Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-31 Foxhound: books - history

MiG-31 Foxhound: Flying with the Russian Air Force (Duke Hawkins)

This beautiful Duke Hawkins photo book extensively presents the MiG-31 Foxhound, in service with the Russian Air Force.
The book contains not only action photos, but also many "walkaround" photos that show details of the aircraft from different angles. Chapters on cockpit, fuselage, armament and maintenance work.

The series "Aircraft in Detail" arose from the collaboration between pilots, aircraft technicians and modellers. This volume (No. 12) on the MiG-31 and MiG-31BM Foxhound is illustrated with a large number of very high quality color photographs, most of which have never been published before.

Mikoyan MiG-31 Interceptor (Flight Craft)

The MiG-31 started life as an advanced derivative of the famous MiG-25P interceptor, becoming the first Soviet fourth-generation combat aircraft. First flown in 1975, it differed from its progenitor primarily in having a crew of two (pilot and weapons systems operator), a highly capable passive phased-array radar - a world first - and new R-33 long-range missiles as its primary armament.
The maximum speed was an impressive Mach 2.82, the cruising speed being Mach 2.35.

The type entered service in 1981; more than 500 copies were built between 1981 and 1994. The powerful radar and other avionics allowed the MiG-31 to operate as a 'mini-AWACS' scanning the airspace and guiding other interceptors to their targets; a flight of three such aircraft in line abreast formation could cover a strip 800 km (500 miles) wide. To this day the MiG-31 remains one of the key air defence assets of the Russian Air Force.

The book describes the MiG-31's developmental history, including upgrade programmes, and features a full and comprehensive survey of the various MiG-31 model-making kits currently available on the market.