Russia is developing a sixth-generation aircraft, the MiG-41 PAK DP (prospective long-range interception aviation complex), which will replace the MiG-31 Foxhound. It is expected to be able to fly at speeds exceeding Mach 4 and will receive anti-missile lasers. The National Interest was skeptical of this news, calling it scientific fiction.
Although the MiG corporation claims that the MiG-41's test flight will take place in 2025, and its operation will begin by 2030, the feasibility of such an advanced project remains uncertain.
The National Interest writes that this is just "Russia's fantasies about sixth-generation combat aircraft." Russian designers want to place the first-of-its-kind directed electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapon on board the MiG-41, which will be used against enemy fighters in aerial combat.
This weapon is non-kinetic and targets the electronics of the enemy aircraft, disabling it and turning the aircraft into a falling brick. Russian military officials say that EMP weapons will be ready for testing by 2025. Again, be skeptical of these claims until verifiable evidence of the existence of such systems is published.
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