Mikoyan MiG-31

For the fictional MiG-31 aircraft of the novel and movie Firefox, see List of fictional aircraft.

MiG-31
A Russian Air Force MiG-31DZ in flight over Russia
General information
TypeInterceptor aircraft, attack aircraft
National originSoviet Union
ManufacturerMikoyan-Gurevich/Mikoyan
StatusIn service with the Russian Air Force
Primary usersRussian Aerospace Forces
Kazakh Air Force (historical)
Number built519[1]
History
Manufactured1975–1994
Introduction date6 May 1981
First flight16 September 1975; 49 years ago (1975-09-16)
Retired2023 (Kazakh Air Force)
Developed fromMikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25

The Mikoyan MiG-31 (Russian: Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed for the Soviet Air Forces by the Mikoyan design bureau as a replacement for the earlier MiG-25 "Foxbat"; the MiG-31 is based on and shares design elements with the MiG-25.[2]

The MiG-31 is one of the fastest known operational combat aircraft in the world as of 2021, with a top speed of around 3,000 kilometres per hour (1,900 mph).[3] It continues to be operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. The other operator, the Kazakh Air Defense Forces, retired the type in 2023.[4][5] The Russian Defence Ministry expects the MiG-31 to remain in service until at least 2030; that was confirmed in 2020 when an announcement was made to extend the service lifetime of the existing airframes from 2,500 to 3,500 hours.[6][7]

  1. ^ Mladenov, Alexander (July 2015). "The Foxhound's New Tricks". Air International. 19 (1): 28.
  2. ^ Spick 2000.
  3. ^ DefenseMagazine.com. "The MiG 31 Foxhound – the world's fastest fighter jet". www.defensemagazine.com. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
  4. ^ "117 MiG-31, MiG-29 & Other Russian-Origin Fighter Jets Put Up On Auction By Kazakhstan; Here's Why". 28 October 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  5. ^ "Kazakhstan sells over 100 military aircraft". 27 October 2023. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
  6. ^ Kovalenko, Aleksandr (27 July 2020). "Российские МиГ-31 поставят на бесконечную "реанимацию"" [Russian MiG-31 will be put on an endless "resuscitation"]. Information Resistance (in Russian). Archived from the original on 2020-09-28. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  7. ^ "Russia's Modernized Soviet-Era MiG-31 Fighters to Fly for 50 Years". The Moscow Times. 9 April 2015. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2023-05-13.