece. An aircraft that never ages, never loses its strength and capabilities, a true guardian of boundaries and peace.
Happy anniversary, MiG-31!
Information