The Russian heavy interceptor MiG-31, capable of accelerating faster than Mach 2.8, never became a mass export aircraft. India refused to purchase it, preferring Su-30MKI fighters, Baonghean reported.
Military analyst Thanh Vinh named the aircraft's narrow specialization as the main reason. The MiG-31 was created as a long-range interceptor for the vast expanses of the USSR. The aircraft received a powerful Zaslon-M radar and R-37M long-range missiles with a range of up to 400 km.
India was considered one of the largest potential customers for the MiG-31. However, after studying the modernized MiG-31BM variant, the Indian military abandoned the project and focused on developing its Su-30MKI fleet, Vinh noted.
The reasons were high operating costs, complex logistics, and the interceptor's limited versatility.
An additional factor was the complexity of the design. The heavy twin-engine scheme and specific maintenance infrastructure made the MiG-31 too expensive a solution for most countries.
Even China, which actively purchased Russian aircraft, preferred more versatile platforms from the Su family.
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