Yes, looking at what the Soviet Union was facing from America and its advanced technology combined with the reality that you must defend borders that cross eleven time zones, it is an exellent system.
The MiG.-25 was already designed so they had a high speed platform to start from. So you had Mach 3.0 (approximately) high altitude performance to start with. Modifications and an increase in size would greater range and an even more powerful radar and other new avionics makes it a tough competitor against any intruder.
From its perch at fifty or sixty thousand feet its missiles will have a range advantage against missiles of the same type and aircraft such as the F-15 or su-27 due to the reality that air is thinner, friction is less and, rocket motors are more efficient at higher altitudes.
China could use its but does not have the full range requirements the Soviet Union does. A group of aircraft such as the MiG.-31 could do an excellent job partolling and maintaining an interceptor “picket line” east of Taiwan beyond the range of Taiwan’s F-16’s. As well as being able to patrol the Straits of Taiwan while safely over mainland China safely protected by SAM sites.
Personally, I would rather have an Su-27 for the same roll. No it does not have the range but, if forced into a dogfight is far more competant than the MiG.-31. Viet Nam and the PGW#1 showed interceptors can be forced into dogfights reguardless of of how the mission profile is supposed to be run.
I agree, that was Vietnam 30 years ago, BVR has really evolved. As for it getting into a dogfight, I don’t think any Mig-31 pilot would be crazy enough to mix it up in a dogfight with anything maneuverable like Su-27, Mig-29, F-18, F-16, F-15 or whatever or else they will spell it’s doom. It’s best chance would be to run the other way if it has no missiles, and if chased by missiles, it could very well outrun them.
I am not exactly sure about the Mig-31, I think only as an interceptor it would be little outdated by today’s standards. I would rather make it a multirole interceptor. Wire it for all kinds of cruise missiles like Kh-101, Kh-SD, Yakhont-M(should be able to carry few of these) and all kinds of air to surface ordinance, it’s high altitude could be used as an advantage. However, what real advantage does it have over something like a cheaper Flanker, well the Flanker is a lot more flexible platform, no it’s not as fast nor can it fly as high, but a much better modern multirole fighter. I think these days, avionics, or missiles or whatever don’t matter considering they can be put into everything else, you might as well judge a Mig-31 vs an Su-27 style plane by their performance. The N011M on Su-27s is a very good radar like the Zaslon-M but is a multirole radar.
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