MiG-MFI
The plane’s design began in the late 1980s to counter the development of the most advanced U.S. fighter, the F-22 Raptor. But the government cash shortage that followed the Soviet collapse has thwarted its development and its maiden flight has been repeatedly postponed.An experimental MiG fighter jet, conceived as a response to U.S. warplane developments, carried out its maiden flight on 03-01-2000 but its designer said that the plane would never enter production. The aircraft, known as Project 1.44 or the MFI; the Russian acronym for the “multi-functional fighter” took off from the Zhukovsky air base near Moscow and flew for 18 minutes. Test pilot climbed to about 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) and flew two circles over the airfield at a speed of 500-600 kilometers per hour (310-370 mph) before landing. Chief designer for the MiG corporation, said that there are no production plans for the new plane. He argued that its tests would allow to check some design features for future projects.
| MiG-MFI Specification | ||
| Prime contractor: | Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau | |
| Country of origin: | Russia | |
| NATO code: | NA | |
| Function: | Multi-role fighter | |
| Crew: | 1 | |
| Year: | 1998 | |
| In-service year: | NA | |
| Power plant: | Two three-dimensional thrust-vectoring Saturn/Lyulka AL-41F afterburning turbofans | |
| Thrust: | 44,000 lb. each | 20,000 kg. each |
| Dimensions | ||
| Wing span: | 53 ft. 8 in. | 16.40 m. |
| Length: | 65 ft. 6 in. | 20.00 m. |
| Height: | 18 ft. 4 in. | 5.60 m. |
| Weight | ||
| Empty | 36,300 lb. | 16,500 kg. |
| Max. takeoff | 75,900 lb. | 34,500 kg. |
| Performance | ||
| Ceiling: | 60,680 ft. | 18,500 m. |
| Speed: | 1,522 mph. | 2,450 km/h. |
| Range: | 2,484 miles | 4,000 km. |
| Armament | ||
| One 30mm cannon (probably GSh-30-1). Max. weapons load of 6,500 kg. (14,300 lb.) including, R-73 (“AA-11 Archer”), R-77 RVV-AE (“AA-12”), K-37, K-74 AAMs., plus unspecified new AA and AS missiles. | ||
