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Описание: The Mikoyan MiG-31 (Russian: Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed to replace the MiG-25 "Foxbat". The MiG-31 was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau based on the MiG-25. Development The MiG-25 "Foxbat", despite Western panic about its tremendous performance, made substantial design sacrifices in capability for the sake of achieving high speed, altitude, and rate of climb. It lacked maneuverability at interception speeds, was difficult to fly at low altitudes, and its inefficient turbojet engines resulted in a short combat range at supersonic speeds.[citation needed] The MiG-25's speed was limited to Mach Mach 2.83 in operations. But it could reach a maximum speed of Mach 3.2 with the risk of damaging the engines beyond repair. Development of the MiG-25's replacement began with the Ye-155MP (Russian: Е-155МП) prototype which first flew on 16 September 1975.Although it bore a superficial resemblance to a stretched MiG-25 with a longer fuselage for the radar operator cockpit, it was in many respects a new design. The MiG-25 used 80% nickel steel in its structure to allow welding.The Ye-155MP doubled the use of titanium to 16% and tripled the aluminium content to 33% to reduce structural mass. More importantly, supersonic speed was now possible at low altitudes. Fuel capacity was also increased, and new, more efficient low bypass ratio turbofan engines were fitted. The most important development was introducing an advanced radar capable of both look-up and look-down engagement (locating targets above and below the aircraft), as well as multiple target tracking. This finally gave the Soviets an interceptor able to engage the most likely Western intruders at long range. It also reflected a policy shift from reliance on ground-controlled interception (GCI) to greater autonomy for flight crews. Like its MiG-25 predecessor, the MiG-31 was surrounded by early speculation and misinformation concerning its design and abilities. The West learned of the new interceptor from Lieutenant Viktor Belenko, a pilot who defected to Japan in 1976 with his MiG-25P. Belenko described an upcoming "Super Foxbat" with two seats and an ability to intercept cruise missiles. According to his testimony, the new interceptor was to have air intakes similar to the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23, which the MiG-31 does not have, at least not in production variants. While the MiG-31 was undergoing testing, an unknown aircraft was spotted by a reconnaissance satellite at the Zhukovsky flight test center near the town of Ramenskoye. The images were interpreted as a fixed-wing interceptor version of a swing-wing fighter codenamed "Ram-K". The latter was eventually revealed to be the Sukhoi Su-27 'Flanker', a wholly unrelated design. Series production of the MiG-31 began in 1979 and about 400 were produced by 2000. Some upgrade programs have found their way in the MiG-31 fleet, like the MiG-31BM multirole version with upgraded avionics, new multimode radar, hands-on-throttle-and-stick (HOTAS) controls, liquid crystal (LCD) color multi-function displays (MFDs), ability to carry the AA-12 'Adder' missile and various Russian air-to-ground missiles (AGMs) such as the AS-17 'Krypton' anti-radiation missile (ARM), a new and more powerful computer, and digital data links. A project to upgrade the Russian MiG-31 fleet to the MiG-31BM standard is nearing completion. Design Like the MiG-25, MiG-31 is a large twin-engine aircraft with side-mounted air intakes, a shoulder-mounted wing with an aspect ratio of 2.94, and twin vertical tailfins. Unlike the MiG-25, it has two seats, with the rear occupied by a dedicated weapon systems officer. Airframe and engines The wings and airframe of the MiG-31 are stronger than those of the MiG-25, permitting supersonic flight at low altitudes. Its Aviadvigatel D30-F6 turbofans, rated at 152 kN thrust, (also described as "bypass turbojets" due to the low bypass ratio) allow a maximum speed of Mach 1.23 at low altitude. High-altitude speed is temperature-redlined to Mach 2.83—the thrust-to-drag ratio is sufficient for speeds in excess of Mach 3, but such speeds pose unacceptable hazards to engine and airframe life in routine use. Given the MiG-31's role as Mach 2.8+ interceptor and the sustained afterburning this requires, its fuel consumption is higher when compared to other aircraft serving in different roles, such as the Su-27. Consequently, the aircraft's fuel fraction has been increased to more than 0.40—16,350 kg (36,050 lb) of high-density T-6 jet fuel. The outer wing pylons are also plumbed for drop tanks, allowing an extra 5,000 L (1,320 US gal) of external fuel. Late-production aircraft have aerial refueling probes. MiG-31 is limited to a maximum of only 5 g at supersonic speeds. At combat weight, its wing loading is marginal and its thrust to weight ratio is favorable. However, it is not designed for close combat or rapid turning. General characteristics Crew: Two (pilot and weapons system officer) Length: 22.69 m (74 ft 5 in) Wingspan: 13.46 m (44 ft 2 in) Height: 6.15 m (20 ft 2 in) Wing area: 61.6 m^2 (663 ft^2) Empty weight: 21,820 kg (48,100 lb) Loaded weight: 41,000 kg (90,400 lb) Max takeoff weight: 46,200 kg (101,900 lb) Powerplant: 2 x Soloviev D-30F6 afterburning turbofans Dry thrust: 93 kN (20,900 lbf) each Thrust with afterburner: 152 kN (34,172 lbf) each Performance Maximum speed: High altitude: Mach 2.83 (3,000 km/h, 1,860 mph)[3] Low altitude: Mach 1.2 (1,500 km/h, 930 mph) Combat radius: 720 km (450 mi) at Mach 2.35 Ferry range: 3,300 km (2,050 mi) Service ceiling: 20,600 m (67,600 ft) Rate of climb: 208 m/s (41,000 ft/min) Wing loading: 665 kg/m^2 (136 lb/ft^2) Thrust/weight: 0.85 Maximum g-load: 5 g Armament 1x GSh-6-23 23 mm cannon with 260 rounds. Fuselage recesses for 4x R-33 (AA-9 'Amos') (or for MiG-31M/BM only 6x R-37 (AA-X-13 'Arrow') long-range air-to-air missiles) 4 underwing pylons for a combination of: 2x R-40TD1 (AA-6 'Acrid') medium-range missiles, and[clarification needed] 4x R-60 (AA-8 'Aphid') or 4x R-73 (AA-11 'Archer') short-range IR missiles, or 4x R-77 (AA-12 'Adder') medium-range missiles. Some aircraft are equipped to launch the Kh-31P (AS-17 'Krypton') and Kh-58 (AS-11 'Kilter') anti-radiation missiles in the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) role.

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