Reports affirm that MiG-31BM Foxhound interceptors are being deployed at Rogachevo Air Base in
the Novaya Zemlya archipelago, above the Arctic Circle.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense has posted images & videos as a new rotation of MiG-31BMs
arrived at the base, undertaking what the defense ministry describes as “experimental
combat duty to protect the state border of the Russian Federation in the Arctic airspace.”
The deployment is tagged “experimental” since Russian officials are still in the process
of laying out the full plan to make sure that the MiG-31BM & its crew can operate properly
from the remote base with frigid Arctic conditions.
Lieutenant General Otroshchenko said in an interview with TV Zvezda, the official television
station of the Russian Ministry of Defense, “The machine [the MiG-31BM] works excellently
[and] there is no difference from the altitudes where we normally fly around Monchegorsk.
A month has passed and we, therefore, needed to shift the aircraft and their personnel,
and also have a closer look at the conditions for the servicemen and their living conditions.”
In this video Defense Updates analyzes how Russia plans to defend its interest in the
Arctic with MiG-31 & Kinzhal hypersonic missile?
Lets' get started.
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The Arctic is getting increasingly vital.
As the ice caps melt in the Arctic, it will become economically viable to navigate.
Russia is gearing up to monetize the potentially lucrative Northern Sea Route (NSR) as the
Barents Sea and Arctic thaw faster than anticipated.
In August 2017, the first ship traversed the Northern Sea Route without the use of icebreakers.
The Dutch Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis projected in 2015 that the Northern Sea Route
may be ice-free by 2030 A 2016 report by the Copenhagen Business School
found that large-scale trans-Arctic shipping may become economically viable by 2040.
The Northern Sea Route could make connectivity between Europe and Asia 40% faster, cheaper,
more fuel-efficient, and greener.
Russia will lose land as the ice melt, but it may gain nearly 1.2 m sq km in its continental
shelf which means it will have rights to extract under-sea minerals and energy resources.
So, it's not surprising that the Arctic and the adjacent regions will be in the focus
of different stakeholders.
The U.S. Air Force is preparing to deploy bombers to Norway for the first time with
the Arctic in mind.
As per reports, B-1Bs accompanied by more than 200 personnel will be arriving in the
country’s Ørland Main Air Station in the coming days.
Viewers can know more about it from the video in the above link.
Mikoyan MiG-31is a supersonic interceptor aircraft developed for use by the Soviet Air
Forces.
The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a replacement for the earlier MiG-25
“Foxbat”.
It was designed to defend the vast northern expanses of the then Soviet Union.
MiG-31 is based on and shares design elements with the MiG-25.
The MiG-31 has the distinction of being one of the fastest combat jets in the world.
It continues to be operated by the Russian Air Force.
The Russian Defence Ministry expects the MiG-31 to remain in service until 2030 or beyond
with several upgrades.
It is powered by two Soloviev D-30F6 afterburning turbofan engines which generate 93 kN (21,000
lbf) thrust each dry and 152 kN (34,000 lbf) with afterburner.
MiG-31 has a max speed of Mach 2.83 and has a service ceiling of 25,000 m or 82,000 ft.
If the MiG-31BMs can handle the harsh Arctic elements, it will help pave the way for other
MiG-31 variants including MiG-31Ks which carry Kinzhal missile.
An object is said to be hypersonic once they exceed speeds of Mach 5 that is 5 times the
speed of sound.
This is about 1,715 m/sec or 3,836 mph or 6,174 km/h.
There are currently 3 methods being applied to make hypersonic weapons - using Hypersonic
Glide Vehicle (HGV), using a Scramjet engine or using Air-Launched Ballistic missile (ALBM).
Kinzhal is essentially an ALBM.
It reportedly has a top speed of more than 10 times the speed of sound.
It goes ballistic after launch.
The missile has a range of approximately 2000 km or 1,250 miles when launched from MiG-31K.
The choice of integrating it to MiG-31K, which would probably launch the Kinzhal from +60,000
feet at supersonic speed, is aimed at giving the missile much more reach than it would
have if launched from the ground.
Kinzhal is also thought to be nuclear-capable and able to hit ground as well as naval targets.
It can carry a warhead of 500 kg or around 1100 lbs.
It is powered by a solid-propellant rocket.
As per unconfirmed reports, the Russian Air Force has formed an Aviation Squadron with
10-12 MiG-31K.
It is clear the things are heating up in the Arctic.
To control the Arctic, Russia needs a weapon that can hold aerial and naval assets in the
region at risk.
For air to air interception, MiG-31BM will be used while to target naval assets which
will potentially be the core point, Kinzhal armed MiG-31K could be deployed.
Kinzhal is designed to overcome any known or planned US air or missile defense systems.
Kinzhal armed with conventional warheads could potentially be used to take out multi-billion-dollar
aircraft carriers or destroyers.
When armed with a nuclear warhead, it can theoretically, decimate a US Carrier Strike
Group.
As per Russian claims, Kinzhal is capable of making rapid course corrections or otherwise
flying erratically.
This coupled with the weapon’s speed could make it very difficult for the existing air
defense system to track and interceptor it.
The combination of Kinzhal & Mig 31 will surely be a challenge since the missile carried by
the fast aircraft could be launched from unpredictable locations and its target envelope is very
large.