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MiG-41 PAK DP

A new MiG-41 will be created on the basis of the old fighter-interceptor MiG-31, State Duma Committee on Defense Deputy Alexander Tarnaev told reporters at the Cultural Center of the armed forces 28 February 2014. "The corresponding decision was made chief of the General Staff, he had signed a document on conducting research work on the MiG-41", - he said. According to the MP, in the MiG-41 "will be embodied all the virtues of the airplane."

In addition, several hundred fighter-interceptor MiG-31 may soon return of the Russian Air Force, informed Tarnaev. "The country's leadership decided to return to the system through the repair of fighter-interceptor MiG-31", - he said. "We are talking about hundreds of machines, which will be repaired and returned to the armed forces," - said the deputy.

The MiG-31 is designed to intercept and destroy airborne targets at extremely low, low, medium and high altitudes, day and night, and adverse weather conditions, the application of active and passive enemy radar interference and false heat goals. A group of four MiG-31 is capable of controlling the air space over at the front of 800-900 km. Originally intended to intercept cruise missiles at all altitudes and speeds, as well as low-flying satellites.

The first mentions of the creation of a new interceptor fighter appeared at the beginning of 2014. Then the experts talked about the possible appearance of a supernova interceptor, which has no analogues. Only at the end of 2017, in the Russian news agencies, there was official information that the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) was working on the creation of a new generation high-altitude interceptor. Work on the creation of a high-speed fighter-interceptor has been carried out by the MiG Design Bureau together with the design bureau of the Sokol aircraft plant in Nizhny Novgorod since the beginning of the 2010s.

The newest Russian fighter-interceptor MiG-41 should have a speed of at least Mach 4-4.3, Russian hero, test pilot Anatoly Kvochur told RIA Novosti 03 February 2014. So he commented on the State Duma deputy Alexander Tarnaeva message that in Russia developed a new fighter MiG-41 on the basis of the heavy fighter-interceptor MiG-31, whose speed was Mach 2.8.

Tarnaev said at a meeting of experts of aerospace defense that the Chief of General Staff had signed an order for the deep modernization of Soviet fighter-interceptor MiG-31. "This upgrade was to have been held twenty years ago. However, this did not happen, so now increased requirements. They are including in the (increasing) the interceptor speed to Mach 4-4.3"- Kvochur said.

The new high-altitude interceptor MiG-41 will be based on the MiG-31, which, according to experts, still has no analogs in the world, member of the State Duma Committee on Defense Alexander Tarnaev told "Interfax" 22 January 2016. "The country's leadership decided to include the project of long-term high-altitude interceptor to a new weapons program with the terms of the implementation in 2020. The machine will be the further development of fighter-interceptor MiG-31, which is decades ahead of its time. We do not rule out that the development of a new aircraft may start earlier than 2020, since it is very necessary to our armed forces" Tarnaev said. One of the most closed projects of modern Russian defense industry - the prospective aviation complex long-range interception, which, under the designation "MiG-41", is found in fragmentary information on Internet resources since 2015.

As is well known, the basis of modern Russian air defense - a high-speed fighter-interceptor - the MiG-31 was created on the basis of the legendary MiG-25. "Thirty-One" was born in the late 1970s, and by the mid 1980's went into mass production. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the MiG-31 "inherited" joined the Air Force of Russia and Kazakhstan. The two post-Soviet states had not sold anyone interceptors, and today they are still flying.

At the same time Russia launched a large-scale replacement of the "stuffing" their MiGs, whereby the possibility of the aircraft to destroy air targets increased significantly. It was decided that the upgraded MiG-31 in the Russia Air Force would be more than 100 machines, and it is possible that the aircraft will be again put into production at a new technological level (ie, to repeat the story of his ancestor, the MiG-25, becoming in effect a new project).

Here it is that observers come to the fore with the mysterious MiG-41. The fact that a completely new long-range MiG interceptor was already developed under the code "701 Project" and "TIR", and it was around 1990-92. That 62-ton machine did not have a range of MiG-25 / MiG-31, and its characteristics can be the most powerful combat fifth generation air defense aircraft: the developers had planned to bring the range "701" to 7000 km at supersonic cruising speed of 2,2 M (about 2300 km / h). The maximum speed of the machine should not have more than 2,500 km / h.

The military did not hurry to disclose the work on the project, which someone call the MiG-41. Because of the same fragmentary information in the media can build the following chronology: the updated MiG-31 would serve faithfully until 2028, when due will be replaced by something new and special. And the appearance of a new interceptor, may be seen between 2017 and 2020, when designers will have to present their achievements Russian Defense Ministry.

Now about the "Project 701", the maximum design MiG-41 flight speed would likely develop in line with the MiG-31. If the most "advanced" of the MiG-25 and MiG-31 could reach a top speed of 3-3.2 M, the "forty-one" want to give the opportunity to squeeze up to 4.3 M (ie, up to about 4500 km / h). Why is it necessary? The fact that the US is actively developing a hypersonic unmanned attack aircraft that need to intercept. The speed of these devices is very high, and in the Russian air defense / missile defense except the latest S-500 ground-based, space sweep over their areas of up to 150 km in height, must be air platform capable of rapidly respond to a violation of air space on distant borders.

At the end of February 2014, a representative of the Defence deputy Alexander Tarnaev State Duma Committee reported that the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation signed a document on conducting research work on the creation of modern heavy fighter-interceptor MiG-41, which embody all the advantages of its predecessor - the multipurpose MiG-31. Tarnaev also informed that several hundred MiG-31 aircraft will soon be returned to the composition of the Russian Air Force after the necessary repairs. "The country's leadership decided to return to the system through the repair of fighter-interceptor MiG-31", - he explained. - "We are talking about hundreds of machines, which will be repaired and returned to the armed forces."

It means a lot for Russian aviation, for its revival and strengthening - especially after the most promising projects of the twentieth century (which includes the MiG-31, and "Project 1.42" Soviet fighter of the 5th generation, which created in the early 90- ies, and others) were forcibly closed on various pretexts and pushed to a dark corner of history, if not destroyed during the time of the country's total disarmament era adjustment unilaterally.

"This upgrade was to be held even twenty years ago," - says Honored Test Pilot of the USSR, Hero of Russia, General Designer of FSUE "Flight Research Center" Anatoly Kvochur. - "However, this did not happen, so now increased requirements. They are including in the (increasing) interceptor speeds of up to Mach 4-4.3 ". The rate of 4-4.3 Mach - this means that the aircraft is capable of flying at speeds of the order of 4920-5289 km \ hour. By comparison, modern fighters of the last, 5th generation can reach speeds of about 2500 km \ hour or so. A MiG-31 managed to "accelerate" to 3000 km \ h in the last century. He was already then called "fighter ahead of his time" . And not only…

The Russian Aircraft Corporation (RAC) MiG will soon present the results of work on the creation of the fifth generation MiG-41 fighter. This was announced on Friday by the general director of the corporation Ilya Tarasenko 17 August 2018. According to him, this is not a mythical project. Answering the question about the development of the aircraft, Tarasenko said that the work is being intensively conducted under the auspices of the United Aircraft Corporation (UAC), and soon the results will be presented to the public.

The MiG-31 interceptor will be replaced by a new MiG-41, also called PAK DP, a long-range long-range aviation interceptor. The former head of the Air and Space Forces of the Russian Federation, the chairman of the Council of the Federation Council on Defense and Security Viktor Bondarev, the experimental design work for its creation was planned to begin in 2018. In turn, Tarasenko reported that research and development work on a promising Russian interceptor is scheduled to begin "in the near future," and its deliveries to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation are scheduled to begin in the mid-2020s.

In addition to the manned version of this aircraft, the creation of an unmanned vehicle is also considered.

In June 2019, the director of RAC MiG, Ilya Tarasenko, said that the appearance of a promising aircraft would be formed by the end of the year. "A promising aircraft will use new types of aviation weapons, it will be created with the use of new stealth technologies, it will be able to transport the required amount of weapons, it will operate at a very large interception radius. Now all these requirements are laid down in the appearance of the aircraft. Research work should be completed before end of the year with an approved appearance, "Tarasenko said.

He clarified that there is a schedule with the Ministry of Defense for this project. “We are convinced that such an aircraft is necessary for our country. This is the next, very big step towards strengthening the defense capability of the state, protecting the borders of our Motherland. And this is not only about the Arctic and the East, as it is commonly believed. We are working on a comprehensive system of global defense of the borders of Russia. We expect that the PAK DP (a promising long-range intercept aircraft complex) will replace the MiG-31 when its resource comes to its logical conclusion, "- explained the general director of the MiG company.

Earlier, the ex-commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev, said that development work on the PAK DP would begin no earlier than 2019.

Serial production of the planned Russian fighter MiG-41 in the future should not be expected, neither now nor in the near future there is no need for a fifth generation interceptor. This opinion was expressed by experts interviewed by journalists from the American edition of Business Insider. Combat aviation specialist Justin Bronk of Britain's Royal Joint Institute for Defense Research said "I don't really hope for an even less proven design concept (MiG-41) to go into series production any time soon." From his point of view, skepticism about the prospects of the MiG-41 is added by the serial production of the T-14 "Armata" tanks and multifunctional fifth-generation fighters Su-57.

Richard Abulafia, vice president of analytics for the American consulting company Teal Group, explained that the idea of ??creating a new generation of interceptors is “life in the past”, since surface-to-air missiles are the best way to intercept air targets. In his opinion, discussions about the MiG-41 are conducted for advertising purposes, in particular, the PR of the MiG-29SM.

Russian pilots could receive a new interceptor even before the retirement of the MiG-31 fighter jets, notes Sputnik military observer Alexander Khrolenko. For decades, Russia's fighter aircraft have maintained global leadership in high technology and are constantly improving. The Russian defense industry is successfully ramping up serial production of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet and developing the powerful, hypersonic sixth-generation MiG-41 interceptor, designed for combat missions in low Earth orbit. Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Hero of Russia, Honored Military Pilot, Colonel General Viktor Bondarev recently recalled a unique development – ??the MiG-41. Russia's advanced long-range interception aircraft system (PAK DP) has attracted the attention of specialists around the world for several years. Sergei Khokhlov, CEO of the State Research Institute of Aviation Systems, previously noted the specifics of the sixth-generation aircraft's development: "The main difference from the fifth generation is that the basic version of the sixth-generation fighter is unmanned. Piloting is optional. All other characteristics are further developments of existing ones: even faster, even more maneuverable, even stealthier." By combining all Russian and foreign sources, we obtain a space-age (without exaggeration) image of the manned and unmanned modifications of the MiG-41 stealth fighter: a ramjet engine and a speed of up to 6,000 km/h, a combat radius of 1,500 km and operating altitudes of up to 100 km, the main armament is R-37M hypersonic missiles with a range of up to 400 km (in airspace) and an EMP cannon. Mikoyan Corporation CEO Ilya Tarasenko has repeatedly stated the MiG-41's capability and purpose for performing combat missions in near space, at speeds up to Mach 5. There are more than enough military targets in low-Earth orbit threatening Russia, and the Pentagon's "secret SpaceX constellation" is growing. It is known that the Russian Aerospace Forces may receive a new interceptor before the end of the service life of the "veteran" MiG-31s ??in 2028. Colonel General Viktor Bondarev, as well as Chinese experts, previously reported that the first MiG-41s would enter service with the Russian Aerospace Forces in 2025. The appearance of a sixth-generation MiG-41 long-range interceptor in the skies and near space may seem fantastical, unrealistic, and yet the aircraft exists beyond the blueprints. Both the West and the East are not denying this, expecting the MiG-41 to enter production in the coming years. weapons system Russia is developing next-generation aircraft missiles, and laser weapons are rapidly developing. It's no coincidence that Colonel General Viktor Bondarev told reporters that the MiG-41 will carry "completely new missiles." According to Russian media, the sixth-generation fighter will be equipped with a long-range, multifunctional interceptor missile system capable of engaging hypersonic missiles. The MiG-41 may inherit the Kinzhal air defense system from the MiG-31BM, which features hypersonic precision-guided missiles with a range of up to 2,000 km, which are immune to existing and future air defense and missile defense systems. Western experts believe the "revolutionary EMP (electromagnetic pulse) cannon" will make the MiG-41 long-range interceptor even more dangerous. Russian media reported testing of this "energy" weapon in July 2020. The American publication Military Watch noted that the hypersonic MiG-41 integrates the advantages of the MiG-25 and MiG-31 interceptors, significantly improving them with the latest technologies, and will be capable of threatening enemy spacecraft. It's worth noting that the MiG-41 doesn't necessarily need to be at the same altitude to neutralize space objects. Much earlier, the MiG-31D fighter received the specialized 79M6 Kontakt missile for engaging satellites at altitudes of up to 120 km. MiG-41 interceptor fighter, characteristics - Sputnik Belarus, 1920, March 22, 2024 MiG-41 interceptor fighter, characteristics © Sputnik The National Interest, an analytical publication, devoted an entire series of publications to the MiG-41, and on October 27, 2020, it noted that Russia's mysterious sixth-generation stealth fighter is "an advanced technology" capable of "changing the rules of the game." Design features Many of the combat capabilities and characteristics of the latest MiG-41 will remain classified for a long time. Judging by the design specifications and published images, the sixth-generation fighter is being developed using the flying wing principle, which will ensure high speed, maneuverability, and stealth against enemy radar. The MiG-41 will likely incorporate space technologies and composite materials that are invisible to radar and resistant to G-forces and high and low temperatures. its predecessor, the MiG-31 heavy fighter-interceptor, can withstand long-term dynamic and thermal loads thanks to the design of its highly durable airframe (consisting of 50% steel, 33% aluminum alloys, and 16% titanium), and this "veteran" is capable of carrying a 9-ton arsenal at a speed of 3,000 km/h and using weapons at altitudes of up to 25 km. The MiG-41 will be a successor to the MiG-31, boasting "incredible performance" and destined for plasma flight. Russian designers are tackling complex technological challenges. Artificial intelligence is being integrated into the MiG-41 long-range interceptor fighter—a requirement of the times. Autonomous (robotic) control systems respond more quickly to threats and targets, flawlessly overcoming extreme maneuvering loads at near-hypersonic speeds (human physiological capabilities are limited). The implementation of the multirole (space) MiG-41 project represents a technological revolution, establishing the fundamental parameters of sixth-generation fighter aircraft. Russia is ahead of the rest of the world in this endeavor. Promises to create the MiG-41 are ahead of the physics and capabilities of the Russian defense industry. The promising American sixth-generation F-47 and F/A-XX fighters will be a nightmare for the Russian MiG-41 interceptor, which is likely nothing more than a concept that outstrips the capabilities of the current Russian defense industry, according to Brent Eastwood, a columnist for the American publication National Security Journal (NSJ). Speaking about the MiG-41, the author asserts that “Moscow’s promises [to create a new combat aircraft] are ahead of physics, materials science and its sanctions-strangled industry: the coatings, avionics and, most importantly, the engines needed to achieve speeds above Mach 4 are simply not available in Russia’s current arsenal.” "Is it possible that the MiG-41 exists only on paper? Possibly. Mach 4.3 sounds like science fiction, and Russia's experience with the Su-57 and Su-75 shows that this speed is unattainable," the publication states. It also notes that the MiG-41 is likely "nothing more than a figment of the imagination" and "yet another example of the Russian defense industry trying to catch up with the Americans and Chinese." "Where have the achievements of the Russian aerospace industry gone, after producing so many high-quality fighters during the Cold War that were popular on the export market?" the author asks. NSJ columnist Stephen Silver noted that Russia will not be able to create the sixth-generation MiG-41 fighter due to sanctions and problems with the industry. The Mikoyan Experimental Design Bureau (part of the United Aircraft Corporation) is developing a new MiG-UTS trainer aircraft. The design bureau will ensure that cadets can transition to next-generation systems after the MiG-UTS, said Mikoyan Design Bureau Director Alexey Matveyev. According to him, such an aircraft, on the one hand, must be reliable and simple, and on the other, modern and meet the requirements of tomorrow. So that the cadets who trained on it would transfer not only to today's fifth-generation aircraft, but also to sixth-generation systems and any systems that might be developed further. The UAC reported that designers at the Mikoyan Design Bureau are already working on a new pilot training system, the main element of which is the single-engine MiG-UTS aircraft.