Russia will showcase its new MiG-31I (Ishim) jet at the Army-2022 International Military Technical Forum exhibition in Kubinka, Moscow Region, on August 15-21.
According to TASS, the new variant will appear alongside the MiG-31BM/BSM Foxhound interceptor as its parent. The new Foxhound variant is designed to be able to launch small spacecraft into orbit as well as anti-satellite missiles. The MiG-31 is the heaviest class of tactical fighter jets in service today.
It has a long range and can fly at unmatched operational speed. With these advantages, the MiG-31 becomes an ideal platform for launching satellites and anti-satellite weapons. The anti-satellite variant began in the 1980s as the MiG-31D before the collapse of the Soviet Union. This work continued in the mid-decade of the 2010s, with the Foxhound armed for the first anti-satellite war in 2018.
Earlier in 2017, the MiG-31K was used to launch the Kh-47M2 hypersonic ballistic missile with a speed of Mach 10 and an attack range of 2000 km.
