Caught up and overtaken
In Russian-language literature and in some Western sources, the MiG-31 is often viewed as a kind of miracle weapon. Indeed, this interceptor is a rare example of weapons to which the persistent phrase “has no analogues” can indeed be applied with complete confidence. Its cruising supersonic speed is 2500 km / h, and the maximum (subject to flight at high altitude) is 3400 km / h. Needless to say, none of the modern fighters is capable of this?
Conceptually, the closest analogue of the MiG is the American F-14 Tomcat fighter, which the United States has long removed from service. The United States does not plan to return to the topic of creating a highly specialized interceptor, except that the tests of the mysterious hypersonic Lockheed SR-72 may force them to reconsider their plans. However, it will be very, very long time ago: control of an aircraft at hypersonic speed, as you know, is a very difficult issue.
In general, the history of the MiG-31 began earlier than many people think. In fact, it is a very deep modification of the MiG-25, the prototype of which made its first flight back in 1964. The 31st inherited all the main advantages and disadvantages from the progenitor, however, there are some differences.
- high speed;
- powerful radar stations "Zaslon" and "Zaslon-M";
- long-range missiles (sometimes referred to as "super-long") range;
- the presence of a navigator-operator can facilitate the identification of air targets.
- low maneuverability (as a result, vulnerability in close combat and the inability to fully realize the potential of the R-73 missile);
- "gluttony";
- relatively small combat radius;
- the operation of the interceptor on a par with multifunctional fighters does not contribute to the unification of equipment in the Air Force.
It is important to note that the target overload limit for the R-33 missile (the main armament of the interceptor) is 4 G. That is, it will be difficult to hit a maneuvering fighter, to put it mildly. According to the information, the new R-37 missile has this figure of 8 G, which makes the MiG-31BM (a modernized version of the aircraft capable of using new missiles) a rather dangerous air enemy. Not only for bombers, cruise missiles and AWACS aircraft, but also for fourth and fifth generation fighters. And yet we must admit: the plane is old. Even the freshly painted MiG-31BM are not new. Unlike the Su-35S and Su-30SM, these are not new-built vehicles, but modernized combat MiG-31s. By the way, the production line of the interceptor was destroyed long ago. Therefore, the thesis about the resumption of production of the improved MiG-31 looks like escapism. To do this, you will have to invest gigantic amounts of money, but in fact you will get an aircraft that in many respects is morally obsolete.
Stealth Interceptor
So, the release of the new MiG-31 (let's call them conditionally "MiG-31M2") does not seem to threaten Russia. The maximum is bringing a number of already built fighters of this family to the level of BM. Meanwhile, officials are not at all averse to talking about a successor for the MiG-31. In this regard, the statement of the former commander-in-chief of the aerospace forces Viktor Bondarev, made in 2017, is interesting. “The radius of action will be in the range from 700 to 1500 kilometers. It is planned to equip it with an R-37 air-to-air missile, as well as fundamentally new missiles,”the politician said, referring to the successor for the“fox hound”. “It is supposed to be the fastest fighter in the world,” he added. According to the ex-commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, the aircraft will be stealthy and capable of intercepting hypersonic targets. According to Bondarev, as of the time of the interview, the project was at the stage of research and development. With the possibility of its implementation until 2028.
After his resignation from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Viktor Nikolaevich is drawn to frank interviews. Suffice it to recall the devastating criticism of the Mi-28N operating in Syria. Perhaps there is some truth in these words of the state official, and development work on a new machine is really boiling in the MiG. The media, by the way, even came up with a symbol for it - MiG-41. It should not be taken seriously: it is enough to remember how much speculation there was about the name of the Russian fifth generation fighter. It is better to use the designation PAK DP (promising long-range intercept aviation complex) for a promising vehicle. From the name of the conditional program. By the way, images of an airplane walking on the Internet also have nothing to do with reality. These are just the imaginations of the artists.
If we go back to the interview, the words of Viktor Bondarev about stealth are most interesting. It is almost impossible to build an "invisible" aircraft based on the old Soviet MiG-31. Therefore, the announcement raises the chances that it will be (if) a fundamentally new car. The thesis is confirmed by the words of the general director of the MiG company Ilya Tarasenko, said at the military-technical forum "Army-2017" held in the Moscow region. “This will be a completely new aircraft, where completely new technologies will be applied to work in the Arctic,” he told the TASS news agency.
If you "fantasize", you still get a machine that is conceptually closer to the MiG-31 than to the 62-ton "monster" developed by MiG in the 90s, which received the designation "Project 701". Speaking even more bluntly, the most probable here is a kind of "hybrid" of the MiG-31 and Su-57. Made taking into account the experience of work in the framework of the PAK FA project. Another very possible scenario is the creation of an ethereal interceptor. Just a few years ago, such a development of events seemed fantastic: Russia was objectively very far behind the leading Western countries in the creation of UAVs. However, at the end of June 2018, it became known that the first Russian heavy attack drone S-70, made as part of the Okhotnik-B research work, entered the final stage of ground tests. Then, with might and main, they began to talk about the official presentation and the first flight, which, according to rumors, is scheduled for 2019. If it happens, it will be possible to talk about some kind of revolution in the field of creating UAVs in the post-Soviet space. Even if the device will forever remain a technology demonstrator, like the Northrop Grumman X-47B.
In general, the development of unmanned technologies is proceeding by leaps and bounds, no matter how anyone denies it. Many respected experts, for example, believe that absolutely all sixth generation fighters will be UAVs, although now corporations are most often portrayed as optionally manned. In this regard, the PAK DP will probably not be an exception, being an unmanned aircraft. Another thing is more important: in the current difficult economic realities, when the country depends on oil and Western sanctions, it is difficult to rely on several statements of officials, even high-ranking ones. Indicative is the very limited batch of the purchased Su-57 of the first stage - twelve units. The fate of the entire line of armored vehicles based on the "Armata" is unclear.
The future of a promising interceptor looks all the more vague, because, unlike the aforementioned types of equipment, it can hardly be called a priority for the country's defense. In the end, some of the functions of the MiG-31 will be able to take over in the future the Su-35S, Su-30SM and Su-57 (assuming the start of large-scale production of the machine). Recently, by the way, it was reported that tests of the long-range missile R-37M, which are seen in the arsenal of these aircraft, are close to completion.
