Russia’s MiG-31 Crews Are Shooting At Ukrainian Pilots From A Hundred Miles Away—And The Ukrainians Can’t Shoot Back

Hamstrung by inflexible procedures, desperately short of perfection artillery and bombarded by stiff Ukrainian air defenses, the Russian Vozdushno- kosmicheskiye sily, or VKS, at best is holding its own over Ukraine, despite a 10- to- 1 numerical advantage in fighters and attack spurts compared with the Ukrainian air force.

But that does n’t mean the Russians are doing everything wrong. The three paratroops flying the VKS’s stylish interceptor the binary- machine, two- seat Mikoyan MiG- 31BM — are winning where utmost of the rest of the air force is losing.MiG- 31 crews, flying high- altitude protective details along the ever- shifting frontal lines and firing important Vympel R- 37M air- to- air dumdums, in recent weeks supposedly have shot down several Ukrainian spurts. The Ukrainians ’ own fighters and dumdums warrant the speed, range and altitude performance to fight back effectively.

The VKS’s protective details “ have proven largely effective against Ukrainian attack aircraft and fighters, with the MiG- 31BM and R- 37M long- range air- to- air bullet being especially problematic, ” Justin Bronk, Nick Reynolds and Jack Watling wrote in a new study for the Royal United Services Institute in London.The 24- ton MiG- 31, which first flew in 1975, is a rare beast. It’s an elaboration of the classic, Cold War- quaint Mikoyan MiG- 25, a aeroplanethe Russians designed specifically to block supersonicU.S. Air Force bombers on nuclear attack runs. moment around 90 modernized MiG- 31BMs equip three paratroops, at least one of which has stationed spurts to Belbek air base in Russian- engaged Crimea for excursions over Ukraine.

The MiG- 31 flies advanced, briskly and further than the Ukrainian air force’s stylish Sukhoi Su- 27 interceptors. The heavyweight fighter can fly as high as,000 bases out to 450 long hauls and gusto at Mach2.5 for short ages.From their lofty perch, MiG- 31 crews can search for targets with the spurt’s Zaslon radar and fire a single, underbelly R- 37M at targets as far as 200 long hauls down, although the bullet works best at ranges no further than 80 long hauls. A Ukrainian Su- 27 by discrepancy can fire a Vympel R- 27 bullet no further than 50 long hauls.

In today's TV Zvezda video, a pilot ‘Alexander’ in front of MiG-31BM says some time ago he shot down a Ukrainian Su-24 with long range AAM.
In the video, a MiG-31BM from 712th regiment in Kansk takes off from Belbek, Crimea, airbase with 3 R-37M and 2 R-77-1 AAMs. pic.twitter.com/N0CUF8LWgD

— Piotr Butowski (@piotr_butowski) October 27, 2022

When the Ukrainian army launched binary counterassaults in the east and south starting in late August, the VKS maintained around- the- timepiece details in eight zones over Ukraine, each command involving a brace of MiG- 31s or a brace of Sukhoi Su- 35s.The details were hunting for Ukrainian attack aeroplanesSukhoi Su- 25s, Sukhoi Su- 24s and Mikoyan MiG- 29s — supporting the counterassaults . Outside judges have verified Ukraine has lost four MiG- 29s, six Su- 25s and an Su- 24 as well as one Su- 27 since the counterassaults demurred off in late August.

It’s unclear how numerous of those kills the MiG- 31 crews can claim. presumably several. “ The VKS has been firing up to six R- 37Ms per day during October, ”Bronk, Reynolds and Watling wrote, “ and the extremely high speed of the armament, coupled with veritably long effective range and a candidate designed for engaging low- altitude targets, makes it particularly delicate to shirk. ”The VKS has written off one MiG- 31 in anon-combat accident in Crimea. Other than that, the interceptor crews are unscathed in the current war. Firing at Ukrainians who ca n’t shoot backThe closest Ukrainian forces have come to landing a blow on the MiG- 31 force was their one- time hail of Belbek air base back in October. The apparent rocket strike on the base destroyed or damaged several Russian aeroplanes
but none of them were MiG- 31s.