If they go canard the flight envelope is easier to develop and more adaptable to changes later. I’d be very surprised any clean slate doesn’t explore a canard.

It’s a good thing MiG engineers didn’t copy what they did on MiG-31 on the MiG-29, mounting the radar guided missiles using recessed mounts and heatseekers on the wing tips to cull drag. And it’s good that their only active radar guided missiles during the Cold War era were never adopted. Instead they decided to run with draggy wing pylons to hold oversized semi-active radar homing missiles and drop tanks that filled the same locations, placing a strict hard limit on practical loads.

God forbid they match what was known about the future EAP and Hornet projects!

But why would they want to dump precious resources on adapting JF-17?

Screw the M-346, it’s too similar to the Yak-130. /sarc

Nothing wrong with a canard solution. I wouldn’t want large canard wings in front and would prefer the EF layout over the Gripen, Rafale, or J-10 positions. One inlet underbody. If a faceted design is chosen then blend air intakes under the fuselage. (But really, why get overly complex?) Low or mid wing position. Begin thin LERX about even with the cockpit and use lift body principles to keep glide angle optimal in case of a flame out. Avoid the whole unbalanced aerodynamics design that will depend more on control surfaces for agility, but keep the design safer. After all its going to fly ridiculously high numbers of hours compared to frontline fighters. Build it in such a way the same fuselages can be adapted to other wing plans.

MiG-31 flies a much lower stress flight envelope than Su-27/30. If MiG-31 needs replacing it is more likely due to lifetime costs. I doubt any MiG-31 airframes have maxed out their hours.

I’m kind of surprised that MiG-31 has never been repurposed for long range standoff strike. The platform is much better getting from point A to point B in a given time frame. It has a stellar fuel fraction. Its R-30 were literally the size of SRAM standoff attack missiles. Its wing pylons could carry Storm Shadow equivalents. Plenty of room to hang equipment off it. Probably could even adapt the retractable IRST into the targeting system.

And digital engine control, too. One has to emulate the cockpit AND flight controls of the target audience. I don’t think it will get a radar, simply it will get an interface that makes it appear to use radar if that is part of the syllabus. I couldn’t see the need for any more costs than that.