Mig-31!

I did a search and am surprised as to see nobody talking about the Mig-31 as one of the best fighters of all time. As of now, no combat fighter aircraft can go faster. It can engage 4 contacts at a time and has one one of the most powerful look down radars ever made! They can also link their radar's together to cover huge distances.

Why need fancy stealth or 3-d vectoring when you can fire and run?

MiG-31 Foxhound Specifications
Primary Function: Interceptor, air superiority
Contractor: Mikoyan-Gurevich
Crew: Two
Unit Cost: N/A
Powerplant
Two Tumanski R-15BD-300 turbojet engines rated at 11,191 pounds thrust each
Dimensions
Length: 70 ft 5 in (21.5 m)
Wingspan: 45 ft 9 in (14 m)
Height: 21 ft 8 in (6.6 m)
Weights
Empty: 48,502 lb (22,000 kg)
Normal: 80,954 lb (36,720 kg)
Performance
Speed: 2,154 mph (Mach 2.83)
Ceiling: 80,052 feet (24,400 m)
Range: 777 miles (1,250 km)
Armament
Typically four R-33 (AA-9) long range AAMs, two R-40T (AA-6) infrared AAMs, four R-60 (AA-8) AAMs, one GSh-6-23 six-barrel 23mm Gatling gun with 260 rounds.

The weight of this monster is even more shocking, with an EMPTY weight of 22,000 kg while American F-15 has dry weight of 12,975 kg.

Can U.S. missiles even destroy it in one shot?

Originally posted by PolskieWojsko
Can U.S. missiles even destroy it in one shot?

Yes, what kind of silly question is that?

As far as why it doesn't gather very much attention, here are a few reasons:
1. Not very many made
2. Poor maintenance record
3. Extremely poor export sales

There are other radars out there than can engage more than 4 contacts, ie the APG-71/AWG-9 combo on the F-14.

you are talking about a 1986 airplaneconcept as the best ?????

www.google.com...

The Mig-31 isn't really a good fighter because it's designed as an interceptor, search and destroy of high speed/strategic targets.
On a side note I always though that this plane would make for a great conversion to EW plane with equivilent capabilities to the EA-6B, how feasable would this be?

some of them are on exhibit at monino afb but for the type to be used for
some special operations...
i think igor & ivan don't like the idea

Newfound knowledge of the MiG-31 by US intelligence after MiG-25 test pilot Viktor Belenko made implicit reference to the MiG-31 was one reason Jimmy Carter canceled the B-1A program in April 1977 in favor of having the B-52 fleet armed with the AGM-86 cruise missile, because the B-1A would be vulnerable to the MiG-31's high speed despite being capable of low-altitude bombing and dashing at supersonic speeds at high altitudes, and cruise missiles could spare the B-52 from harm's way by taking out air defense networks to which the B-52 was vulnerable in a medium-altitude environment.

en.wikipedia.org...