MiG-31

After the MiG-25M thread, this seems justified.

What is everyone’s opinion of this aircraft? Keep in mind that it was designed to intercept ALCM’s and their launch platforms, not fighters, and certainly not dogfight. The MiG-31 would get eaten in a dogfight.

My 2 cents: FOXHOUND is an excellent aircraft for the role it was designed. Boasting the world’s first operational phased-array radar, long-range R-33 missiles, IFR in later production blocks, and an IRST, the MiG-31 is a capable long-endurance interceptor. Mach 2.83 top speed, Mach 2.3 cruise gives its missiles great kinetic energy off the rail, and this only helps their range.

MiG-31M is another story entirely. R-77 AAM’s provide a more reasonable back-up than the MiG-31’s R-60’s, and the R-37 speaks for itself. As far as I know no other country has a 300-km range AAM.

Bottom line: the MiG-31 is an excellent and well designed interceptor. Nobody is claiming that it is going to eat F-22’s in a furball. But it was never designed with that in mind anyway.

Comments?