Russia's Mikoyan 1.42 (MiG1.44) Fighter Jet, Rival To the US F-22 Raptor That Failed To Fly

 Russia's Mikoyan 1.42 (MiG1.44) Fighter Jet That Failed To Fly

International Military - It is common knowledge that Russia and the United States (US) are coldly competing about weapons. Even though the Cold War era has ended, it does not rule out the possibility of happening in the present.

As is known, the US F-22 Raptor is heralded as the most prominent jet in the world. However, who would have thought that Russia had 'answered' the existence of the F-22 Raptor?

Quoted from 19fortyfive.com, the Mikoyan 1.44/1.42 project is the answer. Basically, the project started as a demonstration of the technology developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as the Soviet Union's response to the United States Air Force's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF).

The ATF would eventually be the project that saw the creation of the F-22 Raptor, one of the best fighter jets of all time according to many experts. The MiG 1.44 will incorporate many aspects of the fifth-generation fighter jet, including advanced avionics, stealth technology, supermaneuverability and supercruise. It was intended to replace the successful Sukhoi Su-27 (NATO reporting name "Flanker"). Its development had already begun in the 1980s.

However, the project suffered setbacks due to cost issues. According to Military Today, construction of the prototype began in 1989, and after lengthy ground tests, the 1.44 made its first high speed in late 1994.

Unfortunately, the program had to be discontinued before 1.44 could go on air due to ANPK MiG's dire financial problems. 1.44 remained classified by the Russian Ministry of Defense until it was finally unveiled in January 1999.

After long delays, 1.44 finally made its first brief but important flight in January 2001. Project 1.44/1.42 is said to be a seemingly good endeavor on paper.

Instead, he faced many long delays due to a chronic lack of funds. The designation 1.42 is used to denote the actual project. Meanwhile, the 1.44 more specialized airframe aerodynamic test program, of which only two prototypes are believed to have been built.

It was reported to be a state-of-the-art aircraft using an internal weapons bay. Estimated performance includes a top speed of around Mach 2.6 or about 1,716 mph. The project was put on hold after the dissolution of the Soviet Union before the program was eventually canceled by Moscow due to high unit costs.

Meanwhile, the US Air Force ATF produced the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor, which is arguably one of the best air superiority fighters to have ever flown into the skies.

Nevertheless, Russia can still catch up with the Su-57. The Su-57 is claimed to be a fifth-generation fighter that is ready to compete with the F-35 Lightning II.

However, this is again experiencing setbacks where the Su-57 is said to be very few so that its use is still very limited.