Entering service in 1981, the Soviet MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor was developed specifically for very long-range air and missile defence operations in the Arctic. Designed to secure Soviet territory against strategic bombers over great distances, the aircraft’s combination of an exceptional cruising speed over twice the speed of sound, a large arsenal of long-range air-to-air missiles, and a cutting edge radar of unprecedented size and power, made it in many respects the most outstanding tactical combat jet of its generation. Forty-five years later, having benefited from incremental modernization, the Foxhound continues to be relied on as the sole air defence asset guarding the large majority of Russia’s more remote regions, including some of the most strategically critical and resource rich areas of the Arctic.Despite its longevity in service, the MiG-31’s importance in the Russian Armed Forces has continued to grow due to a multitude of converging factors, including the escalation of geopolitical conflict in the Arctic, the expansion of numbers in service, and the service entry of new variants designed for ballistic missile strike and anti-satellite warfare roles in the late 2010s. Following the testing of its capabilities, both as a long-range interceptor and as a ballistic missile strike aircraft in combat in the Ukrainian theatre from 2022, the Foxhound’s demonstration of distinct advantages over other Russian combat aircraft has drawn growing attention from defence analysts, and cemented the consensus regarding its central importance in the Russian Armed Forces.This book provides a detailed assessment of the MiG-31 from its initial conceptualization as an enhanced variant of the ground-breaking MiG-25P Foxbat interceptor in the early 1970s, to its continued central role in the Russian Aerospace Forces in era of renewed conflict with the West and ongoing high intensity operations against Ukraine. Operational engagements revealed in this book range from interceptions of USAF SR-71 Blackbird strategic reconnaissance flights and standoffs with American F-15s near Japan in the 1980s to the precision targeting of Ukrainian air defence systems from 2023\. The impacts of the post-Soviet decline in Russia’s standing in related technologies and industries on the MiG-31’s evolution, and the growing uncertainties regarding both its future and Russia’s ability to develop a capable successor, are also examined in detail.
