Russia's MiG-31K Foxhound fighters, according to the Russian Navy Baltic Fleet, had practice pinpoint missile attacks with a hypersonic missile in the stratosphere last September 13.
The media Pravda noted the activity with the Kinzhal (Dagger) hypersonic weapon, where the fleet was based in Kaliningrad.
Russian Air Force Conducted High-Altitude Maneuvers
According to a statement from the Baltic Fleet command, pilots of MiG-31 aircraft rehearsed flight maneuvers in the stratosphere, perfected their skills to dodge mock enemy plane attacks, and transferred to deployable airfields in the territory, reported the EurAsian Times.
Moscow situated a MiG-31K 'Foxhound' fighter jet with a Kinzhal hypersonic land-attack missile at Kaliningrad lying on the Baltic coast last February, per Air Force Technology.
The rollout happened just days before Russian troops started their so-called particular military actions.
Eventually, on August 18, the Russian Ministry of Defense declared the deployment of three Foxhounds equipped with Dagger to the Chkalovsk airfield in the Kaliningrad Region to provide strategic missile defense measures.
Three aircraft were relocated to the Kaliningrad area for the exercises, where they performed attacks on mock-up enemy command posts with hypersonic missiles. The aircraft flew with cover from Su-27 fighters.
According to The Hill, when the Kremlin initiated its invasion, the US deployed fighter jets to the Baltic for NATO air policing operations.
Extraordinary MiG-31 Foxhound Deployment
Most of the planes at Kaliningrad are not MiG-31K Foxhounds; instead, they are 50 planes parked on the airbase, which are older variant Su-27 and Su-24 fighters, with more modern Su-30SM and Su-35S going there. But the deadly Iskander missiles are also on the base as a deterrent.
Other Fleet assets, such as the Eleron and Orlan 10 UAVS, had performed well in overcoming a mock enemy's air defense zone at the Kaliningrad enclave.
Although the Foxhounds' exercises are substantial since they occurred during Ukraine's unforeseen counter-offensive, this isn't the first time this mighty warplane has performed exercises in the stratosphere, even in 2017.
Furthermore, as reported earlier by TASS, the crew members of upgraded MiG-31BM fighter jets held their first-ever dogfight in the earth's atmosphere at the height of over 20 kilometers in August 2019.
Variants of the Foxhound High-Speed Interceptor
NATO's Foxhound, which flies at Mach 3.0 at high altitudes, intercepts bombers and fast aircraft entering Russian airspace. Dual D-30F6 engines power the vehicle, which has a range of 1900 miles, with two crew onboard.
The SBI-16 Zaslon fixed phased array antenna radar detects and spots targets with short- or long-range air-to-air missiles; if all else fails, it has a 23-mm gun for a dogfight.
Russia's Ministry of Defense intends to modernize and update the fighter with a program by 2020; a fast and streamlined jet capable of tracing multiple targets at high altitudes. Even with Russia's claims that its MiG-41 has been under development to substitute the Foxhound, there is scant indication that the aircraft will be up and running soon.
An updated version of the Mach 3 fighter is Mig-31BM which is multi-use, speedy, long-range, air and ground assault capable. The BM variant has a modern upgrade in avionics and flight systems and can see 24 targets in one go! It can carry the Kinzhal as well as a missile truck.
MiG-31K Foxhound can mount a hypersonic missile on its underbelly; it is deployed to stop enemy attacks that are long ranges in Russian airspace.
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