Russian MiG-31 Successfully Downed Ukrainian Su-25 in Deadly Strike With RVV-BD Missile

Russian MiG-31 Successfully Downed Ukrainian Su-25 in Deadly Strike With RVV-BD Missile

Moscow - The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on October 27, 2022, that a Russian MiG-31 fighter had shot down a Ukrainian Su-24. The destruction of the Ukrainian Su-24 was carried out by the Russian MiG-31 while conducting air patrols in the assigned area.

The Russian MiG-31 detected an aerial target during one of its flights. After confirming that the target was an enemy aircraft, the crew launched air-to-air missiles to intercept the Ukrainian Su-24.

In the news upload of The Eurasian Times, it is clearly attached to the Russian MiG-31 taking off with a deadly missile. The Russian MiG-31 fighter jet carried two RVV-BD missiles with a range of 300 km under the fuselage and two RVV-SD missiles with a maximum range of 110 km under the wing pylons.

After takeoff, the plane is shown spinning and climbing to great heights. Then settle into combat patrols. “No missile launches were shown. On landing, the plane was still visible with 2 RVV-BD missiles still under the fuselage and one RVV-SD missile on the right wing pylon. The left wing is not visible in the footage." explains The Eurasian Times.

If the aircraft shown in the video is an aircraft involved in combat, then it can be assumed that the MiG-31 shot down the Su-24 using an RVV-SD missile. RVV-BD missiles are typically used against high-value assets operating at extreme ranges, including tankers and AWACS.

An Izvestia report on the incident shows footage in which Alexander, the commander of the MiG-31 aircraft, also gave his testimony. He said the Su-24 crew were aware of the threat posed by the MiG-31 and were "trying to maneuver to interfere with the attack."

They (the crew of the MiG-31) launched long-range missiles, illuminated them, and watched the Su-24 disappear from their airborne radar. They then received confirmation from their control radar that the Su-24 had been hit. The MiG-31 then continued its air patrol.

Both the RVV-BD and RVV-SD require the launchers to continue illuminating the target with their radar until their AESA radar seeker locks on to the target. The MiG-31BM variant is equipped with the PESA Zalson-AM radar which is highly effective in detecting low-flying targets, including cruise missiles, against ground clutter.

The Ukrainian warplanes, most of which fly at low levels to avoid detection by Russian ground-based air defense (AD) radars, are easily picked up by the MiG-31's Zalson radar.

Mikoyan MiG-31 refers to a supersonic interceptor aircraft designed for the Soviet Air Force. The aircraft is planned as a replacement for the previous MiG-25 "Foxbat" by the Mikoyan design bureau. The jet was the first fourth-generation fighter to join the Soviet military in 1981, and is still recognized as the most capable air-to-air fighter in the Russian Air Force today.

Quoted from forceproject.com, the maximum speed of the aircraft remains uncertain, with most reports saying it was over Mach 2.8. And others claim speeds above Mach 3. In addition, the MiG-31 is the heaviest fighter in the world weighing around 41,000kg depending on the battle and fuel load.

The aircraft was built to intercept not only all types of enemy aircraft, from bombers and observation planes to fighters and early warning jets in the air, but also missiles, with aircraft capable of intercepting low-altitude cruise missiles.

Significantly, the MiG-31 was developed with the following objectives:

• Intercept cruise missiles and their launch aircraft by arriving at the missile launch range as quickly as possible after leaving the loiter zone.
• Detect and destroy low-flying cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and helicopters
• Long range strategic bomber escort
• Provide strategic air defense in places where ground-based air defense systems are ineffective.

It can be noted that a group of four MiG-31 interceptors can control an area of ​​\u200b\u200bairspace spanning from 800 to 900 kilometers in length. The radar has a maximum detection range of 200 kilometers and a typical detection width of 225 kilometers along the front.

For information, this jet is the world's first aircraft with a phased array radar and is one of only two aircraft in the world capable of independently firing long-range air-to-air missiles in 2013. with light duty (LD) / speed and direction (SD) sensors, track while scan (TWS) radar, infrared search and track (IRST) system and radar warning receiver (RWR) system.

The aircraft uses partial power to track targets and the rest to scan. The on-board TWS radar system uses two new technologies in the form of phased array radar and computer memory devices.

In terms of its design, the MiG-31 has a streamlined and aerodynamic fuselage that allows it to fly at high speeds at low altitudes. The jet is designed with sharp rear-swept wings with a square tip and negative slope. This design is intended to help track multiple targets at altitude at the same time.

In addition, the MiG-31 has a large twin engine with side-mounted air intake ramps, shoulder-mounted wings with an aspect ratio of 2.94, and twin vertical tail fins. It has two seats, with the rear occupied by a special weapons systems officer.

This Mikoyan MiG-31 Fighter is a two seater with radar controlled by occupants in the rear seat. Although cockpit controls are duplicated throughout the cockpit, the aircraft is usually flown only from the front seat and the pilot controls the aircraft with the center stick and left throttle.