The MiG-41 PAK DP (Prospective Aviation Complex for Long-Range Interception), a sixth-generation fighter aircraft from Russia, has resurfaced in the news as a potential replacement for the Mikoyan MiG-31. Russia is purported to develop the MiG-41 acceleratedly, stretching the boundaries of aviation technology. Most of the information about the aircraft comes from Russian media and analysts.
That being said, according to available information, the PAK DP project design was completed at the end of 2019. In July 2020, Ilya Tarasenko, the MiG Corporation’s CEO and the Sukhoi company’s head stated in an interview that the PAK DP would be built based on a modified version of the MiG-31.
Inspiration – Mig-31M
PAK DP’s inspiration is known to be the MiG-31M air superiority fighter. It is important to understand its capabilities to arrive at the possible specs of the PAK DP program.
The A.I. Mikoyan Experimental Design Bureau started deep modernizing the MiG-31 interceptor jet in 1984. Growing needs for air defense fighters prompted the creation of the MiG-31M (“product 05”). The new rules demanded defense against strike groups by fighter jet-escorted strategic bombers armed with long-range cruise missiles. Space, transatmospheric, and hypersonic targets had to be intercepted as well. The aircraft’s more sophisticated “Zaslon-M” weapons control system allowed it to track up to 24 targets at once and engage eight of them with weapons. The designers used two higher-powered D-30F-6M engines together with enhanced aerodynamics. It made history in April 1994 when it tested, hitting an air target at a distance of more than 300 kilometers. Generally, the MiG-31’s maximum speed is Mach 2.83, and it is not known if this is true for the Mig-31M. Its maximum take-off weight was about 50 tons.
The MiG-31M’s airframe design differs from the base aircraft without losing the overall similarity. The aircraft’s wing features increased-area leading-edge extensions. The size of the dorsal fairing was also expanded to accommodate an additional 300 gallons of fuel. The wingtips were fitted with aerodynamic fins to improve directional stability. The front canopy glazing was made seamless to increase visibility. The aircraft had a more powerful onboard radar with a 1.4-meter-diameter phased array antenna (PESA). The radar could detect targets at a distance of up to 320 kilometers and objects flying at speeds up to Mach 6. Instead of a retractable thermal imager, an optical-locating complex with infrared and laser channels was fitted. The optical head was situated in front of the cockpit canopy. The protection and electronic warfare technologies were combined into an onboard defensive complex. The weaponry was improved, and it now consists of six R-37 long-range guided missiles mounted on semi-recessed pylons beneath the fuselage. Four medium-range R-77 (RVV-AE) missiles are mounted on four underwing pylons. The aircraft does not have a cannon. At least seven MiG-31M aircraft were produced.
The aircraft is said to be capable of overcoming the upper layers of the atmosphere and executing space jumps. The project was discontinued in 1995
Stealthy Mig-31M+?
The MiG-41 is expected to be a more capable military platform than the Mig-31, and the weapons will need to be carried inside the aircraft.
Hence, the MiG-41 PAK DP is evolving as a stealth supersonic interceptor and heavy fighter to replace the MiG-31 in the Russian Aerospace Forces by the mid-2030s. The platform’s name is expected to change once it goes into service. It is expected to use sixth-generation technology and design.
This is expected to be a revolutionary design platform capable of exceeding Mach 4, equipped with an anti-missile laser, and capable of operating at extremely high altitudes and even in near space, flying between the stratopause (45 km) and the tropopause (12 km).
The aircraft is expected to also borrow concepts and technologies from the MiG-31M and be equipped with an improved “Zaslon-M” radar. It may use a variant of the “Product 30” engines currently being developed for the Su-57. NTC “Soyuz” has published some information on its website about the already developed R-579 300 engine, which, in particular, may be used for the Su-57.
The main challenge for the MiG-41 appears to be the ongoing development of the pulse detonation engine that will power the aircraft, particularly in reducing engine wear, given the exceptionally dynamic loads it will endure.
Russia is known to be developing an electromagnetic pulse gun that could change the rules of air warfare. This innovative “energy gun” could expand the range of achievable targets. Russia expects the MiG-41 to be equipped with an electromagnetic gun by 2025. A less powerful version of the electromagnetic gun could become an effective means of deterring unmanned aerial vehicles. The MiG-41 may also be equipped with R-37M missiles. Later, Mig-41 may be converted into an unmanned version.
The fact that the first flight is scheduled for 2025 indicates that much work has already been done. The design must have been frozen, and metal cutting must have been proceeding for some time. The plane should have been refueled, and the initial engine starts performed. If the timeframe is plausible, taxi testing should begin in 2024.
Due to the high secrecy surrounding Russian aircraft, it isn’t easy to forecast its current status. If the MiG-41 completes its first flight in 2025, it will likely be fully operational by 2030.
The originally scheduled service debut in 2028 seemed unlikely. Analysts estimate the early 2030s.
Rumor has it that its primary mission as an interceptor was to counter future reconnaissance aircraft being built by the United States and China. According to some Russian media accounts, the PAK DP was designed to intercept hypersonic missiles by including a modular long-range interceptor missile system that would launch numerous submissiles to maximize the possibility of intercepting hypersonic weapons.
The container could also hold ground-based weapons. The PAK DP is also expected to be outfitted with anti-satellite lasers or missiles.
With speeds over Mach 4.3, it may be the fastest military aircraft in the world when it debuts. Perhaps the most devastating element in Russia’s air arsenal, the electromagnetic pulse “energy gun,” remains mysterious. The success of a reliable pulse detonation engine would significantly advance Russia in the ongoing battle for air dominance.