Russian MiG-31 fighter jet split into half midflight

A few hours ago, a Russian supersonic MiG-31 fighter with registration number RF-95217 (92 “Red”) crashed while in flight. It is known that the MiG-31 supersonic fighter-interceptor was carrying a hypersonic missile, reported the Tass news agency. The media found that the crashed MiG-31 was the carrier of the Kinzhal hypersonic missile.

By looking at the blown up canopy, the crew of the MiG-31 supersonic fighter may have ejected, and no casualties were reported, while the fighter jet itself split in half.

MiG-31 Cockpit split into half

According to the Tass news agency, the MiG-31 crashed due to a technical malfunction with its flight control system.

It should be noted that this is the second incident with Russian military aircraft in a day. In particular, the night before, a Mi-8 helicopter crashed, killing one of the crew members, while two more were seriously injured.

MiG-31 crashed.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has confirmed the MiG-31 fighter and Mi-8 helicopter crash.

The MiG-31 fighter that crashed a few hours ago was a K modification. This implies that this combat aircraft is the Kinzhal hypersonic aeroballistic missile carrier.

The MiG-31K of the Russian Aerospace Forces with serial number RF-95217 and tail number 92 red was lost during takeoff from the Soltsy airbase in the Novgorod region. The aircraft went off the runway, which led to the collapse of the landing gear and the separation of the front of the fuselage. After the plane came to a stop, both crew members exited the crashed plane safely and were uninjured.

The MiG-31K is operated by the 929th State Flight Test Center Chkalov (929 GLITS) in Akhtubinsk reports the Scramble Magazine edition.

First flown in 1975, the MiG-31 Foxhound is a replacement for the similarly configured MiG-25 Foxbat, a high-speed, high-altitude interceptor. It was developed in OKB-155 (now JSC RLK “MiG”) based on MiG-25 in the 1970s.

Modernized MiG-31BM aircraft are already coming into service with the Russian Air and Space Forces.

This is not the first adventure with this fighter. In 2019, a MiG-31 caught fire in the air in Russia. Then the fighter made an emergency landing at the airfield in the Perm region. In 2020, a supersonic interceptor fighter MiG-31 of Russia made an emergency landing in Perm. The cause of the emergency landing was the destroyed wheel of the rear rack of the chassis.

On April 17, 2020, A Kazakh Air Defense Forces MiG-31 interceptor was captured on video as it burned just before crashing in a rural area of Karaganda, Kazakhstan. Both crew members are reported to have ejected, although their specific medical status has not been reported. Additional video showed smoke plumes from the aircraft’s impact.

The videos by several witnesses suggest some type of engine failure contributing to the fire, although no official cause for the crash has been reported.

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