MiG-31 Foxhound
The MiG-31 Foxhound is Russia’s Mach 2.83 interceptor and sole airborne carrier of the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal ballistic missile — an irreplaceable Cold War asset that dominates high-altitude combat and triggers nationwide alerts with every sortie, yet cannot be built anew.
Soviet/Russian long-range supersonic interceptor and airborne carrier for the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile, combining Mach 2.83 speed with a powerful PESA radar and the R-37M beyond-visual-range missile to dominate high-altitude battlespace.
Overview
The MiG-31 Foxhound is the fastest operational combat aircraft in the world and one of the most critical — and irreplaceable — types in Russian Aerospace Forces service. Designed to protect the Soviet Union’s vast northern approaches against low-flying cruise missiles and bombers, today it performs dual missions: long-range interception with radar-guided missiles that no Ukrainian tactical aircraft can evade, and strategic strike as the sole launch platform for the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missile. Its speed, ceiling, and firepower make it a unique threat, but production ended in 1994, turning every airframe loss into a permanent subtraction from a finite stock.
🔒 The full MiG-31 Foxhound file is for BattlePolicy Pro members. Below the line: development history, design and capabilities, variants, the combat record, advantages and limitations, comparable systems, outlook, the full specifications table, our sourcing, and the analyst assessment — procurement, suppliers and the BattlePolicy verdict. Unlock the full file with BattlePolicy Pro →
Below this point
- Development
- Design & capabilities
- Variants
- Combat record / operational use
- Advantages
- Drawbacks / limitations
- Counterparts
- Outlook
- Key specifications
- Sources
- Analyst Section
- Procurement & contracts
- Suppliers & related companies
- Comparable systems — analyst view
- Analyst note