Since February 24, 2022, several Russian fighter jets and helicopters have crashed without the assistance of Ukraine’s air defense. However, Russian military aircraft have gone down before.
This week, Russian media outlets released a video of a MiG-31 fighter jet crash. The video is old. The incident occurred in the Murmansk region before February 24, 2022. It is unknown why the video was published only now.
Apparently, another plane was flying next to the MiG-31, and its pilot recorded the video. The footage shows the flight of a fighter jet whose engine caught fire. Both pilots were able to eject. The plane crashed to the ground, and a huge fireball rose up.
The MiG-31 is a supersonic long-range fighter interceptor. It was put into operation in 1981. The aircraft can reach a speed of approximately 3000 km/h and has a combat radius of 720 km. The export value is $35 million.
The fighter exists in several versions, including the MiG-31K, which has a payload of up to 9,000 kg and can carry hypersonic (aeroballistic) missiles X-47M2 “Dagger”. The modernization of the aircraft was completed in 2018.
