Russia is designing a new interceptor... Are they on to something?
MiG-31, obsolete aircraft... But not obsolete concept. Recently, Russian officials have admitted to developing a MiG-31 replacement . This sparked some interest from aviation enthusiasts who have long believed the MiG-31 "Foxhound" was little more of a remnant of the Cold War and would see retirement as the PAK FA and Su-35 became the prevalent fighters in the Russian inventory. Why does this seem odd? Because in this age of " multi-role " jet fighters, when even the F-22 Raptor is equipped for ground attack , The Foxhound is decidedly single purpose: Interception. MiG-25 "Foxbat". Developed from the legendary MiG-25 "Foxbat", the MiG-31 was conceived as a sort of a "Super Foxbat" with better detection abilities, longer range, and the ability to engage low flying targets. The MiG-25 itself was developed to counter the threat of the B-58 Hustler and (soon to be aborted) XB-70 Valkyrie bombers. Oddly enough, early exag...