The Russian Air Force has mobilized MiG-31BM aircraft carrying long-range R-37 missiles to fight in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that the Russian military has dispatched MiG-31BM supersonic fighters carrying R-37 long-range air-to-air missiles to fight on the Ukrainian battlefield.
According to Major, pilot Vadym Voroshilov, who has just been awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine after his outstanding achievements in the air battle on December 8, the combination of MiG-31BM fighters and R-37 missiles has caused many challenges for the fighters of the Ukrainian Air Force.
According to Major Voroshilov, since the Russian-Ukrainian conflict broke out, the MiG-31 is often known as a ground attack aircraft. With the ability to carry hypersonic Kinzhal “Dagger” missiles and many other modern air-to-ground weapons, the MiG-31 has repeatedly shaken Ukrainian air defense systems and caused heavy damage to targets Kiev’s military targets.
However, recently, with the appearance of R-37 killer missiles, Moscow’s MiG-31BMs are gradually returning to their familiar role as interceptors in the Russian Air Force. The main goal of this fighter is to patrol and protect the Russian ground forces against the threat of fighters, UAVs, and missiles of the Ukrainian army. With outstanding power, this pair of weapons made Ukrainian pilots difficult.
The Vympel R-37M missile is considered an air killer in the Russian Air Force thanks to its impressive ability to hit targets. This missile has a speed of more than 7,400 km / h (equivalent to 6 times the speed of sound), a range of up to 398 km, much farther than the US Navy’s AIM-54 Phoenix missile with a range of only 190 km. The R-37M uses an enhanced solid-fuel engine and is equipped with an Agat 9M1103M-350 target indicator radar capable of detecting targets at a distance of up to 70km and locking the target at a distance of 40km. When approaching the target, the R-37M will turn on the radar guidance and accelerate rapidly to supersonic speed, making the enemy unable to react.
The MiG-31 fighter, this fighter has been put into service in the Soviet army since the 1980s and has undergone many modernizations to increase its combat capabilities. The MiG-31BM version is a deeply upgraded version, thereby improving the performance of the radar and fire control system to help this fighter detect, track and destroy targets easily Besides, with a maximum speed of 2.5 times the speed of sound, a ceiling of 18,000m and flexible navigation, the MiG-31BM is very difficult to be intercepted by enemy fighters.
