MiG-31DZ ASAT

Development of the original aircraft-based ASAT system, known as Kontakt, was approved almost 30 years ago, in November 1984 (as a direct response to the U.S. system that was first tested in 1984). The ground-based component was supposed to include the radio-optical Krona (45Zh6) complex as well as a command complex. The interceptor was carried by a modified MiG-31D aircraft (MilitaryRussia.ru has good photos of the radar and the aircraft). A three-stage interceptor was designed to hit targets at altitudes of 120-600 km (and up to 1500 km after the second stage of the project was completed). The system was supposed to attack up to 24 satellites within a 36-hour period (documents also mention 20-40 satellites in 24 hours).

GarryB wrote:

But still the old r-33 instead of r-37.

This is not an operational aircraft on an operational mission... the R-77s and R-73/4s are not real missiles, so why would the belly missiles need to be R-37ms?

For all we know they might have been testing the R-33s for experience in using long range missiles for training... cheaper to use them up than much more expensive active radar homing R-37Ms.

hoom wrote:Also BMPD

Isos wrote:I wonder if it has something else than an explosive warhead. Most armies think that destroying foreign satellites could then destroy their owns because the explosion destroys the satellites in thousands of pieces that became like APFSDS rounds traveling at huge speeds.

Vladimir79 wrote:

Isos wrote:I wonder if it has something else than an explosive warhead. Most armies think that destroying foreign satellites could then destroy their owns because the explosion destroys the satellites in thousands of pieces that became like APFSDS rounds traveling at huge speeds.

I am sure it is some kind of fragmentation warhead.  There isn't a satellite that is armoured enough to stop tungsten impacting at 50,000 km/h.  They are very fragile contraptions.