No other nation operates anything like the MiG-31 ‘Foxhound’ — a big, brutish,
heavyweight interceptor offering Mach 2.8 performance and long range.REPORT Piotr Butowski
T
HE GEOGRAPHY OF Russia, its
vast uninhabited territories of
the north and close proximity
to a ‘probable enemy’ — the
US — coupled with sparsely
located airfields, radar and
missile sites, drives the demand for a
long-range interceptor. It requires an
aircraft that has the ability to operate
with limited ground support and utilize
automatic data exchange within a
formation. The reaction to any threat
must be fast, hence the requirement
for high speed. This is the domain of
the MiG-31.
The ‘Foxhound’ has a supersonic range
of 1,300km (702nm) or a subsonic range
of 3,000km (1,620nm), and can fly at‘FOXHOUND’
TOOLBOX
Vympel R-33 (izdeliye 410, AA-9 ‘Amos’)
semi-active radar-homing missiles
give the MiG-31 its 120km (65nm)
engagement range. The basic missile
and its R-33S (izdeliye 520) version —
fitted with a nuclear warhead — are
both dedicated to the MiG-31. The
upgraded MiG-31BM’s weaponry is
being supplemented by four new R-37M
(izdeliye 610M, AA-13 ‘Axehead’) AAMs
with a range of 200km (108nm). TheR-37M missile was launched for the
first time by a MiG-31BM in 2011 and
completed state evaluation in 2014.
Currently it is manufactured at the
KTRV corporation facility in Korolev.
The RVV-BD (izdeliye 620) is the export
version of the R-37M missile. Like the
R-33, the R-37M is carried in tandem pairs
under the fuselage. The R-33/R-37 missile
is initially jettisoned downwards by a
catapult pylon, before the rocket engine
ignites. For the MiG-31BM, up to four R-73
short-range AAMs replace the older R-40s
and R-60s used for self-defence. A six-
barrel 23mm GSh-6-23 (9YeYu) cannon is
housed in the MiG-31’s starboard fuselage
and provided with 260 rounds.‘FOXHOUND’
FABULOUS
74 March 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
FORCE REPORT // RUSSIAN FIGHTERS
74-76 Russian Fighters MiG-31 C.indd 74 19/01/2018 15:20