15 photos of the MiG-31, the Russian fighter jet that can chase away SR-71 Blackbirds
The CEO of the Russia's Mikoyan aircraft company recently made some wild claims about the MiG-41 — the successor to the MiG-31 — saying it would fly in space, reach speeds of 2,800 mph, carry lasers, and more.
Despite such outlandish predictions, the MiG-41, if it's actually made, will not be ready for deployment until around 2035 to 2040, which means the MiG-31 will be Russia's main interceptor well into the 2030s.
And while these predictions are rather fanciful, they're not completely impossible, given the MiG-31s impressive capabilities.
Take a look at what the MiG-31 can do.
The MiG-31, which NATO calls Foxhound, made it's first flight in 1975 and was the MiG-25s successor.
Russian Ministry of Defense
Source: Globalsecurity.org.
As an interceptor, the Foxhound was not made for dog fights, but instead for defending Russia's borders from enemy bombers, able to swoop in quickly and hit targets before jetting out.
Russian Ministry of Defense
Source: Globalsecurity.org and The National Interest.
Unlike the MiG-25, it has a backseat for the Weapons Systems Officer to operate the Zaslon radar.
Russian Ministry of Defense
The Zaslon S-800 Passive Electronically Scanned Array radar was made to track low flying bombers, and originally had a range of 125 miles, which Russia has since upgraded multiple times.
Source: The National Interest.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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