A new MiG-41 fighter could become a promising aircraft for Russian combat aviation. Military analyst Evgeny Damantsev discussed what characteristics the aircraft might have.
The expert recalled that the MiG-1.44 prototype, developed under the MiG-1.42 fifth-generation fighter program, made its first flight in February 2000. Subsequently, the MiG-1.42 / 1.44 program was discontinued, and the Su-57 heavy multi-role fighter became the main fifth-generation aircraft in Russia.
In his opinion, the combat aircraft's onboard radar system will be developed from scratch, as passive phased array antenna (PFAR) technology is already outdated.
The present and near future belong to active phased array antennas (AFAR) in the form of a DAR (digital antenna array) or simply DAFAR. Despite the fact that the MiG-41's radar system will be developed from scratch, it could potentially be based on the "Belka" radar station developed for the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, which will be rid of its "childhood" flaws in five years.
Alleged characteristics of the MiG-41:
- Cruising supersonic speed without afterburner of about Mach 1.5-2
- Practical ceiling of about 25 km and dynamic ceiling of about 35 km
- Flight range in the range of 3000-4000 kilometers at subsonic speed at high altitude
- Two turbojet engines with a thrust of 18-21 thousand kgf each
- Payload of about 8-12 tons, with the possibility of placing a large-sized massive single cargo under the fuselage (anti-satellite missile or hypersonic air-to-surface missile) or two massive cargoes under the wings, on pylons close to the fuselage (extra-long-range air-to-air missiles)
- Maximum take-off weight of about 45 tons
- Detection range of a target such as an AWACS aircraft or a transport aircraft using radar – about 1000 kilometers, a target such as a 4th generation fighter – about 500-600 km
- Estimated construction series — 100-150 units
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