Hey everyone. Zerø here from simpleplanes.com. And in this SimplePlanes post, I present to you: The Foxhound.

It kinda has the same vibe as my Jeff, but it's much more simple.

Introduction:

The Mikoyan MiG-31BM (Bolshaya Modernizatsiya) Foxhound is an improved variant of the MiG-31B. The MiG-31 itself is a heavy, twin engine interceptor that barely is capable of flying. Essentially a brick with wings and engines. The empty weight of the MiG-31 itself is at around 21,820kg (or 48,105lb if you're using the freedom unit). The MiG-31 is a successor to the MiG-25 Foxbat. The MiG-31BM, as I said earlier, is an improved variant of the MiG-31. The MiG-31BM featured better avionics, greater efficiency by 2.6 times than that of the normal MiG-31, a multirole capability, and the ability to hold the hypersonic R-37/RVV-BD (AA-13 Axehead) missile.

History:

The Soviets at the time had a great interceptor. It was fast, it can fly high, and it can blast it's foe from tens of miles away. The MiG-25 Foxbat. However the Foxbat, even though it's fast, it wasn't as maneuverable when it reached interception speeds. The MiG-25 could reach the speed of Mach 2.8, and can even reach Mach 3.2. But Mach 3 wasn't without a price. The engine was fragile at such speed, and can easily break. Not to mention it was hard to fly at low altitudes. And so, the need for a new interceptor had begun.

The new interceptor's prototype received it's maiden flight on the 16th of September 1975. The design, although heavily resembles that of the MiG-25, it had a longer body to accomodate another personel, and the airframe were much stronger than that of the Foxbat. It was called the MiG-31. It entered serial production in 1971.

Fast forward to 2008, after passing a state test, the modernized MiG-31B was approved for the Russian Air Force. As said before, it was more efficient, more advanced than the normal MiG-31. At the same time,the development of a missile was going underway to be equipped by the new MiG-31. A missile so fast, and so advanced that nobody ever had seen before. The R-37.

Loadout:

• 4x R-73E Archers
  A highly capable short range heatseeking missile, similar to that of the AIM-9X Sidewinder.
• 4x R-37M Axeheads
  A long range radar guided missile capable of reaching hypersonic speeds, has a range as far as 398km (247.3mi/214.9nmi), similar to that of the AIM-54C Phoenix.
  

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Controls and Features:

Controls:

VTOL: Flaps.
Trim: Well... Trim.
AG4: Deploy Drag Chutes
AG6: Extend refuel probe

Features:

• 2 Cameras inside the canopy Representing the Pilot and the WSO.

Yeah, that's all I can say lmao. It really is very simple.

Gallery:

A front view of the MiG-31BM taxiing.

Takeoff with afterburners.

Couple of Fly By shots.

Underside view of the MiG-31BM.

A MiG-31BM with an R-37M trail at the backrgound. Seems like it's shooting at something.

A MiG-31BM performing a mid-flight air-to-air refueling.

A MiG-31BM landing.

Deploying it's drag chutes.

That's all. Enjoy, and fly safe!