MiG-31: Intercepting the SR-71

Today's video is brought to you by audible. Start listening with a 30-day audible trial and access audible originals absolutely free. Visit audible.com mega or text mega to 500-500 more about them in a moment, as well as an audiobook recommendation from me. Hello everyone, welcome back to another episode of mega projects. There is often a debate in the comments about megaprojects. I cover a plane and people are like Simon, my man. Planes are not mega projects, but every time I make a video about a mig or a huge plane or some impressive plane there are a lot of views so I keep making them this one is about another soviet plane another mig is uh it's an interesting story so let's jump The Cold War inspired a battle for supremacy in the skies that spawned countless American and Soviet aircraft.

We have already discussed some of them on this channel, as I just said in the introduction, but today we are here to talk about the mig-31 Michigan foxhound. Am I saying that? Look, look, I check. the pronunciations sometimes when I care when it's the actual topic of the video woo mikoyan maybe if I just say raj mikoya makes the sound 31 fox shouldn't do that let's not do it again not bad not bad whistle even if it's less known than the mig-29, the 31st was equally important in the battle for dominance of the skies during the cold war, while the 29th was defined by its rivalry with the f-16, the 31st was a response to the american blackbird sr-71 which today we know.

I'm going to dive into what made this aircraft so special and I know this video will already be popular because I probably put sr-71 in the title and people clicked on it as the mig-31 was officially introduced into the soviet air forces in 1981. The origins of the plane began more than a decade earlier. The Cold War was, of course, a war without direct conflict between the Soviets and the Americans, but this did not mean that their aircraft did not compete directly with each other. The American Killer 71 Blackbird was introduced to the world in January 1966 and took aircraft capabilities to the next level, literally, the Blackbird was a strategic reconnaissance aircraft with the ability to fly at speeds exceeding Mach 3 and at an altitude of 88,000 feet, which is just under 27,000 meters, along with the rest of the American fleet, these aircraft posed a major threat to the Soviet Union, as they had no interceptors capable of protecting their airspace from infiltration at such an altitude. high and the surface-to-air missiles were not fast enough to represent a real threat, that SR71 is simply an amazing plane.

I think I mentioned in a previous video that I saw one in a museum. One was a lot bigger than I expected, but two, it's crazy that thing flew so fast. enough to escape a missile, this led to the introduction of the mig-25 fox bat, which first flew in 1964 but was not introduced into the soviet air force until 1970. the 25 had a maximum speed of mach 3.2, Although this speed was impossible to achieve without long-term damage to the engine or airframe, it could safely reach speeds of Mach 2.83, making it the fastest manned Soviet aircraft ever seen. When Americans saw photos of the fox bat, they became concerned about its large wings and believed they meant high maneuverability, however the 25 actually had problems with maneuverability at high speeds, as the large wings were included primarily to support weight.

Excessive weight of the plane, which weighed more than 38,000 kilograms (approximately 84,000 pounds) when fully equipped and fueled, was also difficult. fly at low altitudes and lacked much of the technological refinement that was required to pose a real threat to the SR-71, especially in regards to its aerial missile capabilities. None of this is to say that the 25 wasn't a capable aircraft, of course. After all, it had the fastest top speed of any manned aircraft in service in the skies, but it clearly needed some upgrading when the Soviets went back to work on a new long-range interceptor that combined speed and altitude. of the 25th with a high-tech cockpit capable of controlling Soviet airspace, this meant that, although inspired by the 25th, the 31st was designed to replace the tu128, a massive 30 meter long interceptor whose only successful combat mission It was against a recognition balloon as such.

The aircraft was designed to fulfill four key responsibilities: first, intercept cruise missiles and their launch aircraft, reaching combat range in the shortest possible time after takeoff, second, detect and destroy low-flying cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters, third, long-range escort of strategic bombers and Finally, fourth, providing strategic air defense in areas not covered by ground-based air defense systems. These objectives required extreme improvements in radar and weapons systems, as well as the ability to communicate effectively within units, all while maintaining a speed comparable to that of the 25. The United States learned of the Soviet development of a new interceptor in 1976, when a Soviet air defense forces pilot, Victor Balenko, defected to Japan in his mig-25p, landed at Hakutate airport in Hokkaido, Japan, and although he damaged his landing gear by overrunning the runway, His plane represented the latest technology in Russian aircraft at the time the Japanese invited the US Air Force to dismantle and analyze it, 25 and 67 days later it was returned to the Soviet Union in pieces while reuniting with the US Air Force.

Balenko informed them of the development of the upcoming Super Fox Bat just weeks after Lenko's defection approached. The type 31 called Ye155 MP took off for the first time on September 16, 1976. In 1979, the 31 was approved for serial production and on May 6. In 1981 it was officially introduced into the Soviet air force from abroad, the new aircraft bore a striking resemblance to its predecessor and its dimensions tell a similar story, while the Mig-31 Foxhound measured 6.45 meters high and 22.6 meters long, the 25th measured 6.1 meters. high and 23.8 meters long, its wings were almost identical with the total wing area separated by only 0.2 square meters with 61.6 square meters for the 31 and 61.4 square meters for the 25 and with wingspans of 13.456 meters for the 31 and 14.01 meters for the 25.

Now, while the 25 was considered a heavy aircraft when it was introduced, the 31 was even heavier, with a gross weight of 41,000 kilograms, 4,000 kilograms more than its predecessor, top speeds are essentially identical at high altitudes, ie. As long as we consider the maximum speed at which the engines and airframe are not at risk, as each reaches 3,000 kilometers per hour or mach 2.83 at an altitude of 70,000 feet, however, at low altitude, The 31 far exceeds the 25, the former reaching 1,500 kilometers per hour or Mach 1.21 and the latter at 1,100, placing it safely in subsonic territory. Although these figures place both aircraft among the fastest ever manufactured, they are far ahead. below the sr-71. which could reach speeds of 3,540 kilometers per hour or a maximum of 3.32 at 80,000 feet in one area, however, where the 31 surpasses both the 25 and the SR-71 is in climb speed, as the 31 can climb at 288 meters per second and the 25 reaches 208 meters per second and the sr-71 is relatively slow at 60 meters per second, the 31 also has the highest g limit with a maximum of 5 g, while the 25 it maxes out at 4.5 on sr-71 with omega-3g, come on guys.

Although this is actually to be expected, since fighter jets need to perform high G-force maneuvers compared to spy planes, it is not really comparable. Another key improvement for the 31 over the 25 was in flight range, ranges can vary immensely depending on speed and elevation, but at optimal fuel efficiency speeds the 31 has a ferry range of 3,000 kilometers. compared to 2,575 kilometers for the 25. The Foxhound also has the ability to refuel mid-flight via Russian tankers, extending the range by 2,000 kilometers in terms of its power plant. The 31 uses two solaviev d30f6 afterburning turbofan engines, each generating 93 kilonewtons of thrust dry and 152 kilonewtons with afterburning.

Now those numbers may not seem too overwhelming compared to something like the SR-71 and the 25, but the areas where the 31 really excels. are in the avionics radar and its weapons systems the weapons control system is built around a phased array radar, making the 31 the first fighter aircraft to include such a system the radar tracking systems and weapons extended 70 degrees to the right and left of the plane 70 degrees up and 60 degrees down, allowing it to fire at enemy aircraft far above and below it, the radar extended 200 kilometers forward and along Along the front of this range had been extended to a width of 225 kilometers since its introduction in 1981, the 31 could simultaneously track 10 targets and engage 4, while the modern system allows for tracking 24 targets and engaging 6.

A single 31 could not only track all of these targets, but they automatically exchanged radar-generated data with each other within a 200-kilometer radius and could even direct fighter jets. With less sophisticated avionics for the targets acquired by its radar systems, this meant that four MiG-31s ​​could control an area of ​​airspace up to a thousand kilometers wide. The weapons systems included three classes of air-to-air missiles, four long-range R-33E. large target missiles such as the SR-71, four short-range light missiles R-60 MK and two R-40RD, which are the largest long-range air-to-air missiles ever produced in 2013, the 31 was one of two aircraft in The world capable of firing long-range air-to-air missiles also included a six-barreled 23-millimeter rotary cannon that carried 260 rounds, while these are the standard armaments. 31 are also capable of carrying air-to-surface missiles or bombs now.

All this, this super advanced and complex system meant that there was a second pilot on board, so unlike the 25, the 31 includes two cockpits now, just before we continue with today's video, I want to thank today's sponsor who made it possible. You've probably heard of audible. They're on the Internet, so I'm pretty sure they have the largest selection of audiobooks in the world. Without exception, I have recently been listening to the book Rebel Ideas by Matthew Cite. It's an excellent listen. I found him because I had previously listened to his previous book Black Box Thinking, which is also brilliant.

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Also, trade in an audiobook if you don't like it, keep your audiobooks forever listen to them on any audible device it's just the best, get it now visit audible.com forward slash mega or text mega to 500 500 and let's get back to it on mix 31 entered serial production in 1979 and remained in production until 1994 with a total of 519 31 produced in that period, 349 of them were basic models, while the other 170 were manufactured in 15 different variations, the overwhelming majority were piloted by the Soviet Air Force and then the Russian Air Force, although the Kazakhstan Air Force inherited 50 from when the Soviet Union dissolved in 2007, the Syrian Air Force actually ordered eight of these 31 from Russia and, although the Russian Government has denied carrying out this order, the Turkish government claims that six were delivered there in 2015.

During its time in operation A-31 has never fired a missile at an SR-71, but that does not mean that they have not been a deterrent. effective against the Blackbird spy plane. Reports from American and Soviet pilots speak of at least two intense clashes in 1986. The first comes from a book by aviation expert Paul Crickmore titled Lockheed Blackbird Beyond Secret Missions includes an anecdote told by Foxhound pilot Captain Mikhail Miyagi which shed some light on a confrontation with the sr-71 on january 31, 1986. mayheki says the plan to intercept the sr-71 was calculated down to the last second and the migs had to be launched exactly 16 minutes after the initial alert They alerted us for an interception at 11, they sounded the alarm with a strident bell and then confirmed it with a loudspeaker with the appearance of asr-71 was always accompanied by nervousness everyone started talking with frantic voices to run and react to the situation with excessive emotion miyagi's foxhound fixed the blackbird from a distance of about 120 kilometers at an altitude of 52,000 feet miyagi claimed that he could seeing the black bird with the naked eye after ascending another 13,000 feet to reach its elevation.

If the spy plane had violated Soviet airspace, an actual missile launch would have taken place and there was virtually no chance the plane could avoid it. An R-33 missile Another confrontation occurred on June 3, 1986 when the 631st intercepted a single SR-71 over the barren sea but again no missiles were fired according to all parties involved. This was the last time an SR-71 flew a reconnaissance mission. the Soviet Union and a few years later the Blackbird was retired, while many pilots of the 71st Air have stated that they never felt threatened by the 31st, it seems clear that the Soviet interceptor had at least achieved its objective of deterring the spy planes of the Soviet airspace After the withdrawal of the Blackbird the United States carried out most of its reconnaissance via satellite.

Those are a little higher. There are around 120 MiG-31s ​​in service within the Russian Air Force today, although The stories of their exploits are not as exciting as they were during the Cold War. On April 26, 2017, one was shot down at a testing range in southeastern Russia during a training exercise. Leaked documents showed that Fox Sound was shot down. by an r-33 missile fired by another russian 31 due to radar and fire control failures. Fortunately, all the pilots involved were able to eject safely, but that means that throughout its operational history the 31st was able to shoot down more fellow 31sts than mr. -71 is the aircraft it was built to defeat, like any aircraft that has been around for decades the Foxhound has been subject to a handful of variations, some of these variations were applied to new production batches but most have been updates of the pre-existing ones.

Aircraft The most common variants include the zero1dz bbm and the beersome variants. These latter variants are considered multi-role variations as they have anti-radar, anti-ship and air-to-surface missiles. A project to upgrade the Russian fleet to the mig-31 bm. The standard began in 2010 and is expected to be completed sometime this year. The secretive nature of the Russian military makes it unclear how many upgraded versions will be built, but estimates range between 50 and 130. The 31 bm includes improved avionics, new manual multimode radar. On the throttle and stick Hot controls Multi-function LCD displays A more powerful computer system and digital data links The upgraded radar can detect aerial targets up to 200 miles away and has the ability to prioritize them in order of potential threat.

It also includes the capability to carry the R-77 missile, several Russian air-to-ground missiles, such as the KH-31 anti-radiation missile and the R37, which is said to travel at hypersonic speeds of up to Mach 6 and can engage targets at more than 300 kilometers away in 2015. Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov reported that the upgraded fleet would remain in service until the 2030s, meaning the majority of the active fleet will have been flying for 50 years, although it may not It may be much longer, as the Russian military is reportedly working on a new and improved aircraft called the MiG-41.

Rumors about the project began in 2014, when Russian test pilot Anthony Corcha discussed the potential interceptor. sixth generation. Kvocha claimed that the aircraft under development would have a top speed of at least Mach 4, perhaps. Even reaching Mach 4.3, which is 5,267 kilometers per hour, aka incredibly rapid progress in replacing the 31, is, of course, top secret, but most estimates place its first flight in the mid-2020s, probably after 2025. The design process was completed in 2019. and Mickey and Corporation CEO Ilya Tarasenko stated that the design It will remind you of the foxhound, although it is also influenced by the su-57. Tarasenko also hinted at the inclusion of anti-satellite missiles and an anti-missile laser.

In the meantime, we can expect to see the 31 large Fox probes as part of the Russian air force for at least another decade, so I really hope you enjoyed the video, if you did, please smash the thumbs up button below if you enjoyed it , that's what the dislike button is for even if you've seen the endings unless you hate watching them, like, subscribe to this channel and I'll see you next time. Oh, if you have a suggestion for a future mega project, leave it in the comments. Next I look at those thank you for watching.