Russian fighter MiG 31. MiG-31. Forty years old, normal flight. Combat use of the aircraft

The interceptor fighter is a fourth generation aircraft. The first flight of the MiG-31M took place on December 21, 1985. The aircraft has several modifications, the difference being in the choice power plant, weapons, on-board equipment. The design of the aircraft makes it possible to carry out modernization.

The crew consists of two people - a pilot and an operator.

Power plant: two two-circuit turbojet engines with afterburner TRDDF D-30F-6, thrust of each 9500 kg without afterburner and 15 500 kg with afterburner.

History of creation

The creation of the new interceptor-fighter MiG-31 began in the late 60s at the Design Bureau named after. Mikoyan. The chief designer at the first stages of aircraft design was A. A. Chumachenko. Later he was replaced in the position by G. E. Lozinsky. Having received a position in the development of Buran, Gleb Evgenievich was replaced by Konstantin Konstantinovich Vasilchenko.

During development, it was planned to significantly increase the aircraft's combat capabilities using the latest electronic equipment, such as phased passive array radar. The construction of the MiG-31 was carried out on the basis of the MiG-25 aircraft, but assumed a crew capacity of two people - a navigator and a pilot, the seats for which were located in the fighter in a “tandem” configuration. The first test flight of the new MiG-31 was made by test pilot A.V. Fedotov on September 16, 1975. Full tests of the fighter's running and combat capabilities began on May 22. 1976 and ended at the end of 1980.

The MiG-31 with R-33 class missiles was adopted on May 6, 1981.

The weapon control system of the MiG-31 aircraft is based on a pulse-Doppler radar with a passive phased array antenna. This aircraft became the first fighter on the planet equipped with PFAR, and remained the only production model from 1981 to 2000 until the Rafal entered service. The MiG-31 is the only interceptor capable of independently launching long-range missiles. The fighter is also capable of intercepting objects moving at speeds over 700 km/h.

IN chemical composition housing aircraft 50% steel, 33% aluminum alloys and 16% titanium.

MiG-31 engines

The aircraft is equipped with modular D-30F6 engines, developed on the basis of the civilian D-30, which was equipped in the Tu-134 (1967) with a nozzle and afterburner. The engine's afterburner uses the "fire track" fuel injection method. When testing engines, vibration combustion was noticed inside the afterburner. To eliminate the problem, a fifth combined manifold was installed. The engine is made of nickel, iron and titanium alloys. Dry engine weight – 2416 kg.

MiG-31 airborne radar system

The MiG-31 fighter is equipped with electronic warfare devices in the infrared and radar ranges. The aircraft is ready to perform combat missions with the support of automated ground digital system management (ASU "Rubezh"). The system can provide coordination support with target guidance and provision of coordinates simultaneously with 4 aircraft, while the distance between fighters can reach up to 200 km. The MiG-31 is a one-of-a-kind aircraft that can easily intercept low-flying small-sized cruise missiles. Such capabilities make the MiG-31 not an ordinary interceptor, but a permanent combat unit in service at Air Force and Air Defense headquarters.

Range of flight

The MiG-31 is equipped with four missiles and two drop tanks, dropping missiles halfway and drop tanks at the end of their depletion, and is capable of flying a distance of 3000 km in 3 hours 38 minutes.

Duration and range of flight with the secondary battery retracted, without drop tanks and missiles:

not including missiles, 2480 km – range, 2 hours 44 minutes. – duration;

4 missiles launched halfway, 2400 km - range, 2 hours 35 minutes. – duration;

4 missiles, 2240 km – range, 2 hours 26 minutes. – duration.

MiG-31 modifications

After the release of the first MiG-31, various modifications of the fighter were made:

MiG-31 B - a production aircraft equipped with an in-flight refueling system, which entered service in 1990;

Mig-31 BS - upgraded to MiG-31B, not including in-flight refueling boom;

MiG-31BM is a modernized model of 1998, a modern fighter designed specifically for the Russian Air Force. By 2020, it is planned to improve radar in terms of detecting a target range of up to 320 km and simultaneously tracking up to 10 aircraft;

MiG-31D is an experimental model that can carry 79M6 Kontakt anti-satellite missiles;

MiG-31I is a fighter that can launch small spacecraft;

MiG-31M - modernization of the 1993 aircraft with enhanced radar, avionics and weapons;

MiG-31F is a universal front-line fighter-interceptor designed to destroy ground targets (a radically new configuration);

MiG-31 FE - export model of the MiG-31BM fighter;

MiG-31E – export aircraft with lightweight avionics;

The MiG-31DZ is a production aircraft that is equipped with an in-flight refueling system (it differs from the MiG-31B in the location of the refueling boom and some differences in the cabin structure);

MiG-31BSM is a modernized fighter of 2014 based on the MiG-31BS without an in-flight refueling boom.

Operation of the MiG-31

The aircraft were first adopted for air defense service in 1980. And in 1981, their serial production began in Gorky. In the first series, 2 aircraft were produced, in the second - 3, in the third - 6. All were intended for flight testing. New fighter-interceptors entered air defense service in 1983. These models were stationed at military bases in Pravdinsk and Savaleisk. The MiG-31 replaced the outdated Tu-128 and Su-15.

New interceptors arrived at military bases in September 1984. Far East- O. Sakhalin (Sokol airfield).

Serial production of the MiG-31 ceased in 1994. During this time, more than 500 combat units were produced.

MiG-31 aircraft were used during the second Chechen war over the airspace of the Chechen Republic.

Currently, the MiG-31BM fighter-interceptors that are in service are being modernized; the first two rolled off the assembly line in 2008. In the same year, state flight tests of the modernized aircraft ended. According to the leadership of the country's Armed Forces, 60 Mig-31s are planned to be upgraded to the BM version, 40 to the DZ and BS modifications, 150 units. will be decommissioned.

In August 2014, after visiting an aircraft manufacturing plant in Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin received a proposal to resume production of the legendary fighter.

Accidents and disasters of the MiG-31

09/20/1979, Akhtubinsk airfield - engine fire due to fuel leak. The plane is completely destroyed. The crew, consisting of a pilot and navigator, ejected.

1984, Sokol airfield (Sakhalin) - two accidents. The first caused the death of the crew, during the second - a successful ejection at the airfield.

20.12. 1988, Semipalatinsk airfield - fire in the left engine and unsuccessful landing in difficult weather conditions. Death of the entire crew.

09/26/1990, Monchegorsk - disaster after takeoff with the death of the crew.

07/12/1996, Komsomolsky airfield - during landing of an aircraft with the engine turned off, a collision occurred with a ground navigation system. The pilot died during the ejection.

06/15/1996, Komsomolsky airfield - the death of the pilot due to loss of altitude control.

05/05/2000 – MiG-31 crash in the Arkhangelsk region.

05/01/2005, Tver region - MiG-31 left the runway and burned out as a result of a fire. The pilot and navigator survived.

02/16/2007, Kazakhstan - a fighter plane crash with a fatal outcome for its crew.

03/10/2010, Kotlas airfield (Arkhangelsk region) - the MiG-31 overturned during landing on the runway. The damage is estimated at 86 million rubles. The pilot and navigator received numerous injuries.

10/19/2010, Perm region - the aircraft went into a spin due to technical malfunctions. The crash site is 60 km northeast of the airfield. The crew successfully ejected.

09/06/2011, B. Savino airfield (Perm region) - a disaster a few minutes after takeoff. The crew was unable to save lives.

05/23/2013, Karaganda region. – a disaster during training flights, the cause of which is believed to be engine failure. The crew was able to eject.

On December 14, 2013, a MiG-31D3 crashed 26 km from Vladivostok. There were no casualties.

09/04/2014 – during training, the landing gear release system did not work. The pilot and navigator were seriously injured, but survived.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the MiG-31 long-range fighter-interceptor:

Wingspan, m 13.46

Aircraft length, m 22.69

Aircraft height, m ​​6.15

Wing area, m2 61.60

Take-off weight, maximum: without external fuel tanks, kg 41,000

Takeoff weight, maximum:with two hanging tanks, kg 45 500

Normal take-off weight, kg 36,800

Weight empty plane, kg 21 820

Mass of fuel in internal tanks, kg 15,500

Speed, maximum, km/h 3000 (2.83M)

Speed ​​at low altitude, km/h 1500

Cruising speed M=2.35

Practical ceiling, m 20 600

Flight range with external fuel tanks, km 3020

Ferry range with external fuel tanks, but without weapons, km 3300

Combat range with four guided missiles of the R-33 type (0.85M), 1200 km

Armament of the MiG-31:

four R-33 missiles;

up to six adjustable aerial bombs KAB-1500

up to eight KAB-500

Gun installation with a six-barreled gun GSh-6-23M (23 mm).

It is possible to use other weapons. The combat load is 9000 kg.

The long-range fighter-interceptor is the first Soviet fourth-generation fighter. The development of fighter options for replacement has been carried out since 1965. The project of a heavy interceptor with R-15BF-300 engines and the Smerch-100 radar, armed with missiles, was studied. Since 1966, the development of a project for a two-seat multipurpose aircraft E-155M - a prototype of the MiG-31 - began. In 1968, TsAGI recommendations were issued for the new aircraft. In 1972, tactical and technical requirements were formulated with an emphasis on increasing the interceptor's flight range and loitering duration. One of the aircraft variants was supposed to be equipped with a variable geometry wing with two RD-36-41M engines developed by OKB-36 MAP ( chief designer- P.A. Kolesov). After posing demands for the possibility of conducting semi-autonomous actions to intercept targets in the absence of a continuous radar field, in 1972 it was developed preliminary design E-155MP interceptor. General designer - R.A. Belyakov. Until 1976, the chief designer of the E-155M was G.E. Lozino-Lozinsky, besides him the group of main developers included V.A. Arkhipov, K.K. Vasilchenko and A.A. Belosvet. From 1978 to 1985, the chief designer was K.K. Vasilchenko, later - A.A. Belosvet and E.K. Kostrubsky.

The aircraft has a supersonic cruising speed, is one of the few carriers of long-range air-to-air missiles, and is capable of intercepting low-altitude, small-sized targets such as cruise missiles. Until 2000, the MiG-31 was the only serial fighter in the world equipped with a phased array radar.

Design- the aircraft is made according to a normal aerodynamic configuration, with a trapezoidal wing, a two-fin vertical and all-moving differential horizontal tail, two engines in the rear fuselage and a tricycle retractable landing gear. The design is close. The airframe is made of aluminum alloys with operating temperature up to 150 degrees C (up to 33% of the structure), high kinetic heating zones at high supersonic speeds are made of titanium (16% of the structure) and stainless steels (50% of the structure).

MiG-31B board No. 09 blue without engines. Perm / Bolshoye Savino, 07/07/2012 (photo - Andrey Nogin, http://russianplanes.net/id80874).

In the foreground, the MiG-31DZ refueling boom is in the folded position. The photo was taken during a surprise check of the Air Force’s combat readiness at the Pemba training ground near Vorkuta, May 2013 (photo - Alexey Reznichenko, http://lelik1970.livejournal.com/).

Front landing gear of the MiG-31B board No. 37 red serial No. 38400171186, Lipetsk, 09.09.2009 (photo - Alexey Koval, http://russianplanes.net/id67945).

MiG-31 front landing gear (photo - ABL22, ).

The main landing gear of the MiG-31 is to the right in the direction of flight (photo - ABL22,).

Engines- 2 x TRDDF (double-circuit turbojet engines with afterburner) D-30F-6. The engines were developed by the Perm Engine Design Bureau under the leadership of P.A. Solovyov. Engines of this model were installed on MiG-31 aircraft starting with the E-155MP prototypes. The development of the D-30F-6 engines was carried out on a prototype aircraft (1975-1976).

The engine consists of seven modules:
- low pressure compressor - 5 stages, air compression ratio - 5, bypass ratio - 0.57;
- compressor high pressure- 10 stages, air compression ratio - 7.05, total pressure increase - 21.15;
- tubular-annular combustion chamber with 12 flame tubes;
- high-pressure turbine - 2 stages, air is taken for cooling the blades from the 5th and 10th stages of the compressor;
- low pressure turbine - 2 stages;
- afterburner - 4 ring flame stabilizers, ignition using the "fire path" method;
- multi-leaf all-mode cooled nozzle with variable outlet cross-sectional area, the control system includes 18 cylinders;

The engine is started using an auxiliary gas turbine engine located above the turbofan engine.

Engine performance characteristics:
Traction:
- at maximum - 9270 kg (9500 kg according to other data)
- at full afterburner - up to 15510 kg
Dry engine weight - 2416 / 2420 kg
Specific fuel consumption:
- 0.72 kg/kgf per hour (non-afterburning take-off mode)
- 1.9 kg/kgf per hour (cruising afterburner)

Aircraft performance characteristics:
Crew - 2 people (pilot and navigator-weapon systems operator)

Length - 22.688 m (with LDPE)
- 20.62 m (without LDPE)
Wingspan - 13.464 m
Leading edge sweep - 41 degrees.
Stabilizer span - 8.74 m
Height - 6.15 m
Wing area - 61.6 sq.m
Stabilizer area:
- 10.12 sq.m (E-155MP)
- 9.8 sq.m (MiG-31)
The camber angle of the vertical tail is 8 degrees
The camber angle of the ventral ridges is 12 degrees

Maximum weight:
- 46200 kg (with 2 x PTB, 45500 kg according to other data)
- 41000 kg (with full refueling, without PTB)
- 46835 kg (MiG-31BM)
Normal weight - 36800 kg
Empty weight - 20500-21825 kg (according to various sources)
Fuel weight:
- 16350 kg (19500 l)
- 15500 kg (according to other data)
Payload weight:
- up to 5000 kg (up to 4000 kg according to other data)
- 3000 kg (MiG-31BM)

Maximum speed:
- 1500 km/h (at the ground)
- 3000 km/h (2.83 M at an altitude of 17500 m)
- 3000 km/h (MiG-31BM)
Cruising speed:
- 2550 km/h (2.35 M, at altitude, E-155MP)
- 2550 km/h (2.35 M, at altitude)
- 0.85 M (subsonic cruising)
Landing speed - 280 km/h
Rate of climb - altitude 20,000 m in 7.9 minutes

Range - 3300 km (ferry without missiles with PTB)
- 3020 km (according to other data from the PTB)
- 2150-2500 km (without PTB)
- 2300 km (practical, MiG-31BM)
Combat range:
- 700 km (at cruising speed 2.35 M without PTB, E-155MP)
- 1200 km (at cruising speed<1 М без ПТБ, Е-155МП)
- 720 km (at cruising speed 2.35 M without PTB)
- 1200 km (at cruising speed 0.85 M without PTB)
- 1400 km (at cruising speed 0.85 M with PTB)
- 2200 km (at cruising speed 0.85 M with one refueling)
Ceiling - up to 30,000 m (dynamic)
- 20600 m (practical)
- 20000 m (practical, MiG-31BM)

Maximum operational overload - 5 G (all modifications)
Flight duration:
- 3.6 hours (with PTB)
- 6-7 hours (with refueling, MiG-31B and other modifications with a refueling system)
Takeoff run - 950-1200 m
Mileage - 800 m

Armament- suspended - on 4 hardpoints under the fuselage and 4 under the wing:

Artillery - built on the starboard side in the lower part of the fuselage behind the wing, a 23 mm six-barreled gun GSh-6-23M with an ammunition load of 260 shells; the gun is installed starting with pre-production MiG-31 / “product 01” aircraft, incl. on the MiG-31BM.

Air-to-air missiles:
- MiG-31 / MiG-31B / MiG-31BS - 4 missiles are installed under the fuselage in a semi-recessed position on ejection launchers AKU-410, 2 missiles can be suspended on the internal underwing units or 2 missiles can be suspended on the APU-60-II suspension unit ( total - 4 missiles); Starting with the modification of the MiG-31B, modified missiles can be used and missiles can be used under the wing. The missile equipment was tested on the LL based on the MiG-21 (1970), as well as on the Tu-104LL with the Zaslon radar (including missile launches, 1973-1975), ejection launch system missiles tested on a prototype aircraft (1973).

MiG-31DZ (presumably) board No. 06 is red with a typical suspension of R-33 and R-60M missiles, Baltimore / Voronezh airbase, August 2012 (photo - Ivan Vukadinov, http://russianplanes.net/id85004).

Suspension of R-33 / AA-9 AMOS missiles under the fuselage of the MiG-31, board No. 36, June 2007 (photo ABL22, ).

MiG-31BM board No. 27 red with two R-33 missiles under the fuselage and two R-73 under the wing, August 2012 (photo - Kirill M, http://russianplanes.net/id86742).

MiG-31BM - 02/13/2012 Air Force Commander-in-Chief A. Zelin stated that a new long-range missile for MiG-31BM aircraft is at the final stage of testing. The missile will be put into service in the near future. Apparently, we are talking about rockets. In addition, according to a poster at the aviation equipment exhibition in Kubinka on April 2, 2009, the aircraft’s armament complex includes missiles, and (before replacement with the K-37M). The design of the pylons has been changed; the use of R-40 type missiles is not expected.

Underwing pylons of the MiG-31BM board No. 21 red, Shagol airbase, Chelyabinsk, March 30, 2012.
(photo - photo ilius, http://photo-ilius.livejournal.com).

Kh-58 missile on an APU-58 launcher under the wing of the strike version of the MiG-31. One of the MAKS air shows, late 1990s - early 2000s (http://militaryphotos.net).

Sketch of the proposed project for deploying the Yakhont / BrahMos anti-ship missile system on the MiG-31, early 2000s (http://lib.ec).

Equipment:
The Zaslon weapons control system includes a phased array radar, an 8TK heat direction finder, a PPI-70V sighting and flight indicator and a 035M-7 (623-2) state identification interrogator.

Pulse-Doppler radar with phased array RP-31 / N007 / SBI-16 / Radar-8B "Zaslon" - FLASH DANCE - at the stage of the E-155PA project it was planned to use the Smerch-100 radar (1965). Later, development of the radar began under the E-155M project under the leadership of B.I. Sapsovich. Since 1968, the creation of the Zaslon radar has been carried out by the Instrument Engineering Research Institute (later renamed to NPO Phazotron), the scientific and technical supervisor of the work is V.K. Grishin (later general designer of NPO Phazotron). The chief designer of the radar complex was A.I. Fedotchenko, perhaps later - Yu. Guskov. During the development process, 7 versions of phased array radar were built and tested. The radar includes:
- antenna with electronic beam deflection system;
- transmitting device;
- receiving device;
- master block with synchronization system;
- interface system with on-board equipment;
- digital computing system;
- objective control system;

Wavelength range - S (according to NATO classification, approx. 3 cm), X (according to domestic data)
Antenna diameter - 1.1 m.
Weight of the control system - 1495 kg
Detection range of air targets
- in the front hemisphere 200-320 km
- on a collision course 150-200 km (RCS 19 sq.m)
- aircraft with EPR 5 sq.m - 180 km
- in the rear hemisphere - 90-150 km
- in the rear hemisphere - 60 km (RCS 19 sq.m)
- F-16 type targets - 120 km
- B-1B type targets - 200 km
Target tracking range in the forward hemisphere:
- bombers - 150-200 km
- fighters (EPR approx. 2 sq.m) - 90 km
Target tracking range in the rear hemisphere:
- bombers - 120 km
- fighters - 70 km
Radar coverage sector (detection and tracking):
- detection in azimuth sector 160 degrees. (+-45 degrees with movement +-35 degrees)
- azimuth tracking sector 140 degrees
- vertically - from -60 to +70 degrees,
From an altitude of 6000 m, a target with an EPR of 1 sq.m flying at an altitude of 60 m is captured at a distance of 20 km, can simultaneously track up to 10 targets, while in automatic mode it allows you to attack up to 4 targets from the tracked ones. The selection of targets for firing is carried out by the Argon-15 on-board computer. All modes operate in the entire radar viewing sector (unlike the American F-14).

Radar station "Zaslon" (Weapons of Russia. M., Military Parade, 1997).

Testing of the Zaslon radar was carried out on two Tu-104 flying laboratories - on the first aircraft, in the spring of 1973, phased array control and the processes of searching and detecting targets were tested; on the second aircraft, from the fall of 1975, specific technical issues were initially worked out (for example, target acquisition with subsequent discrete tracking), and later the operation of the radar control system as a whole. The operation of the complex was also tested with launches of R-33 missiles from under the Tu-104LL.

A prototype of the B1.01 radar with a phased antenna array (PAA) "Zaslon" was first installed on the second prototype of the E-155MP / product "83/2" aircraft (aircraft No. 832), which made its first flight in 1976. Despite testing On Tu-104LL aircraft, the placement of the radar complex on the E-155MP was associated with a number of problems and required lengthy work to fine-tune the radar.

On February 15, 1978, one of the experimental MiG-31s ​​at the training ground in Akhtubinsk for the first time carried out the simultaneous detection and tracking of 10 air targets. It was necessary to re-equip the training ground to ensure a distance of 200 km between the fighter and the targets when putting them on a collision course. During the tests, radar target tracking was also studied at a minimum range of less than 1 km. In 1977, prototypes of the 8TK heat direction finder were submitted for bench testing; tests were completed in 1980.

Radio imaging and control equipment "Raduga-Bort-MB" complex RK-RLDN / 5U15K11 - provides reception and decoding of request signals from ground stations SAZO, reception of target information from ground-based automated control systems "Rubezh-M", "Luch-2", " Vozdukh-M1" using the Lazur-M and Raduka-SPK radio links. From the Raduga-Board equipment, information goes to the SAU-155MP, the Argon-15 on-board computer of the Zaslon complex and to the PPI-70V sighting and flight indicator.

The data transmission equipment in a group of APD-518 aircraft has the ability to automatically target other aircraft (followers, for example, MiG-23MLD, MiG-29, Su-27) and operate in mini-AWACS mode as part of a group of up to 4 MiGs. 31 remote from each other at distances of up to 200 km (radar control of a front up to 800-900 km wide). Target distribution is carried out by the presenter, information is transmitted using Radical-PD equipment. Principles of information transfer:
- from the leader to the followers;
- from followers to the leader;
- from the leader of one group to the leader of another group of aircraft" (up to 4 leaders in the exchange of information)
- from the leader to ground-based automated control systems;

The location of radio devices in the nose on the right side of the MiG-31BM board number 22 red, Shagol airbase, Chelyabinsk, March 30, 2012 (photo - photo ilius, http://photo-ilius.livejournal.com).

The container for the braking parachute after the parachute has been shot, the cannon is visible above the right landing gear. MiG-31BM board No. 27 blue, 2011 (photo - Ilya Remeskov, http://russianplanes.net).

- MiG-31 (product "01")- aircraft of the installation series produced by the Gorky aircraft plant "Falcon". The first installation series - aircraft with aircraft numbers 011 and 012 were released in the summer of 1977. The first flight on aircraft No. 011 was made on July 13, 1977, on aircraft No. 012 - on June 30, 1977. The second installation series was also released (aircraft No. 201 in 1977, board No. 202 and 203 in 1978) and the third (1978 - board No. 301, 302 and 303). aircraft took part in joint state tests of the interception system. Pre-production aircraft No. 305 is equipped for the first time with standard K-36DM ejection seats. The PTB suspension was tested on board number 202.

The first aircraft of the first installation series MiG-31 produced by the Gorky Aviation Plant, board No. 011 (http://www.testpilots.ru)

The second aircraft of the second installation series MiG-31 produced by the Gorky Aviation Plant, board No. 202 (http://www.testpilots.ru).

MiG-31 board No. 202 blue at the Air Force Museum in Monino, 2008 (http://militaryphotos.net).

- MiG-31 (serial number 0503)- MiG-31, modified by the Nizhny Novgorod Aviation Plant on its own initiative. The airframe design and other systems have been modernized. The main goal of modernization is to improve the production technology and manufacturability of aircraft maintenance. The fuel automation system has been changed. The aircraft later participated in a testing program.

MiG-31DZ board No. 12 blue, Shagol airbase, Chelyabinsk, March 31, 2012 (photo - Andryukhin, http://russianplanes.net).

MiG-31DZ board No. 19 blue, Shagol airbase, Chelyabinsk, March 31, 2012 (photo - Andryukhin, http://russianplanes.net).

MiG-31B board No. 07 red, 790th IAP, Khotilovo airbase, 04/15/2011 (photo - Vitaly Kuzmin, http://vitalykuzmin.net).

MiG-31B board No. 56 red with IAP symbols on the fuselage, 790th IAP, Khotilovo airbase, 04/15/2011 (photo - Vitaly Kuzmin, http://vitalykuzmin.net).

- MiG-31E- export modification of the MiG-31, prototype (board No. 903) was created in the early 1990s on the basis of the serial MiG-31 (serial number 38401208786). First shown in public in June 1992 (Berlin, ILA-1992). As of 1995, testing and preparation for serial production are underway in Nizhny Novgorod. Shown at the MAKS-1999 air show in Moscow. The radar is a simplified version of the Zaslon, the equipment for transmitting data to other aircraft is retained, the missiles are R-33 and others from the MiG-31 armament. According to unconfirmed reports, some MiG-31E vehicles have been delivered to Russian Air Force units. There were no export supplies (wrong trade policy, embargo on the supply of equipment to Iraq).

- MiG-31FE- export modification of the MiG-31F, as of 1995, testing and preparation for serial production are underway in Nizhny Novgorod, the radar is a simplified version of the Zaslon, missiles - R-33 and others from the MiG-31 armament, the aircraft has the ability striking ground targets;

- MiG-31BM (product "01BM")- multi-role fighter, interceptor, strike aircraft (at the first stage of creating the modification, the strike function was later abandoned). Probably the prototypes of the MiG-31BM are aircraft with tail numbers No. 58 blue (1998) and No. 59 black (no later than 2006). The aircraft is equipped with an improved weapons control system with an increased target detection range (). As of 2006, testing of the modernized version of the MiG-31B was entering its final stage. On August 1, 2011, a contract was concluded between the Nizhny Novgorod Sokol aircraft plant and the Russian Ministry of Defense for the repair and modernization to the level of the MiG-31BM (product 01BM) of 60 MiG-31 aircraft (product 01) - (). By 2020, the Russian Air Force should receive 60 MiG-31BM aircraft (through the modernization of the MiG-31B). According to the terms of the contract, in 2011 the first 10 MiG-31BMs were supposed to be delivered from the factory to the Air Force, but in fact 4 MiG-31BMs were delivered on December 14, 2011, 1 MiG-31BM on December 28, 2011, and 5 more aircraft were transferred Air Force in June 2012 (). Also in February 2012, the Air Force announced plans to rearm the MiG-31BM with new generation weapons (air-to-air missiles). In the fall of 2014, a second contract was signed for the supply of MiG-31BM aircraft after modernization at the Sokol aircraft plant with a delivery period until 2018. The total number of MiG-31BM aircraft under this contract is more than 50 units. On April 9, 2015, Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia Yuri Borisov stated that 24 MiG-31BMs have already entered the Russian Air Force, and in total more than 130 aircraft are planned to be delivered. It is planned to maintain a modernization rate of 12-13 aircraft per year ().

Presumably the MiG-31BM prototype board No. 59 is black (Vzlet. No. 1-2 / 2007).

MiG-31BM board No. 01 blue at Tolmachevo airport, Novosibirsk, 01/27/2011 (photo by Nikolay Enin, http://russianplanes.net).

Visual differences between the MiG-31DZ and MiG-31BM (sides No. 19 blue and 22 red), Shagol airbase, Chelyabinsk, March 30, 2012 (photo - photo ilius, http://photo-ilius.livejournal.com).

MiG-31 board No. 05 blue "Sergey Safronov", March 2012 (photo - Kirill Naumenko, http://russianplanes.net).

MiG-31BM board No. 19 blue at Tolmachevo airport, Novosibirsk, 02/03/2011 (photo by Nikolay Enin, http://russianplanes.net)

Status: USSR / Russia

Register of MiG-31 aircraft at work. Posted in a separate article -.

1984 March 08 - a pair of MiG-31s ​​of the 365th IAP (Far East) forced the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft to terminate the mission and return to its base from international waters.

1985 - about 100 MiG-31s ​​in service;

1985 - foreign intelligence agent Adolf Tolkachev was exposed in Moscow, who transmitted information about the MiG-29 and MiG-31 weapons control systems to the West. The damage caused by Tolkachev is considered more serious than the damage caused by the hijacking of the MiG-25 to Japan by Captain Belenko. The disclosure of the leak necessitated the modernization of the MiG-31 and accelerated the emergence of the MiG-31B.

1986 - 150-160 units in service;

1987 May 27 - the MiG-31 crew of the 72nd Guards IAP, consisting of Guards Captain Yu.N. Moiseev and Guards Captain O.A. Krasnov, in the Arctic, pushed back the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft over neutral waters it is far from the borders of the USSR.

1991 - more than 200 units were produced. MiG-31; The MiG-31 is in service with the following aviation units:
- 148th center for combat training and retraining of air defense personnel (Savastleyka);
- 153rd IAP (Morshansk, Moscow Air Defense District);
- 180th IAP (Gromovo, 6th Air Defense Army);
- 174th Guards Pechenga Red-designated IAP named after B. Safonov (Monchegorsk, 10th Air Defense Army);
- 72nd Guards Polotsk IAP (Amderma, 10th Air Defense Army);
- 518th Berlin IAP (Talagi, 10th Air Defense Army);
- 786th IAP (Pravdinsk);

1993 May - exercises of air defense units were conducted with in-flight refueling of MiG-31 (for the first time); according to official data in the Air Force:
- front-line (tactical) fighters - 30 pcs.;
- air defense interceptor fighters - 300 pcs.;

1994 - over the entire period, approximately 500 MiG-31s ​​of various modifications were built;

2000 end of the year - the Russian Air Force has more than 350 MiG-31s, incl. 220 units in the European part of the country. The modification of the MiG-31 and MiG-31D3 according to the MiG-31B standard continues.

2010 November 19 - MiG-31 board No. 18 blue, performing a training flight, crashed in the Perm region. The pilots ejected. The presumptive cause of the disaster is that the plane stalled in a tailspin. The plane crashed 60 kilometers from the Bolshoye Savino airfield. After this MiG-31 crash, a temporary ban on MiG-31 flights was introduced in Russia, which was in effect until mid-December 2010.

- 2011 January 27 - MiG-31BM aircraft(s) in transit visited the Tolmachevo airport in Novosibirsk. According to unconfirmed information, 4 MiG-31BMs, after repairs and modernization, were transported from the aircraft repair plant in Rzhev to the Far East.

February 3, 2011 - MiG-31BM aircraft transited through Novosibirsk. According to unconfirmed reports, 3 planes passed through the Tolmachevo airport in Novosibirsk, one of which was plane No. 19, blue. According to unconfirmed information, the MiG-31BM, after repair and modernization, was transported from the aircraft repair plant in Rzhev to the Far East.

2011 April 15 - as part of the 790th Fighter Order of Kutuzov III degree aviation regiment (old name) - new name - Aviation group of the 7000th Guards Borisov Pomeranian twice Red Banner Order of Suvorov III degree aviation base (Voronezh), located at Khotilovo airbase two MiG-31B squadrons in service.

- 2011 August 1 - contract R/4/1/2-11-DOGOZ was concluded between the Nizhny Novgorod Sokol aircraft plant and the Russian Ministry of Defense for repairs and modernization to the level of the MiG-31BM (product 01BM) of 60 MiG-31 aircraft (product 01) - (). Modernization should take place in 2011-2018.

2011 September 6 - in the crash of a MiG-31 taking off from the Bolshoye Savino airfield (Perm) in the Perm region near the village of Bolgars, 2 pilots were killed - Colonel Stolpyansky and Major Gorbachev (lenta.ru).

2011 November 25 - plans to upgrade 10 aircraft to the MiG-31BM in 2012 were announced in the media.

2011 December 14 - under the contract dated 08/01/2011 (for 60 MiG-31BM), the Sokol aircraft plant transferred 4 MiG-31BM to the Air Force. Another MiG-31BM was transferred to the Air Force on December 28, 2011 ().

2011 December 30 - the media stated that by 2020, 60 MiG-31B aircraft will go through the modernization program to the MiG-31BM level - the contract for modernization was concluded with the UAC in 2011. According to media reports, they are now in service with the Russian Air Force There are 137 or 146 MiG-31s, and about 100 MiG-31s ​​are in reserve.

2012 June 18 - the media stated that during 2012, about 10 MiG-31BM will arrive in the Air Force of the Central Military District. The link is given to the statement of the commander of the 2nd Air Force and Air Defense Command of the Central Military District, Major General Viktor Sevostyanov.

2012 June 19 - the press center of the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that within the framework of the 2011 State Defense Order, 15 MiG-31BM were delivered to the air defense and 10 MiG-31BM are expected to be delivered in 2012 (http://military-press.livejournal. com/573886.html). Data for 2011 are not confirmed from other sources.

June 2011 - 5 more aircraft under the State Defense Order 2011 not delivered to the Air Force in 2011 were transferred to the Air Force (). Thus, the information about 15 aircraft transferred under the State Defense Order 2011 is most likely inaccurate.

2012 September 25 - citing a source in the Ministry of Defense, Izvestia reports that by the end of 2013 it is planned to deploy a group of MiG-31 supersonic fighter-interceptors at the Rogachevo airfield on Novaya Zemlya. According to unconfirmed data, the Russian Air Force currently has about 100 flying MiG-31s ​​().

January 9, 2013 - The Russian Ministry of Defense reports that the air group of the Kansk airbase has been completely re-equipped with MiG-31BM aircraft (). Presumably, the air group includes at least 12 MiG-31BMs. During 2013, it is planned to re-equip the air group at the Bolshoye Savino airbase (Perm Territory) with the MiG-31BM.

2013 January 25 - 3 MiG-31Bs arrived from the Rzhev Repair Plant at the Bolshoye Savino airbase (Perm), and MiG-31BMs will begin arriving during 2013 ().

Spring 2013 - The Ministry of Defense announced that 2 MiG-31BMs began combat duty at the Monchegorsk airbase in the Murmansk region.

October 28, 2013 - The Ministry of Defense reports that specialists from the Western Military District have begun receiving two modernized MiG-31BM fighter-interceptors at the manufacturing plant.

November 7, 2013 - The Ministry of Defense reports that 2 MiG-31BMs began combat duty at the Khotilovo airbase (Tver) in the Western Military District. By the end of this year, a modern training complex UTK-31BM will also appear at the air base, designed to train young pilots for this type of aircraft. The simulator completely simulates the cockpit and control systems of a modernized fighter and allows pilots to practice on the ground take-off, landing, maneuvering in the air, the use of aircraft weapons against air targets, as well as the procedure for action in any emergency situations.

Receipts of the MiG-31BM in the Russian Air Force (presumably as of November 2012)*:
*italics speculative data highlighted

Basing MiG-31

Export:
Algeria - 2007 - negotiations are underway.

Israel - 1992 - offered for delivery;

India - 1995 - negotiations are underway on the supply of MiG-31E;

Iraq - 1990 - negotiations were held on the supply of at least 4 aircraft, Iraqi pilots were trained; Due to the embargo on the supply of military equipment, deliveries did not take place.

Iran:
- July 1992 - unconfirmed data on negotiations on the supply of 24 pieces;
- December 1992 - “Moscow News - Business”, according to the weekly “Business Week” (USA), reports the delivery of the MiG-31 to Iran, the information was later not confirmed;

Kazakhstan:
- 1991 - in service with the Air Force (several dozen aircraft).
- 2000 end of the year - the Air Force has about 30 units, incl. MiG-31B.
- 2010 - in service.

China:
- 1992 May-August - the first stage of negotiations on the supply of 24 pcs.
- November 1992 - it was planned to sign a supply contract, according to unconfirmed reports, deliveries began;
- 2000 - no data on deliveries.

Libya - 2007 - negotiations are underway.

Syria - 2007 - negotiations are underway on the supply of 8 MiG-31E. By May 2009, negotiations ended under Israeli pressure.

Sources:
Aviation - astronautics. Issue 5 / 1995
Belikov V., Soviet interceptor in the skies of Paris. // News. 05/31/1991
Bolotin A., Among the clairvoyants - MiG. // Wings of the Motherland. N 10 / 1991
Drogovoz I.G. Air shield of the Country of Soviets. Minsk, Harvest, 2003
News. 06/22/1991
Ilyin V.E. "English hound" with red stars. // Wings of the Motherland. N 2, 3 / 1993
Ilyin V.E. The fastest fighters are the MiG-25 and MiG-31. M., Astrel, AST, 2002
Kulmin V. 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment, Khotilovo Air Base - photo report. Website http://vitalykuzmin.net, 2011
Lenta.ru. 2012
Litovkin V., Without “invisibility” the salon is like VDNKh. // News. 08/14/1997
Manushkin A., MiG-31: course for Paris. // A red star. 06/01/1991
Nadezhdin A., MiG-31: speculation and facts. // Aviation and astronautics. N 6 / 1991
Real supersonic. Website http://www.testpilot.ru, 2010
Novichkov N., Le Bourget. Experience and lessons. // Echo of the planet. N 32 / 1991
Poster with performance characteristics of the MiG-31BM aircraft at the military equipment exhibition in Kubinka on April 2, 2009. Website http://pilot.strizhi.info.
Ruzhitsky E., Thieves of the exhibition. // Wings of the Motherland. N 10 / 1991
Skladchikov D., Soviet fighters continue to attack the international market. // Kommersant. November 1990
Skrynnikov S., Le Bourget-91. // Aviation and astronautics. N 9 / 1991
Soviet armed forces. Tomsk 1988
"Falcon" gains altitude. // Take off. No. 1-2 / 2007
Sofronov I., MiG-31. // Military knowledge. N 6 / 1991
Stukanov E., archive, 1990
Egenburg L., In the air - MiG-31! // Technology for youth. N 5 / 1991
Encyclopaedia of modern world aircraft armament. Christopher Chant. 1988. England.
RussianPlanes.net. Website http://russianplanes.net/, 2011
World armament & disarmament 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1981. SIPRI yearbook. Stocholm. Sweden.

The newest best military aircraft of the Russian Air Force and the world photos, pictures, videos about the value of a fighter aircraft as a combat weapon capable of ensuring “superiority in the air” was recognized by the military circles of all states by the spring of 1916. This required the creation of a special combat aircraft superior to all others in speed, maneuverability, altitude and the use of offensive small arms. In November 1915, Nieuport II Webe biplanes arrived at the front. This was the first aircraft built in France that was intended for air combat.

The most modern domestic military aircraft in Russia and the world owe their appearance to the popularization and development of aviation in Russia, which was facilitated by the flights of Russian pilots M. Efimov, N. Popov, G. Alekhnovich, A. Shiukov, B. Rossiysky, S. Utochkin. The first domestic cars of designers J. Gakkel, I. Sikorsky, D. Grigorovich, V. Slesarev, I. Steglau began to appear. In 1913, the Russian Knight heavy aircraft made its first flight. But one cannot help but recall the first creator of the aircraft in the world - Captain 1st Rank Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaisky.

Soviet military aircraft of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War sought to hit enemy troops, their communications and other targets in the rear with air strikes, which led to the creation of bomber aircraft capable of carrying a large bomb load over considerable distances. The variety of combat missions to bomb enemy forces in the tactical and operational depth of the fronts led to the understanding of the fact that their implementation must be commensurate with the tactical and technical capabilities of a particular aircraft. Therefore, the design teams had to resolve the issue of specialization of bomber aircraft, which led to the emergence of several classes of these machines.

Types and classification, latest models of military aircraft in Russia and the world. It was obvious that it would take time to create a specialized fighter aircraft, so the first step in this direction was an attempt to arm existing aircraft with small offensive weapons. Mobile machine gun mounts, which began to be equipped with aircraft, required excessive efforts from pilots, since controlling the machine in maneuverable combat and simultaneously firing from unstable weapons reduced the effectiveness of shooting. The use of a two-seater aircraft as a fighter, where one of the crew members served as a gunner, also created certain problems, because the increase in weight and drag of the machine led to a decrease in its flight qualities.

What types of planes are there? In our years, aviation has made a big qualitative leap, expressed in a significant increase in flight speed. This was facilitated by progress in the field of aerodynamics, the creation of new, more powerful engines, structural materials, and electronic equipment. computerization of calculation methods, etc. Supersonic speeds have become the main flight modes of fighter aircraft. However, the race for speed also had its negative sides - the takeoff and landing characteristics and maneuverability of the aircraft sharply deteriorated. During these years, the level of aircraft construction reached such a level that it became possible to begin creating aircraft with variable sweep wings.

For Russian combat aircraft, in order to further increase the flight speeds of jet fighters exceeding the speed of sound, it was necessary to increase their power supply, increase the specific characteristics of turbojet engines, and also improve the aerodynamic shape of the aircraft. For this purpose, engines with an axial compressor were developed, which had smaller frontal dimensions, higher efficiency and better weight characteristics. To significantly increase thrust, and therefore flight speed, afterburners were introduced into the engine design. Improving the aerodynamic shapes of aircraft consisted of using wings and tail surfaces with large sweep angles (in the transition to thin delta wings), as well as supersonic air intakes.

And it is an all-metal high-wing aircraft made according to a normal aerodynamic design, with a trapezoidal wing, a two-fin vertical and all-moving horizontal tail, two engines in the rear fuselage and a tricycle retractable landing gear.
The MiG-31 airframe is made of aluminum alloys with operating temperatures up to 150º, and high kinetic heating zones at high supersonic speeds are made of titanium and stainless steels. Due to this, the weight of the airframe was reduced

Maximum operational overload - 5g.
The radar compartment is located in the forward part of the fuselage. The crew - the pilot and the weapon system operator - are accommodated in a two-seat sealed cabin on K-36DM ejection seats in a tandem configuration. The canopy of the cockpit has two flaps that fold up and back. On MiG-31B aircraft, an extendable fuel refueling rod is located on the left in front of the cockpit. On the lower surface of the fuselage in front of the niches of the main landing gear there are brake flaps, which simultaneously serve as landing gear doors. They can even be fired at supersonic speeds.
The three-spar low aspect ratio wing has a sweep angle along the leading edge of 41º. An aerodynamic ridge is installed on the upper surface of each wing console. The trailing edge of the wing is equipped with slotted flaps and ailerons, the leading edge is equipped with a deflectable 4-section sock. The consoles of the all-moving horizontal tail can be deflected both synchronously (for pitch control) and differentially (for roll control). The two-fin vertical tail, installed with a camber angle of 8º, is equipped with rudders. Additional aerodynamic ridges are installed under the rear fuselage with a 12º camber. The MiG-31 control system is mechanical, with hydraulic boosters in all channels.
The main landing gear of the aircraft has an original design. Instead of one wheel with a diameter of 1300 mm, used on the MiG-25, they are equipped with a bogie with two wheels measuring 950x300 mm, while the rear wheel is not located in the track of the front one, but is slightly shifted outward. This chassis significantly reduces ground pressure, which allows the MiG-31 to be operated from unpaved and ice airfields. The front landing gear is equipped with a pair of wheels measuring 660x200 mm with mudguards.
Power point includes 2 two-circuit turbojet engines D-30F-6 (originally D-30F) with mixing of external and internal flows behind the turbine, with an afterburner and an adjustable all-mode nozzle of a flap design. Thrust is 9500 kgf at maximum mode and 15500 kgf at full afterburner mode. The engine air intakes are rectangular and side-mounted, adjustable using movable horizontal panels. The internal fuel supply, located in 7 fuselage, 4 wing and 2 keel tanks, is 19,500 l (16,350 kg). Two additional fuel tanks with a capacity of 2500 liters of fuel each can be attached to the external underwing units. Refueling is centralized. Later MiG-31 aircraft, as well as the MiG-31B (BS), are equipped with an in-flight refueling system.
Equipment. The basis of the aircraft's weapons control system is the RP-31 N007 Zaslon phased array radar, which has a detection range of fighter-type air targets (RCS of about 5 m 2) of up to 180 km. Automatic tracking range - 120 km. Zone of simultaneous tracking and firing of targets +70º horizontally and +70/-60º vertically. The radar indicator in the operator's cabin displays a large number of detected targets, of which 10 are accepted for automatic tracking. The Argon-K on-board computer selects the 4 most important of them, which are targeted by 4 R-33 air-to-air missiles.
An additional means of detecting air targets is the 8TK heat direction finder, located under the forward part of the fuselage (detection range - up to 50 km, horizontal field of view - +60º, vertical - +6/ -13º. In flight position, the heat direction finder is retracted into the fuselage, and in working position it is extended into the flow. The direction finder is interfaced with the radar and is designed for covert (passive) viewing of the airspace, as well as for issuing target designation to R-40TD and R-60 missiles with thermal homing heads. A PPI-70V sighting and flight indicator is installed in the pilot's cockpit.
The greatest combat effectiveness is achieved by group actions of four MiG-31s, interconnected by information interaction through an automated control system with automatic information exchange. Automatic exchange of tactical information between aircraft of the group is carried out using APD-518 data transmission equipment at a distance of up to 200 km. This type of combat use allows a MiG-31 group of 4 aircraft to control airspace up to 1000 km wide. The ability to conduct information exchange allows the MiG-31 to be used for long-range radar detection and targeting of aircraft such as Su-27, MiG-29. Target distribution, as well as the assignment of targets for attack, is carried out by the group leader based on information displayed on the tactical situation indicator, followed by automatic transmission on board the slave interceptors.
The transmission of guidance commands to the interceptor from ground command posts is carried out using on-board equipment of the 5U15K-11 radio command line.
Flight and navigation equipment The aircraft includes an automatic control system SAU-155MP with a limit signaling system SOS-3M-2 and a navigation complex KN-25 with two inertial systems IS-1-72A with a digital computer "Maneuver", a radio engineering system for short-range navigation, landing and determination of mutual coordinates " Radical-NP" (A-312), radio altimeter A-031, automatic radio compass ARK-19, marker radio receiver A-611, long-range navigation radio system A-723 "Kvitok-2" (on the MiG-31B aircraft). Long-range radio navigation is carried out within the framework of two systems: "Tropic" (similar to the Western "Loran" system) with a range of up to 2000 km and an accuracy of determining coordinates of 130...1300 m and "Route" (similar to the Omega system) with a range of 2 to 10 thousand km and coordinate determination accuracy of 1800...3600 m. The radio communication equipment includes VHF radio stations R-800LG and R-862 and HF radio station R-864. The aircraft is equipped with radiation warning equipment SPO-15 LM "Bereza" and a passive interference reset device UV-3A.
Aircraft armament The MiG-31 consists of air-to-air missiles and an integrated cannon mount. The main armament of the aircraft is 4 long-range R-33 missiles, placed in pairs one after another under the fuselage on AKU-410 aircraft ejection devices. In addition, two R-40TD medium-range missiles or four R-60M close-range missiles with thermal homing heads can be placed on the internal underwing hardpoints. A gun mount with a 6-barrel GSh-6-23M cannon of 23 mm caliber with 260 rounds of ammunition is located in the fairing on the right side of the fuselage.

Information sources:

1. History and aircraft of OKB MiG / Wings of Russia LLC, ANPK MiG, 1999, CD-ROM /
2. Aviation and astronautics No. 8. 1999
3. Suitcase from the Grocery Store Mig-31 / A. Larionov; World of Aviation No. 3-99 /
4. “Encyclopedia of Weapons” / “Akella”, 1996 - CD-ROM /;
5. “Encyclopedia of Arms” / “Cyril and Methodius”, 1998 - CD-ROM /;
6. “Fighters” / V. Ilyin, M. Levin, 1997 /
7. "Bulletin of Aviation and Cosmonautics" 4"99

The first-born of the fourth generation of Soviet aircraft was the supersonic two-seat fighter-interceptor MiG-31. The aircraft, which was born more than a quarter of a century ago, still retains the palm in both speed and flight altitude.

The main distinguishing feature of this combat vehicle is that until the end of the nineties it remained the only fighter on which an on-board radio relay station with a phased array antenna (PAR) was installed. Moreover, the ability to use long-range air-to-air missiles, which characterizes this Russian aircraft, is available only to the American F-14 carrier-based fighter.

Technical characteristics of the MiG-31 1980

• Years of production: 1975-1994
• Total manufactured: about 500 pcs.
• Combat use: military conflicts of the late 20th - early 21st centuries.
• Crew - 2 people.
• Take-off weight - 46.75 tons.
• Dimensions: length - 21.6 m, height 6.5 m, wingspan - 13.4 m.
• Armament: 23-mm cannon, 260 rounds of ammunition, six hardpoints on which air-to-air missiles are attached.
• The engine is turbojet.
• Maximum speed - 3000 km/h.
• The practical ceiling is 20.6 km.
• Flight range - 5400 km.

Photo of MiG-31

Modifications of the MiG-31 aircraft

The prototype of the aircraft, which appeared in 1975, was marked E-155MP. The repeated modernization of the MiG-31 led to the following modifications:

• MiG-31B, equipped with a system that allowed air refueling;
• MiG-31BM, which is a multi-role fighter designed to combat radar;
• MiG-31D experimental version capable of launching an anti-satellite missile;
• MiG-31M, which has enhanced weapons, avionics (avionics), and radar.

This aircraft had other modifications that were design and research, as well as modifications intended for export.

Combat use of the aircraft

The MiG-31 aircraft is a further development of the MiG-25P, which was also an interceptor fighter. The characteristics that the MiG-31 and its engine have allow it to: at any time of the day or night, in any weather conditions and even in conditions of intense electronic warfare:

• carry out long-term patrol missions;
• combat aerodynamic targets of all classes, including:
  • small cruise missiles;
  • helicopters;
  • high-altitude high-speed aircraft;
  • bombers.

The MiG-31 fighter-interceptor is the only aircraft whose characteristics enable it to intercept and destroy cruise missiles flying at extremely low altitudes.

A little history

When creating the aircraft, the drawings of which began to be developed at the Mikoyan Design Bureau in 1972, the following characteristics were identified as the goal:

• maximum interception range – 700 km;
• cruising speed - 2,500 km/h, which is 2.35 times the speed of sound;
• subsonic speed – 1,200 km/h.

The prototype aircraft was built in 1975, and its first tests took place on September 16 of the same year. After the release of the pilot batch, some technical improvements were carried out, and in 1979, serial production of the vehicle began under its final name MiG-31.

Technical features of the interceptor fighter

Unlike the MiG-25P, which was the original model for the new vehicle, the MiG-31 cockpit was designed for a crew of two, since the complexity of the installed radio equipment required the presence of an additional person - a navigator-operator, who was assigned the following main tasks:

• airspace control;
• development of tactical techniques to ensure the interception of group targets.

The aircraft's armament was enhanced by the use of the Zaslon radio sight, which was an important part of the onboard radio-electronic equipment.

The first combat use of phased array antennas (phased array antenna), which was a novelty in the field of radio electronics, took place in 1978, when during the flight, 10 flying targets were detected and simultaneously tracked.

In 1998, specialists were shown the Russian MiG-31BM, the armament and equipment of which allows it to fight radars.

To date, no analogues to the MiG-31 aircraft have been created abroad.

MiG-31 design characteristics

The design of the aircraft, the drawings of which largely coincide with the MiG-25, is characterized by the following features:

• layout – normal aerodynamic;
• wing – trapezoidal, high;
• stabilizer – all-moving;
• the plumage is two-keeled.

The technical characteristics of the MiG-31 are largely determined by the materials used to manufacture its airframe. In particular, half of the body is made of stainless steel, 33% of aluminum alloys, 16% of titanium. Aluminum alloys are interesting because their operating temperature can reach 150°. In the same places that are subject to high kinetic heating, which is caused by supersonic speed, parts made of stainless steel and titanium are installed. Such a successful selection of materials made it possible to minimize the weight of the aircraft glider.

An important advantage that this Russian fighter-interceptor has is its ability to take off from ice and unpaved airfields, which becomes especially important when operating in underdeveloped Siberian regions.

Airplane engine

The D-30F6 engine installed on the combat vehicle is a dual-circuit engine, in which the flow of the internal and external circuits is mixed behind the turbine. The engine is equipped with an afterburner and an all-mode adjustable nozzle having a flap design. In total, the aircraft has two engines, each of which is characterized by the following basic parameters:

• maximum non-afterburning thrust - 9,270 kgf;
• maximum afterburner thrust - 15,510 kgf;
• dry weight – 2,420 kg.

Each engine has side air intakes of rectangular cross-section, adjustable using horizontal movable panels.

The fuel supply placed on board the aircraft is 1,630 kg. It is distributed between 7 fuselage, 5 wing and 2 keel tanks. 2 additional tanks of 2,500 liters each can also be suspended on the underwing units. All containers are refilled centrally.

The MiG-31 interceptor fighter is also interesting due to the presence of an in-flight refueling system. This operation is carried out using tanker aircraft Su-24T and Il-78, the hose from which is connected to the retractable L-shaped rod of the fuel receiver.

MiG-31 equipment

The equipment that the aircraft has on board allows it to be used:

• offline;
• as part of a group consisting of aircraft of the same type;
• as a leader to provide control of fighter aircraft with less advanced avionics.

The radar station installed on the aircraft has the following main characteristics:

• maximum target detection range – 200 km;
• target tracking range - 120 km.

Thanks to the capabilities of the radar, the aircraft's weapons can hit targets both in the upper hemisphere and against the ground. Up to 10 targets can be automatically tracked simultaneously. The Argon-K computer located on board selects the 4 most significant ones from among them, which are simultaneously targeted by 4 R-33 missiles.

The MiG-31 also has an 8TP heat direction finder on board, the maximum detection range of which reaches 50 km. The presence of this device ensures target detection even in conditions of high-intensity electronic interference.

Maximum combat effectiveness is guaranteed through the interaction of four MiG-31s, united through an automated control system into a single combat system. The information exchange capabilities provided by the aircraft’s equipment make it possible to use it for long-range detection of targets and for targeting such combat vehicles as the MiG-29 and Su-27.

The operator's cabin is equipped with a large-format tactical situation indicator and navigation equipment consisting of the Route and Tropic radio navigation systems. On the windshield of the pilot's cockpit there is a color indicator PPI-70V, which provides the pilot with comprehensive information in the form of color inscriptions, benchmarks, indices and scales. There are no analogues to such an indicator abroad to date.

Aircraft armament

The armament of the interceptor fighter includes:

• long-range R-33 guided missiles;
• medium-range R-40T guided missiles;
• short-range guided missiles R-73, R-60M or R-60;
• six-barreled gun GSh-23-6 of 23 mm caliber.

When characterizing the missiles installed on board the aircraft, it is necessary to clarify the following parameters:

• R-33, with a launch range of 120 km, is mounted on an external sling under the fuselage;
• R-40T, having an infrared guidance system, are placed on underwing suspensions;
• R-73, R-60M and R-60 are also suspended on underwing units.

The gun's ammunition capacity is 260 rounds weighing 200 g each, and its rate of fire is 8,000 rounds per minute.

Since the MiG-31 fighter-interceptor is still the best representative of its class in the world, it continues to be in service with the Russian army, where there are now more than 400 such combat vehicles. In total, over the past years, more than half a thousand of these aircraft have been manufactured.

Fighter video

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