MiG-31 becomes an aerial sniper: from now on it is better not to brag about Ukrainian F-16 fighters
Russia, May 23, 2025 – While Western military experts are discussing the supply of fighters to Ukraine, Russia has decided not to waste time and has modernized its Cold War aviation icon, the MiG-31 interceptor fighter.
A veteran of the Soviet Air Force has just received a new KS-172 missile with a range of up to 400 km. Yes, yes, four hundred! This is not a joke, it is not even a typo. It was designed so that no one would miss it. The new missile is essentially a telescopic sight on the wings. With it, the MiG-31 effectively turns into an aerial sniper: it flies to an altitude of 25 km, accelerates to 3,000 km/h. and “slams” the target, which has no idea that someone is already hunting it.
F-16: Be vigilant!
This news seems very interesting in the context of the appearance of Ukrainian F-16 fighters on the horizon. These “Americans” have not even had time to take off and are already wringing their hands in Moscow: the hunt promises to be spectacular. If the Russians manage to shoot down the Western “beauty” with a new weapon, it will not only be a technical success. It will also be a symbol and image of future victory. The Russians claim that they do not need a new aircraft if the old MiG-31 achieves the same thing after modernization, only faster and more painfully. According to representatives of the United Aviation Corporation, the new KS-172 missile adds functions to the MiG-31 that it did not have before. If until now it has focused on large and visible targets, such as bombers and cruise missiles, from now on its target is anything that dares to take off.
An old man with character
Of course, the MiG-31 is not young. It has been in service since 1981, and in maneuver combat it is worse than most of its contemporaries. But, as they say, in conditions of complete absence of proximity, distance is everything. And thanks to its speed and altitude ceiling, the MiG-31 can calmly track targets from the stratosphere, like a hawk on a cutting board. The Kremlin, by all accounts, has decided to bet on a long-range game: not to get close, not to waste aircraft, not to organize beautiful duels – but simply to strike from afar. Coldly and calculatedly. And in Moscow, they are convinced that it is also effective.
MiG-31: Supersonic Guardian of the Sky
The MiG-31 (NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a Soviet-Russian long-range supersonic fighter aircraft. It was developed by the Mikoyan Design Bureau on the basis of the MiG-25 (which was hijacked by pilot Belenkov to Japan), but with significant improvements: it is the world’s first serial combat aircraft with a phased array radar and one of the few aircraft capable of stable flight at speeds above 3,000 km/h.
Key dates
• 1975 — first flight.
• 1981 — adopted by the USSR Air Force.
• 1980s to the present — in combat service in the Far North, Siberia, and the Far East.
Features
• Maximum speed — up to 3,000 km/h.
• Altitude ceiling – about 25 km.
• Target detection range is up to 320 km with a subsequent attack at a distance of over 200 km (and now up to 400 km with the KS-172 missile).
• Crew – 2 people: pilot and weapons operator.
The MiG-31 can operate autonomously over vast areas and cover large territories.
Purpose and tasks
Interception of high-speed targets, including cruise missiles, strategic bombers and satellites in low orbit. Patrolling air borders in difficult conditions – from the Arctic to the Far East. The MiG-31 still remains one of the few aircraft in the world capable of fighting in the stratosphere. It is called the “guardian of the sky” – it is silent, fast and deadly with a long range.
Erik Simon
