Russian MiG-31 Fighter Jet (Infographics)

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The Russian-made MiG-31 fighter jet is able to maintain combat effectiveness despite the potential use of active and passive radar jammers and thermal decoys by adversaries. If four MiG-31 jets are united in a group, they are able to control an area of air space across a total length of 800–900 km. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, it’s epxected that the MiG-31 will remain in service till 2030.

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The MiGs Return:

It is easy to forget, given that the Russian airgroup at Hmeimim was wholly composed of Sukhoi aircraft, including the Su-24, -25, -27, -30, -34, and -35, that the word MiG has been synonymous with “fighter” for most of the post-World War 2, era. MiG Design Bureau’s dominance started with the famous MiG-15 fighter of the Korean War fame, through MiG-17, -19, and -21 of the Vietnam War, Arab-Israeli Wars, and the India-Pakistan conflicts and ending with the MiG-23 that was the frontline Soviet fighter for most of the 1970s and 1980s and the MiG-25 strategic interceptor. The dominance of the MiG family was eclipsed and ultimately ended by the sudden emergence of the Sukhoi Design Bureau which spent decades building attack, bomber, and strategic interceptor aircraft such as the Su-15 and whose introduction of the record-breaking Su-27 meant the MiG suddenly became the “junior partner” in the Su-27–MiG-29 combination of fourth generation fighters which entered service in the 1980s…

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