Mikoyan MiG-31

what is it?

The Mikoyan MiG-31 (Russian: Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed for the Soviet Air Forces by the Mikoyan design bureau as a replacement for the MiG-25 "Foxbat", on which it is based and with which it shares design elements. The MiG-31 is the fastest known operational combat aircraft, with a top speed around 3,000 km/h (1,600 knots). It continues to be operated by the Russian Aerospace Forces following the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · 13.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 3,000 km/htop speed
• range 3,000 kmwithout refuelling
• size 46.2 tmax take-off weight
• built 519made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 51 years ago, in 1975.
• 🏎️Top speed is 23.1× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 💥Faster than sound: up to Mach 2.4 (sea-level speed of sound ≈ 1,235 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 13.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 8 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 3,000 km: 17× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 2.8× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1975-09-16

introduced

1981

retired

2023

status

still flying

number built

519

role

interceptor aircraft, strike fighter

origin

🇷🇺 Soviet Union

makers

Russian Aircraft Corporation MiG, Sokol

engines

2× Soloviev D-30F6 / Soloviev D-30

crew

2

length

22.6 m

wingspan

13.5 m

height

6.5 m

max take-off weight

46.2 t

top speed

3,000 km/h

cruise speed

2,500 km/h

range

3,000 km

ceiling

25,000 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.