Andrey Shmatko
By Boyko Nikolov On Apr 8, 2021
MOSCOW, (BM) – Russia is equipping its MiG-31BM interceptors with a new navigation system, TASS reported on April 8. According to the author of the article, Russian interceptors designed for the harsh conditions of the Arctic already have modern navigation, allowing them to “successfully solve the problems in the Arctic region.”
The current Russian interceptor MiG-31, Photo credit: Sputnik News
“In the process of working on the MiG-31BM, a new satellite navigation system is being installed. It allows solving the problems of navigation of aircraft worldwide, including the Arctic region,” said a statement from the Russian company Rostech.
The Arctic is a unique and quite different place from the planet. Very often, navigation systems there encounter some problems, mostly related to inaccuracies in operation. Experts say this is due to spacecraft and satellites’ orbital position, which rarely passes over the area.
Electronics also encounters serious problems with Arctic ionospheric activity. This ionospheric thing leads to an incorrect time calculation, which leads to a wrong position calculation.
Russia conducts training flights regularly over this region of the planet. Since January this year, interceptor fighters have been on whole combat duty in the Arctic, especially around the New Earth archipelago.
Russia is working on a next-gen interceptor
Russia’s state-owned company Rostec has officially confirmed that the company is already working hard to develop a next-generation interceptor fighter, the MiG-41. Over the past 24 months, we have repeatedly reported on the project’s progress, citing dozens of Russian media. The Russian state company’s official website is the first confirmation of the new interceptor fighter from Moscow.
Rostec gives at least another ten years of life to the current interceptor fighter – MiG-31. The Russian company announced that the entire Russian MiG-31 air fleet to be modified to the MiG-31BM version within the next two years. Russia currently has a total of 114 interceptor fighters.
According to this information, the world should expect a new generation of interceptors in the next decade. Not earlier. The future MiG-41 is under the auspices of the program “The project of the Perspective Aviation Complex for the long-range interception,” known as PAK-DP.
What are the rumors?
According to circulated opinions in the Russian media, the MiG-41 will be a hybrid combining the best of the MiG-25 and MiG-31. The next-generation interceptor is said to be flying at hypersonic speeds, which means rates above Mach 5.
Other claims say the next-generation interceptor will fly at an altitude much higher than that of the MiG-25, about 20,700 m. The MiG-41 will also have sensitive and powerful sensors and arms with long-range hypersonic missiles.
The latter statement can be accepted as a fact, as since 12 months, Russia has successfully tested several times the destruction of the hypersonic Dagger missile by the MiG-31 in flight.
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