Mig 41 space interceptor. Comments from officials
The Russian MiG-41 fighter, which is being developed in Russia, may enter testing in the near future. This was reported by the American magazine The National Interest.
The material states that the new fighter is being developed separately from the T-50 PAK FA and the project will begin to be actively implemented after the completion of work on the PAK FA, which means there will be no competition for resources between these projects.
Very little is known about the MiG-41 project due to its secrecy, but, as they say, the earth is full of rumors about it. Even the modification itself - the MiG-41 - only indicates that it will be developed by the Design Bureau named after. Mikoyan, and the aircraft itself will be a further development of the famous MiG-31 fighter currently existing and successfully operated in the Russian Aerospace Forces.
The birth of a new aircraft can be confirmed by the words of the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, Colonel-General Viktor Bondarev, who a year ago stated that R&D (research and development work) was already underway, and in 2017 it is planned to begin R&D (experimental design work) to create a promising aviation complex long-range interception. And by 2025, this aircraft should begin to enter service with aviation regiments.
These words were indirectly confirmed by the General Director of the Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" Sergei Korotkov, who made a significant statement that work on the creation of the latest fighter-interceptor is already underway and from 2026 it will enter the Aerospace Forces. And although none of them spoke about any specific aircraft, it is quite obvious that we are talking specifically about the MiG-41 interceptor, which will become the heir to the best traditions of the MiG-31 fighter.
It is known that the project of a long-range fighter-interceptor (advanced aviation complex for long-range interception - PAK DP) developed on the basis of the MiG-31 is being carried out at the Design Bureau named after. Mikoyan together with the Nizhny Novgorod design bureau of the Sokol aircraft plant. Development began back in 2013 - first at the suggestion of the Commander-in-Chief of the Aerospace Forces, and later by order of the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
The aircraft is planned to be developed as part of the armament program until 2020 and to replace the MiG-31 fleet, of which the Aerospace Forces currently have 120 aircraft in service (75 have already been modernized, the rest will be brought to the BM level in the next 2-3 years). With all the advantages of the “thirty-first” (it has no equal in the world, not only in speed), the service life of these machines ends in 2028 and they simply need to be replaced.
By this moment, the new generation fighter-interceptor MiG-41 should appear in the Aerospace Forces. And the main feature of the new interceptor should be its speed - 4500 km/h.
This hypersonic aircraft will also carry hypersonic missiles. The newest fighter will be able to launch small satellites into low-Earth orbit, which some modifications of the MiG-31 can now do, but the MiG-41 will have significantly greater capabilities.
“A new long-range interceptor on the MiG was already being developed in the early 90s under the code “Project 701,” says aviation expert Valentin Dudin. — The new development was not similar to previous Mig fighters and, according to its characteristics, was supposed to become the most powerful combat air defense aircraft with an expected speed of up to 7,000 kilometers. But there wasn’t enough money, and the attitude towards the defense industry was irresponsible at that time. But the currently planned new interceptor will most likely be developed on the basis of the MiG-31, which is quite logical. This is both faster and more economical. And the capabilities of the future MiG-41 will be orders of magnitude superior to previous models. It will even be able to intercept the hypersonic attack drones currently being developed by the Americans, which theoretically only the S-500 air defense system can handle.”
The MiG-41 has not yet been born, and its main characteristics and weapons are not fully known, but this interceptor fighter is already causing our potential enemy to be quite worried. Of course, a plane outrunning missiles is a powerful argument in deterring aggression. And in 10 years it will fly over American territory as calmly and fearlessly as its “granddaughters”, the MiG-25, did 45 years ago. Heredity, there's nothing you can do about it.
In the picture: deep modernization - the development of the MiG-31 aircraft according to the MilitaryRussia portal, which in the early 90s bore the name MiG-33 (not to be confused with the MiG-29K/MiG-33).
One of the most secretive projects of the modern Russian defense industry is a promising long-range interception aircraft complex, which under the designation “MiG-41” has been circulating in the form of fragmentary information on Internet resources for the third year now.
As you know, the basis of modern Russian air defense is the high-speed fighter-interceptor MiG-31, created on the basis of another legendary aircraft, the MiG-25. “Thirty-one” was born in the late 1970s, and by the mid-80s it went into mass production. When the USSR was destroyed in 1991, the MiG-31 was “inherited” into the air forces of Russia and Kazakhstan.
The MiG-31 (NATO reporting name Foxhound) is a Soviet/Russian all-weather, two-seat, long-range supersonic interceptor fighter.
The MiG-31 interceptor fighter is designed to intercept and then
destroying air targets across the entire altitude range at any time of the day
in simple and difficult weather conditions.
Both post-Soviet states did not sell the interceptors to anyone, and today they are still flying. At the same time, Russia has launched a large-scale replacement of the “stuffing” of its MiGs, thanks to which the aircraft’s ability to destroy air targets has increased significantly. It was decided that there will be more than 100 updated MiG-31 aircraft in our Air Force, and it is possible that the aircraft will again be put into production at a new technological level (i.e., it will repeat the history of its ancestor MiG-25, essentially turning into a new project). This is where the mysterious MiG-41 comes to the fore.
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The fact is that a fundamentally new long-range interceptor on the MiG was already being developed under the code “Project 701” or “MDP”, and this was around 1990-92. That 62-ton machine was completely different from the MiG-25/MiG-31 model range, and in terms of its characteristics could become the most powerful fifth-generation air defense combat aircraft: the developers planned to increase the flight range of the “701” to 7000 kilometers at a supersonic cruising speed of 2. 2 M (about 2300 km/h). The maximum speed of the car should not exceed 2500 km/h.
Now no one remembers the “Project 701”, and the announced design maximum flight speed of the MiG-41 suggests that what we are looking at is, most likely, the development of the MiG-31 line. If the most “sophisticated” MiG-25 and MiG-31 could reach a maximum speed of 3-3.2 Mach, then they want to give the “forty-first” the ability to reach speeds of up to 4.3 Mach (that is, up to approximately 4500 km/h). Why is this necessary? The fact is that the United States is actively developing hypersonic unmanned attack aircraft that need to be intercepted. The speed of such devices is very high, and in Russian air defense/missile defense, in addition to the latest ground-based S-500s, which sweep the space above their areas up to 150 km in height, there must also be air platforms capable of quickly responding to violations of aerospace at distant borders.
The military is in no hurry to disclose the work on the project, which, thanks to someone else, received the name MiG-41. From the same fragmentary information in the media, the following chronology can be built: the updated MiG-31 will serve faithfully until 2028, when they will begin to be replaced with something new and special. And we will probably see the appearance of the new interceptor between 2017 and 2020, when the designers will have to present their developments to the Russian Ministry of Defense.
MiG-35 - almost fifth generation
The Russian Air Force will finally finish off the self-confidence of American pilots
On March 17, 2016, the Russian aircraft manufacturing corporation MiG presented the first batch of the latest MiG-35 fighters, produced under a development contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Multifunctional MiG-35, the most advanced representative of the MiG family. This is a 4++ generation machine, the ideology of an air fighter is built behind this formula; it must surpass fourth-generation fighters in combat qualities and successfully resist fifth-generation fighters in air battles. The fact is that having fifth-generation aircraft in service is not a cheap pleasure and not every country can afford it, so the MiG-35 is a good alternative.
Overall material rating: 4.9
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MiG 1.44 MFI(from multirole front-line fighter; the series should have been named MiG-35; according to NATO codification: Flatpack listen)) - Soviet and Russian experimental prototype of a fifth generation fighter.
The aircraft was created as a counterweight to the American F-22 fighter and was superior to its American rival in a number of characteristics. Had widespread use of stealth technologies. The aircraft was supposed to be equipped with engines with thrust vector control AL-41F. All the aircraft's weapons were located in the internal compartments. Covered with a special radio-absorbing coating, the fins of the aircraft were designed with a special method of curved surfaces, which significantly reduced the EPR of the aircraft.
History and general information
Preliminary work on the creation of a fifth-generation heavy fighter for the Air Force and Air Defense began at the end of 1979 as part of the I-90 program (“fighter of the 1990s”). In 1981, TsAGI issued recommendations for an aircraft designed according to the “canard” design with a delta adaptive wing and a large number of deflectable surfaces, ensuring high values of aerodynamic quality in both subsonic and supersonic modes, as well as flight at supercritical angles of attack.
The development of a new fighter began at the A. I. Mikoyan Design Bureau. In 1983, a “Comprehensive Target Program” of work on the aircraft, power plant, avionics and weapons was approved, as well as tactical and technical specifications for the Air Force and Air Defense. In 1987, the defense of the preliminary design took place, and in 1991 - the preliminary design and mock-up of the aircraft, which received the "MFI" index - a multifunctional front-line fighter. Its main features were to be:
- ability for supersonic flight in non-afterburning mode;
- low radar and thermal signature;
- improved takeoff and landing characteristics;
- a significant reduction in the cost of a flight hour, the amount of technical personnel, the volume and weight of non-standard equipment required to maintain the aircraft;
- new architecture of the avionics complex, structure of the cockpit information and control field, high degree of integration;
- will be equipped with N014 radar, with a range of 420 km and the ability to detect an object with an area of 1 m² at a distance of 250 km; tracking 40 targets and firing 20 simultaneously; Passive electronically scanned array antenna.
In parallel with the work on a multifunctional front-line fighter based on the basic design, variants of a reconnaissance aircraft, a ship-based fighter and other modifications were being developed.
The crisis that broke out in 1991 put an end to the future fate of the aircraft. MAPO-MIG was unable to organize financing for the project under the new conditions. On September 25, 1997, the prototype of the S-37 front-line fighter (Sukhoi Design Bureau) took off - the MiG 1.44 had not taken off at that time.
Work on the MFI continued and on February 29, 2000, the first MiG 1.42 prototype took off. But a series of financial scandals that rocked MAPO-MIG put an end to this project. As a result, in 2002, a government decree was issued on the creation of the Su-57, which finally buried both the MFI and the S-37.
As of 2013, the only flightable prototype is located in Zhukovsky, abandoned in the open air (coordinates - 55°34′27″ n. w. 38°08′32″ E. d. HGIOL). A decision was made to permanently preserve the specimen in the hangar.
Among a number of experts, there is an opinion that some technologies and general types of the aircraft were transferred to China, although, most likely, when creating their J-20, the Chinese used Project 1.46 drawings purchased from RSK MiG.
In June 2015, the Russian MiG aviation corporation announced the resumption of work on a promising light fighter. Aviation experts suggest that they will be based on developments from Project 1.44.
Modifications
Airplane with code 1.42 is a prototype on which the technologies of the MiG design bureau were tested under the I-90 project. 1 prototype built (1994) which was used for static testing.
Airplane with code 1.44 is a modified 1.42. He had to go into mass production and enter the army. 1 copy was built (1999), 4 more were at the Sokol plant in varying degrees of readiness at the time the project was closed.
Airplane with code 1.46 is a deep modernization of 1.44, significantly superior to it in terms of performance characteristics. At the time the project was closed, preparations were underway for the construction of a prototype.
Specifications
MiG-MFI in four projections
MiG-MFI in four projections
- Crew: 1 person
- Length : 17.3 m
- Wingspan: 11.99 m
- Height : 4.73 m
- Weight :
- empty: 18000 kg
- maximum take-off weight: 23500 kg
- Engine:
- Engine type: turbojet twin-circuit with afterburner and controlled thrust vectoring
- Model:"AL-41F"
- Traction:
- on afterburner: 2 × 18000 kgf
Flight characteristics
- Maximum speed at altitude: 3210 km/h
- Maximum ground speed: 1500 km/h
- Practical range: 4000 km
- Service ceiling: 20000 m
- EPR: less than 0.3 m²
Armament
- Cannon: 30-mm built-in cannon GSh-30-1 up to 12000 kg
- for air combat, in weapons bays: 12 × R-77 or
Long-range interceptor MiG-31BM.
The Pentagon abandoned interceptors, but they are still relevant for Russia
In August of this year, the media reacted violently to news of work on the creation of a promising interceptor. An aircraft that will belong to generation 5+, or even 6, should have an absolutely fantastic speed of the order of 4-4.4 M. Its ceiling will also increase significantly compared to the current one. That is, it will be able to rise above 30 km above ground level. At the same time, it will be able to intercept targets not only in the atmosphere, but also in near space. Not a plane, but a dream; no one in the world has ever made such planes. The famous American “Blackbird” SR-71 could only accelerate to 3550 km/h.
And suddenly the Avia.pro portal, citing its source, reports that the Ministry of Defense was dissatisfied with the documents submitted for consideration on the fighter-interceptor project. The source explains that the project is considered “crude”; it does not sufficiently take into account the requirements for the aircraft by the military. Another reason for doubt about the quality of the promising aircraft is that the Russian Aircraft Corporation (RSC) MiG has been working on it for a quarter of a century. Therefore, it cannot be considered promising.
Regarding the first reason for the discontent, nothing definite is reported here. The second reason is absolutely far-fetched. The fact is that RSK MiG carries out work on its own initiative with a huge break during the period of lack of money and devastation. So the proposed preliminary design is completely “fresh”. If only because such qualities as stealth, record speed and the presence of developed artificial intelligence in control systems announced by the corporation’s management could hardly have been planned a quarter of a century ago.
A much more serious reason for the Ministry of Defense’s hesitation is undoubtedly financial. The United Aircraft Corporation (USC) is currently implementing a number of very expensive programs. These include the launch of production of essentially new strategic missile carriers Tu-160M2, the development of the Advanced Aviation Complex for Long-Range Aviation, as well as a promising transport aircraft. The fifth generation fighter Su-57 with a new engine is being fine-tuned. And the MiG-41, which is officially called the Advanced Long-Range Interception Aviation Complex, is a very serious burden on the defense budget.
However, the MiG-41 is necessary because, no matter how good the MiG-31 and, in particular, its latest modification, it will have to be changed in the foreseeable future. His most recent cars rolled off the assembly line in the early 90s. And it was put into service in 1981. Fighter aviation is not transport aviation, where aircraft can be operated for more than half a century.
General Director of RSK MiG Ilya Tarasenko I am extremely optimistic regarding the readiness of the promising aircraft, claiming that the PAK DP will begin to arrive in combat units in the middle of the next decade. And this despite the fact that he said this year that the project is at the stage of “experimental and scientific work.” We must understand that the research work is nearing completion.
That is, RSK MiG promises to set an absolute record for the time spent on developing a new aircraft. Over the remaining 7 years, it will be necessary to carry out R&D, build at least a couple of prototypes, bring them to the proper quality specified in the tactical and technical specifications, conduct government tests and set up serial production of the aircraft. True, during the war period aircraft were created faster. However, the complexity of modern aircraft is disproportionately higher.
The former commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, and now the chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, is more realistic in his forecasts Victor Bondarev. He believes that development work could begin in 2019, and a serviceable interceptor will be received at the end of the next decade. Or a little later.
V. Bondarev is more frank than the general director of RSK MiG regarding both the characteristics of the MiG-41 and the tasks assigned to it. He calls it the estimated combat radius, which can reach 1,500 km. He also talks about reducing the visibility of the aircraft in various spectra to the possible minimum.
The senator also suggests that the main weapon of the promising interceptor will be an air-to-air missile with a record range of 300 km. It is expected that by the time the aircraft is ready, an even longer-range KS-172 missile will appear, capable of hitting targets at a distance of 400 km. Bondarev believes that the PAK DP will be primarily designed to combat low-maneuverable aircraft, such as bombers, tankers, AWACS and transport aircraft, cruise missiles and drones. It should also intercept hypersonic missiles.
It is quite clear that RSK MiG and USC are demonstrating the greatest activity in promoting the ambitious project, since other aircraft manufacturing companies should also be involved in the creation of a promising interceptor. First of all, of course, the Sukhoi Design Bureau. However, critics of the project say that our armed forces do not need an interceptor fighter. That this is a kind of atavism.
The last NATO multi-role carrier-based aircraft with interceptor functions, the American F-14 Tomcat, was withdrawn from service in 2006. It was significantly inferior in terms of capabilities to the MiG-31. The quality of an interceptor is determined by such a characteristic as the “ultimate interception limit” - this is the distance of the target at which the interceptor, having started, is able to catch up and destroy it. With a target speed of 2.35 M for the MiG-31, this parameter is 720 km. For the F-14, a target flying at a speed of only 1.5 Mach is reachable from a distance not exceeding 250 km. With a target speed of 0.8 M, the limits for these two aircraft are: 1250 and 800 km.
The F-14 was replaced by the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. This is an even more versatile aircraft, even used as an attack aircraft. Its interception capabilities are even more limited. One of the most important characteristics of an interceptor is high speed. If for the MiG-31 it reaches 3 M, then for the F-14 it was 2.2 M. As for the F/A-18E/F, its speed is even lower - 1.8 M.
The Americans transferred the task of air defense of aircraft carriers to anti-aircraft missile weapons, which are located on escort ships.
Critics of the use of aviation to solve air defense problems argue that since Russia has excellent anti-aircraft missile systems, it is more logical to use them. And interceptors could be abandoned. Because, firstly, air defense systems are more universal, they use a set of missiles, each of which is capable of most optimally intercepting its own class of targets - subsonic low-flying cruise missiles, high-speed fighters, stealth aircraft, high-altitude targets, ballistic missiles...
The development of the MiG-41 heavy fighter project in Russia has been underway for a long time. Like other similar projects, the new MiG-41 is being developed in the strictest secrecy. As the American magazine “The National Interest” recently reported, the MiG-41 fighter, whose characteristics significantly exceed those of the MiG-31, should soon enter official state tests.
According to the Americans, state tests of the MiG-41 should begin no later than 2020. The MiG-41 should replace the MiG-31 fighter-interceptors currently in service, which may remain in service until 2028.
According to experts, work on the MiG-41 should begin with triple force after the completion of modifications to the SU-57, the prototype of which was shown at the air show in 2011. The Su-57, or as it is also called the T-50 PAK FA, should be finalized and put into production in 2019. Thus, all resources after 2019 will be focused on the MiG-41 project.
A few words about the MiG-41 project
Although the Mig-41 project is being developed in the strictest confidence, it is talked about not only in Russia, but also abroad. Just from the name alone you can say the following:
- This fighter model is being developed by a separate design bureau named after Mikoyan, as indicated by the abbreviation “MiG”;
- The fighter will replace the well-known MiG-31 fighter, which is widely known in Russia and abroad.
Colonel General Viktor Bondarev himself, who is the commander-in-chief of the Aerospace Forces, said that design work on the creation of the MiG-41 fighter will begin in 2017. By 2025, this fighter-interceptor should appear in service with the Russian Aerospace Forces. It is also known that the newest MiG-41 is being developed on the basis of the MiG-31, and the development itself has been going on since 2013. The MiG-31 fighters, which are in the service of the Aerospace Forces in the amount of 120 combat vehicles, although they are unique aircraft, still have no analogues in the world, will exhaust their service life in 2028. It is for this reason that they are planning to replace them with MiG-41s, which are still at the development stage.
The start of serial production of the MiG-41 should be scheduled for 2028. One of its most important differences from the MiG-31 is its maximum speed, which exceeds the speed of the MiG-31 by 1,500 km/h. The speed of the MiG-31 is 3,000 km/h.
The new supersonic fighter will carry not only conventional weapons, but also hypersonic missiles. The newest fighter-interceptor will be able not only to perform its direct duties, but also to launch small satellites into orbit. This task is currently available to some modifications of the MiG-31, which were modified specifically for these purposes. The MiG-41, without any modifications, should be suitable for such tasks.
Initially, it was planned that the newest development, which is the MiG-41, would be the most powerful interceptor fighter in the entire history of aircraft manufacturing. This project had to be created on its own base, which had to be developed from scratch. The plans were to increase the maximum speed of the new model to 7,000 km. However, as usually happens, the money allocated for the project ran out and became worthless before anything could be built. A new solution was to plan the creation of the MiG-41 based on the previous generation MiG-31 fighter, which is more profitable. Even such an aircraft will have significantly higher combat capabilities than the MiG-31 fighter. It will be able to easily intercept the latest American hypersonic unmanned aerial vehicles, which the Pentagon often threatens Russia with.
Although there is still no clear information about the appearance of the first prototypes of the MiG-41 fighter-interceptor, the US military is seriously concerned about the prospect of the Russian troops having such weapons. An aircraft that can intercept the latest “drones” could become a serious reason for deterring US and Russian aggression.
The history of the MiG-31
In order to have an idea of what the newest MiG-41 fighter-interceptor will be like, you need to consider how its predecessor, the MiG-31, appeared and why it needs to be replaced. So, the MiG-31 is the first 4th class fighter, which was developed back in the years of the USSR. NATO calls the MiG-31 "Foxhound", which means "fox hound". This fighter is an interceptor, and its task is to intercept and destroy all enemy or unidentified targets. These targets are destroyed regardless of the time of day and climatic conditions.
The MiG-31 aircraft is equipped with the following devices used to counter possible enemy maneuvers and counterattacks:
- Systems for creating active radar jamming;
- Similar systems for creating passive radar jamming;
- Heat trap launch systems.
The effectiveness of the MiG-31 is so great that 4 interceptor fighters are capable of controlling airspace up to 900 km long.
As of 2011, the Russian Air Force operated 252 MiG-31 aircraft. Some of these aircraft have already been upgraded to the MiG-31BM.
Replacing the MiG-31 with the latest aircraft
Despite the fact that the MiG-31 still has no equal in its class, it is already a fairly outdated fighter. Even next to such aircraft as the Su-27 or MiG-29, which have long become “veterans,” the MiG-31 looks downright outdated.
From the conversations that are taking place around the creation of a replacement for the MiG-31, the following information can be obtained:
- The new aircraft will have an enormous maximum speed, which will look impressive even against the background of the MiG-31;
- The appearance of the new vehicle will resemble the MiG-31;
- The MiG-41 interceptor fighter will be created on the basis of the MiG-31BM, which is the most modern modification of the MiG-31.
Since military designers, according to a long tradition, keep silent about the details that relate to the development of a new model, one can only guess what the appearance of the MiG-41 will actually be. One thing is clear, the MiG-41 may not even match its predecessor in appearance, since the project can be changed at any time. It is possible that the military will present its first developments by 2020, although this is only possible if work on creating a new interceptor fighter proceeds at a very fast pace.
If we compare the future MiG-41 with the MiG-31, the new aircraft will be distinguished by the presence of a large number of electronics, and its appearance will be less noticeable. Nothing definite can be said about the armament of the MiG-41 now, since although the latest RVV-BD missile is currently being developed, which should receive a dual-mode rocket-type engine, it is unknown what kind of weapon will appear by 2028. It is possible that these weapons will be the latest combat laser systems, which are currently being developed in US laboratories. Although Russia says nothing about the development of combat laser cannons, it is possible that this project also exists.
Scientists also have high hopes for the MiG-41, as it will be able to launch small satellites into orbit as usual.
Does the MiG-41 project have a future?
Although the US military is confident in the reality of the MiG-41, and has been developing weapons capable of countering it for quite some time, in Russia things are not going as smoothly as we would like. The MiG-41 exists only as a project, since there is not enough funding to create at least a prototype. Developing 5th generation fighters is incredibly expensive. For example, the Americans needed about 66.7 billion dollars to develop their F-22 fighter, which is a 5th generation fighter. In this regard, it becomes clear that it is easier for Russia to invest such huge amounts of money in the creation of a multi-role fighter than to create a rather specific interceptor model that cannot perform many other combat missions.
If we analyze the air forces of many world countries, we can see that, except for Russia, most developed countries have abandoned the use of highly specialized interceptors. Only Russia and some countries of the former “socialist camp” continue to use the MiG-31 and MiG-25. The MiG-25 continues to be in service with some countries, and in Russia it was withdrawn from service in 2013.
To the question of who will perform the duties of an interceptor fighter, there are 2 answer options:
- The MiG-31 is upgraded every year to the MiG-31BM, which will remain in service for a long time;
- Most of the tasks performed by interceptor fighters will be taken over by new fighters of the PAK-FA project, which will be gradually purchased by the Russian military.
It is precisely because of the combination of all these reasons that the MiG-41 can turn into another legend that will never be born. Such examples have already happened. For example, in the United States a rumor was started about the creation of the newest military aircraft, the Aurora, which will be the fastest aircraft on earth. Many still claim that the Aurora is in service with the American intelligence services, although over the years, reliable information about the real existence of this aircraft has not appeared.
Or maybe the MiG-41 will appear in the coming years?
The optimistic point of view on the Mig-41 project adheres to a slightly different concept. Since back in the 90s, the “701” project was developed as a replacement for the MiG-41, which was never completed, many experts see here a direct connection with the tanks of the “Armata” project, which were created according to a similar scheme. Remembering the history of the Armata project, you begin to believe that the MiG-41 will still be finalized in the coming years.
Some experts call one of the facts of the appearance of the MiG-41 the active phase of development of the RVV-BD missile, since it is being made specifically for the MiG-41.
Recent events on the world stage are forcing Russia to seriously think about the speedy development of the latest interceptor fighters. The Americans constantly and unequivocally hint that their newest hypersonic cruise missile, the Boeing X-51, which is almost ready for production launch, is capable of speeds of up to 6,200 km/h. Only the MiG-41, which can also become unmanned, will be able to reach such speed and intercept an American missile.
Skeptics argue that Russian developments in the field of creating unmanned aerial vehicles are far from American ones, so the MiG-41 will be controlled by a pilot who simply cannot withstand the overloads that occur at such speeds. To this it can be argued that by 2028 Russian technologies can make great strides forward, and in the coming years the creation of “drones” will cease to be a problem for Russian designers.
Currently, the MiG-41 is only available in drawings, which are also not reliable. We can only hope that in a few years the first model of the Russian MiG-41 interceptor fighter will fly in the sky at the Victory Parade. Moreover, the general designer of the United Aircraft Corporation, Sergei Korotkov, recently officially stated that work on the creation of the MiG-41 is being carried out not only at RSK MiG.