MiG-31BM/Κ Interceptor/Attack aircraft: News

There was talk of a delta winged Mig-31... sort of like the F-16XL.

I would think the larger wing area with new more powerful engines should allow higher operating altitude and speed.

Variable cycle engines that allow them to operate with bypass air acting like a ramjet should allow very high speed flight, and with low drag conformal weapon positions carrying a large number of AAMs externally should allow combat persistence.

I would think that increasing speed and range with new engines, plus improving the radar and the missile carriage capacity would be useful goals.

I would think that a modified Tu-22M3M with a new layout with a fixed enlarged delta wing and variable sweep outer wing panels with the removal of the horizontal tail surfaces but the addition of the control surfaces above the air intakes like on the PAK FA might allow a radical increase in wing area, with an increase in weapons carried and new engines and an enormous new AESA radar could make for an interesting stopgap aircraft.

GarryB wrote:There was talk of a delta winged Mig-31... sort of like the F-16XL.

That was one of the original design studies for FOXHOUND. When they were releasing a lot of historical info, this design was apparently classified because it had similarities to the 1.42 design.

More upgraded MIG-31 in service. Anyone keeps track of numbers?


A pair of upgraded MiG-31BM has taken over duty in the WEST

What ever happened to the other 200+ MiG-31's? Reserve and spare parts? The MiG-31's are veryimportant aircrafts... probably as important as Pak Fa's development as interceptors really are needed for the open airspace in North east Russia, as well with dealing enemy aircrafts from afar. While the fighter crafts like Su-27's and such will deal with jets such as F-15's/16/18/22 the migs will need to deal with support crafts like AWACs and Tankers so that Russia would gain the advantage of air superiority with the combination of ground and airborn radar.

MiG 31's play a very important roll. I look forward to its replacement.

Just visiting NIIP Thikomirov site and found this

MiG-31 Zaslon Specifications

Apparently this refer to new Zaslon (Maybe this is the Zaslon AM for the MiG-31BM).. Now it can track 24 targets  instead of 10 in old one. That's nice to read  and simultaneously engage 8 at once.

If they are going to make a new interceptor the 1st thing they should do is not make it so f'in heavy. This means lots of composites, and titanium, esp. titanium. i mean if they could make entire submarines out of the stuff why not use it more for the smaller stuff, of course it should be within reason, like only using it fir the heat resistant parts in engines not the whole engine per se kind of way.

The main reason the Mig-31 and Mig-25 were so heavy was the high steel content, and that was because aluminium alloys lose strength at speeds over mach 2.4.

More exotic materials like ceramics could perhaps be tried in very hot areas as well as titanium for new aircraft to make them lighter and more resistent to high speed flight.

In terms of propulsion a scramjet arrangement using bypass air to generate thrust could greatly improve speed and endurance without using enormous amounts of fuel.

There is not much point in developing a hypersonic fighter, but a hypersonic interceptor and a hypersonic bomber both make sense as both will try to spend most of their time at maximum speed either evading enemy air defences or intercepting incoming threats as far away from friendly territory as possible.

Of course both would need long range and have fairly bulky payloads... with the speed requiring low drag internal weapons bays become a must.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI7rwOtQqNI

Pretty interesting, hearings regarding potential MiG-31 production.
According to the vid, 122 MiG-31s are in service, and 50-60 upgraded.

As far as I'm aware there will be 60 BM's operational by 2020. At present, I have personally seen photos of at least 18 different airframes in service, so there are at least 18 already operational.
With regards to actual Mig-31s, there 122 active, that is correct, however the total in service, including reserve is 252.

TR1 wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI7rwOtQqNI

Pretty interesting, hearings regarding potential MiG-31 production.
According to the vid, 122 MiG-31s are in service, and 50-60 upgraded.

Thats what I was talking about back in 2012 LINK

They are modernizing them too fast so there is no question about it that by 2020 Russian PVO will have all of them modernized at this rate. Also as Russian ASD is gaining more love 

their aspirations will rise accordingly and that is what we have right now. Plan for 2020 is basically already accomplished and besides modernized MIG-31 in much larger numbers

ASD wants brand new interceptor.

Tnx for info.

Viktor wrote:

TR1 wrote:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI7rwOtQqNI

Pretty interesting, hearings regarding potential MiG-31 production.
According to the vid, 122 MiG-31s are in service, and 50-60 upgraded.

Thats what I was talking about back in 2012 LINK

They are modernizing them too fast so there is no question about it that by 2020 Russian PVO will have all of them modernized at this rate. Also as Russian ASD is gaining more love 

their aspirations will rise accordingly and that is what we have right now. Plan for 2020 is basically already accomplished and besides modernized MIG-31 in much larger numbers

ASD wants brand new interceptor.

Tnx for info.

10 were modernized this year, so yeah I don't see how the entire fleet won't be modernized by 2020.
Good pace after years of stagnation, and an awesomely potent plane.

mack8 wrote:Now, why i really came here for  was to talk about an update in regards to how many MiG-31BM have been delivered (or will shortly be) so far. A recent article i read says 10 have been delivered last year, and another 3 at the beginning of this year, the total being thought to be 37. Now since there should be a total of 10 to be delivered his year  (according to recent UAC statements), presumably there are 7 more to go, so the total this year should go to 44?    

Im not sure that every single modernized MIG-31BM delivered to Russian military is reported unlike most of the other weapons.

Indeed, the new weapons are relatively easy to track however upgrades are a lot more difficult, not only MiG-31BM, but even Su-25SM, and worse of all Su-24M-SVP-24, and one can add the bombers as well. Perhaps it has to do with the tighter secrecy of military controlled ARZ's.

On the MiG-31 upgrade topic, have any new photos appeared of the R-33S? I know it's ben imaged twice, once recently (OK relatively recently, it was a few years ago) as part of a weapons display for the MiG-31, and once close to twenty years ago underneath a MiG-31M at Zhukovskiy for an early MAKS.

GarryB wrote:

Wow that picture is so sexy.

Of extreme humour is the fact that this superior-to-anything-Russian JF-17 in fact uses a Russian GSh-23-2 cannon and Russian RD-93 engines.

China recently had to sign an agreement with Russia on the supply of engines for the JF-17. If Russia hadn't signed the deal then this unbeatable fighter would not even be getting produced right now!  

flamming_python wrote:Of extreme humour is the fact that this superior-to-anything-Russian JF-17 in fact uses a Russian GSh-23-2 cannon and Russian RD-93 engines.

China recently had to sign an agreement with Russia on the supply of engines for the JF-17. If Russia hadn't signed the deal then this unbeatable fighter would not even be getting produced right now!  

Maybe pakistan will toss the plan to buy T-129 helicopters and buy some WZ-10, that he can come and say look we have best technology from Kamo... i mean China.  

George1 wrote:Ι wonder if MiG-31's fleet could be converted to an bomber carrying an air launched version of anti-ship missile P-800. A carrier/destroyer "killer" aircraft

Short answer- no, and nobody in their right mind would attempt it either .

TR1 wrote:Alright guys, lets let this inferiority complex ridden fool play his own games.

Ignore him, and move on.

Yes, I agree, seeing as how mods dont want to ban trolls for whatever reason.

Just correcting him on his knowledge, as he isnt aware of Zaslon-M which shot down a target around 15m^2 at 300km range. I know metberkut showed a video of Tracking/targeting and ranges of Irbis-e, quite impressive.

Wonder why they dont move to a hybrid radar like Irbis? Shouldnt the engines be enough to handle it for power? As well, it would improve its capabilities.

No sense in making the upgrade too expensive. Plus Zalson is heavy as hell, would probably mess with weight balance.

Original Zalson was limited (despite being a massive, heavy and powerfull set) in range due the back-end computing power and suck. Even then 100-120km for fighter tracking was respectable performance for the time, the radar and plane had a specific purpose in any case.

With the modernized electronics the Zaslon-BM gets a massive range improvement, at least twice the figure in some cases.

Original Mig-31 zaslon radar use L-band elements inside to use big AA-6 missiles from Mig-25. Does Mig-31BM upgraded also use L-band elements in it?

TR1 wrote:No sense in making the upgrade too expensive. Plus Zalson is heavy as hell, would probably mess with weight balance.

Original Zalson was limited (despite being a massive, heavy and powerfull set) in range due the back-end computing power and suck. Even then 100-120km for fighter tracking was respectable performance for the time, the radar and plane had a specific purpose in any case.

With the modernized electronics the Zaslon-BM gets a massive range improvement, at least twice the figure in some cases.

I know that Zaslon M introduced in the mid/laye 80's had very impressive range as they replaced the antenna and processor for it. Now they have even more advanced digital processor, so it would be interesting. I wonder though, since N-035 for PAK FA is using a processor similar to Elbrus 2C+, i wonder why not same for Zaslon radar? Could very well improve the computing tremendously. But good point about Irbis, maybe little gain but wont work due to weight imbalance. If they are not designing a new interceptor, than a new radar package may be beneficial.