Key Points and Summary – Born from the MiG-25, Russia’s MiG-31 “Foxhound” pairs brute speed with modern sensors to hunt high and fast.
-Entering service in 1981, the two-seat interceptor debuted true Soviet look-down/shoot-down via its phased-array radar and sprints to about Mach 2.83 with a ceiling above 25,000 meters.
MiG-31 Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
-Twin D-30F6s push a heavy weapons load: long-range R-33/R-37M AAMs, short-range R-73s, SEAD-capable Kh-58s, and—on MiG-31K— the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal. In Ukraine, Foxhounds have launched deep-strike Kinzhals and suffered several losses, including a 2022 Belbek accident and a 2023 shoot-down.
-The result: a still-unique, ultra-fast interceptor that remains relevant—and vulnerable—in modern war.
MiG-31 Foxhound Explainer
In nature, a foxhound is a breed of dog used, as its name implies, for hunting foxes.
Therefore, it is highly appropriate that the folks who conjure up NATO reporting names for adversarial aircraft would apply the dog’s name to a Soviet-designed supersonic interceptor aircraft built for hunting Western warbirds. National Security Journal now says Privyet to the MiG-31 “Foxhound.”
From “Foxbat” to “Foxhound”: MiG-31 Initial History
When the MiG-25 “Foxbat” entered into the service in 1970, it gave NATO airpower planners plenty to fret about. The Foxbat was the fastest interceptor in the world at the time, and the pervasive fear of the unknown flew alongside it.
MiG-25 Taking Off. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
MiG-25. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
However, much of that fear dissipated after the defection of MiG-25 pilot Lieutenant Viktor Belenko in 1976. Belenko’s daring escape helped eliminate the aura of mystery that had surrounded the previously mythical Foxbat.
But the Soviet war machine didn’t let Comrade Belenko’s defection deter them from improving on the MiG-25’s basic concept. Thus was the MiG-31 born.
The new plane made its maiden flight in September 1975 and officially entered into service with the Soviet PVO (Voyska Protivovozdushnoy Oborony, or Anti-Air Defense Troops) in 1981.
The MiG-31 bears a striking external resemblance to the MiG-25, which probably explains at least in part why NATO retained the “Fox” portion when assigning its reporting name.
However, a deeper dive beneath the surface would reveal the Foxhound equipped with state-of-the-art digital avionics that its older sibling lacked.
Among other things, the MiG-31 was the first Soviet fighter aircraft to have true look-down/shoot-down capability, thanks to its phased array radar, thus curing its predecessors’ tendencies to have their own radars run afoul of ground clutter.
In addition, the Foxhound can work efficiently in all weather conditions and at all hours while fulfilling visual flight rules and instrument flight rules.
MiG-31 Technical Specifications and Vital Stats Part I
Crew: 2 (pilot and weapon system officer)
Fuselage 22.69 meters
Wingspan: 13.46 m
Height: 6.15 m
Empty Weight: 21,820 kilograms
Max Takeoff Weight: 46,200 kg
Powerplant: 2 × Soloviev D-30F6 afterburning turbofans, each generating 93 kiloNewtons of dry thrust and 152 kN in afterburner mode
Ferry Range: 3,000 kilometers; this extends to 5,400 km with a single refueling
Combat Range: 720 km when traveling in excess of Mach 2.0; 1,450 km when traveling at subsonic speed
Service Ceiling: In excess of 25,000 m (82,000 ft)
MiG-31 Technical Specifications and Vital Stats Part Deux
The MiG-31’s speed and armament merit particular attention, as they’re the Foxhound’s two more impressive features.
The MiG-31 has a max airspeed of Mach 2.83 (3,000 kilometers per hour). With its MiG-25 ancestor being pretty much fully retired around the globe, that leaves the MiG-31 as the fastest operational combat aircraft.
Regarding weaponry, to quote the famous dictum from airpower theorist General Giulio Douhet, “Flexibility is the key to airpower.”
Going hand-in-hand with flexibility is the concept of versatility, and the Foxhound is very versatile in the weapons it can accommodate, with a capacity of up to 9,000 kg of ordnance.
Guns:
1 x 23mm Gryazev-Shipunov GSh-6-23M rotary cannon with 260 rounds of ammo
Air-to-Air Missiles:
4 × R-33
2 × R-40RD/TD
4 × R-60MK
4 × R-73
4 × R-37M and 4 x R-77M (MiG-31BM variant only)
Air-to-Surface Missiles:
4 × Kh-58UShKE anti-radiation missile
1 x Kh-47M2 Kinzhal conventional or nuclear warhead-capable air-launched ballistic missile (MiG-31K variant only)
Operational History/Combat Performance in Brief
Like a true bloodhound, the Foxhound has seen heavy action in Vladimir Putin‘s war in Ukraine. On March 18, 2023, a MiG-31K variant launched a strike on a Ukrainian arms depot near the Polish border, evidently using a Kh-47M2.
In turn, on April 26 of that same year, the Ukrainians managed to shoot down a Foxhound with a British-made Starstreak missile.
So far, four MiG-31BMs have been confirmed as lost during the conflict. At least one of these losses occurred during a non-combat incident at Belbek Air Base in Russian-occupied Crimea around Oct. 1, 2022, when, according to The War Zone’s X page, “a jet ran off the end of the runway and fell off a cliff before exploding.”
About the Author: Christian D. Orr, Defense Expert
Christian D. Orr is a Senior Defense Editor. He is a former Air Force Security Forces officer, Federal law enforcement officer, and private military contractor (with assignments worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Japan, Germany, and the Pentagon). Chris holds a B.A. in International Relations from the University of Southern California (USC) and an M.A. in Intelligence Studies (concentration in Terrorism Studies) from American Military University (AMU). He is also the author of the newly published book “Five Decades of a Fabulous Firearm: Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Beretta 92 Pistol Series.”
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