and was sent for trials at the Akhtubinsk
test centre that December. It was soon
followed by the second aircraft, ‘59’,
and then the third, ‘60’, which provided
the pattern for series upgrades.
The MiG-31BM successfully completed
the first stage of state acceptance trials in
November 2007 and clearance was received
for production updates. The newest MiG-31B
fighters were modernised first, followed
by older MiG-31BS aircraft, which were
designated MiG-31BSM after upgrade. The
MiG-31BS was a mid-life upgrade of the
initial MiG-31 or MiG-31DZ, which brought
it in line with the later MiG-31B model.
The Russian Ministry of Defence placed
a first contract for the upgrade of an
initial batch of (probably eight) aircraft to
MiG-31BM standard on April 1, 2007. On
March 20 the following year the Sokol plant
in Nizhny Novgorod delivered the first two
MiG-31BMs to the pilot conversion and
evaluation centre at Savasleyka. A major
contract for the upgrade of 60 MiG-31Bs to
BM standard was signed between the MoD
and the Sokol plant on August 1, 2011.
The United Aircraft Corporation secured a
deal for the upgrade of another 53 MiG-31s on
November 21, 2014. It was to be fulfilled jointly
by the Sokol factory, where the aircraft were
made, and the ARZ-514 repair plant at Rzhev,
between 2015 and 2018. The Rzhev repair plant
is responsible for a smaller part of the contract;
for example, five aircraft were converted there in
2014 and two the following year. To date, almost
all operational MiG-31s have been upgraded; the
remaining jets will follow by the end of this year.Radar
The main purpose of the MiG-31BM
upgrade was to enable the Foxhound
to carry new types of AAMs as well asMiG-31 units of the Russian Air Force and Navy
Unit Location Aircraft inventory Command
929th State Flight-Test
CentreAkhtubinsk A dozen MiG-31s (among other aircraft)
including four (?) adapted to carry Kinzhal
ballistic missiles.Ministry of Defence4th State Air Personnel
Preparation and Military
Evaluation CentreSavasleyka A squadron of MiG-31s. Main Command
of the Aerospace
Forces
22nd Fighter Aviation
RegimentTsentralnaya
Uglovaya
(Vladivostok)Two squadrons of MiG-31s (plus some
aircraft in storage), a squadron of Su-35S,
some Su-30M2s.11th Air Force and
Air Defence Army712th Fighter Aviation
RegimentKansk Two squadrons of MiG-31s. 14th Air Force and
Air Defence Army
764th Fighter Aviation
RegimentBolshoye
Savino (Perm)Two squadrons of MiG-31s. 14th Air Force and
Air Defence Army
790th Fighter Aviation
RegimentKhotilovo Two squadrons of MiG-31s, a squadron of
Su-27s.6th Air Force and
Air Defence Army
98th Independent
Composite Aviation
RegimentMonchegorsk A squadron of MiG-31s, many others in
storage; also a squadron of Su-24Ms and a
squadron of Su-24MRs.Northern Fleet, 45th
Air Force and Air
Defence Army
7060th Air Base Yelizovo A squadron of MiG-31s; also Il-38s, Ka-27s. Paci c Fleet
NB: A regular regiment has three (sometimes two) squadrons, each nominally with 12 aircraft, but the actual
number may differ.Above: MiG-31BMs ‘Red 35’ and ‘Red 34’ of the 790th Fighter Aviation Regiment at Khotilovo air base,
where they serve alongside Su-27s. Note in this shot, the six-barrel 23mm GSh-6-23 cannon ‘scabbed on’
to the starboard fuselage. The gun is provided with 260 rounds. Right: A MiG-31BM gets airborne from
Bolshoye Savino. During a parliamentary hearing in April 2013, the then Russian Air Force commander-in-
chief Lt Gen Viktor Bondariev admitted that the MiG-31’s top speed of Mach 2.83 is no longer attained: “The
aircraft fl ies at Mach 1.5; the [cockpit canopy] glass does not withstand [Mach 2.83] any more.”One of the 764th Fighter Aviation Regiment’s modernised MiG-31BMs is ‘Blue 04’ (RF-92356). The
upgraded model can be identifi ed by its four smaller wing pylons and pilot’s periscope, here raised.
50 // MAY 2018 #362 http://www.airforcesmonthly.comFoxhound on duty