On November 10, 2023, the alarm lasted more than 3.5 hours. That day, Russian MiG-31Ks were refueling in the air and stayed there longer than usual. Is there a real threat that during prolonged air raids MiG-31Ks could launch Daggers? Defense express military expert Ivan Kirichevsky told Facts ICTV.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces note that longer air raid warnings are associated with so-called patrols, during which fighter pilots perform various training exercises, so it makes more sense for them to refuel in the air.
How long can the MiG-31K stay in the air?
The technical characteristics of the MiG-31K are kept secret. Based on the characteristics of conventional MiG-31s equipped with drop tanks, it is clear that the time spent in the air of the Kinzhal aircraft carrier can exceed 3.5 hours, and in case of refueling it will increase to seven hours.
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However, the specialized publication Defense Express notes that flights lasting seven hours for the MiG-31 are a record, and therefore more than an episodic phenomenon, especially when it comes to the MiG-31K with the Kinzhal. After all, launching a rocket requires reaching high altitude and afterburner mode, which actively consumes fuel.
You also need to consider the workload on fighter pilots during such long flights. It is equally important to remember the level of reliability of the main problem of the MiG-31 – the D-30F6 engines, fires of which are considered the main problem in the accidents of these aircraft. That is why the usual flight duration of a MiG-31, even with refueling, in practice can take 2-4 hours.
During a long air raid: can the Mig-31K launch Daggers?
When asked whether there is a real threat that Migi-31Ks will launch Daggers during prolonged air raids, Ivan Kirichevsky answered. According to him, there is such a threat.
– But let’s expand the hardware here a little more. They say that if the air raid warning is long, it can be detected somehow, because during the Second World War the British gave different air raid signals. Why paralyze the life of the country in this way? – says the expert.
According to Kirichevsky, the specificity is that during World War II, bombers flew at a speed of approximately 600 km/h and carried only unguided bombs. And now the carrier aircraft is capable of flying at a speed of 3000 km/h, and carries an aeroballistic missile with a range of 2000 km.
– There may be a certain illusion that when the Russians lift the same MiG-31 into the air, their plan can be determined. No, unfortunately, this cannot be done,” the expert notes.
Air refueling of MiG-31K
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Firstly, in the air the MiG-31 is, in principle, a very voracious aircraft; even at a cruising speed of only 950 km/h, it needs to be refueled every two hours or landed, explains Kirichevsky. And secondly, for Russians MiG-31 aircraft are a strategic weapon, strategic aviation. And strategic aviation, for example, sometimes wakes up on alert with the remaining fuel that was in the tanks, and refueling is already in the air.
The expert recalled that there were situations when the Russians carried out massive missile attacks, first using TU-95MS sound cruise missiles, and then in the middle of the battle Daggers began to fly in.
“Unfortunately, the Russians have created a situation for us where we cannot oppose anything other than simply maintaining a multi-hour alarm mode. Because we have only two Patriot batteries that are capable of shooting down Daggers, but this is not enough to cover the entire territory of Ukraine,” Kirichevsky sums up.
