The Mikoyan PAK DP (russian: ПАК ДП, russian: label=short for, Перспективный авиационный комплекс дальнего перехвата, Perspektivny aviatsionny kompleks dal'nego perekhvata , 'Prospective air complex for long-range interception') is a Russian programme to develop a
stealth interceptor aircraft
An interceptor aircraft, or simply interceptor, is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically for the defensive interception role against an attacking enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft that are cap ...
/heavy fighter under development by
Mikoyan
Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...
to replace the
Mikoyan MiG-31
The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...
in the
Russian Air Force
" Air March"
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in mid-2030s.
It is often referred to as the Mikoyan MiG-41, because its project code is izdeliye 41 (product 41), but an official designation has not been given, as Russian planes only receive an official designation when they are about to enter service. According to Russian defence analyst Vasily Kashin, the MiG-41 would be considered a 5++ or
6th generation project.
Development
It was argued at first that the work on the supersonic PAK DP MiG-41 interceptor was making use of the
MiG-701 (Izdeliye 7.01),
Mikoyan MiG-301 and
Mikoyan MiG-321 projects begun in the 1990s.
As of July 2016, no official data was available concerning the aircraft's capabilities. It was speculated that it could enter service by the mid-2020s or 2030s. As an interceptor, its primary mission was rumored to offset future reconnaissance aircraft currently being developed by the United States and China. To achieve high speeds, the aircraft would need to be equipped with
ramjet
A ramjet, or athodyd (aero thermodynamic duct), is a form of airbreathing jet engine that uses the forward motion of the engine to produce thrust. Since it produces no thrust when stationary (no ram air) ramjet-powered vehicles require an ass ...
or
turboramjet
The air turborocket is a form of combined-cycle jet engine. The basic layout includes a gas generator, which produces high pressure gas, that drives a turbine/compressor assembly which compresses atmospheric air into a combustion chamber. This ...
engines.
The design of the PAK DP was finalized by the end of 2019, at the same time the research work was completed. In 2020, within that research framework, the Russian Ministry of Defense selected the most promising project. Work in this area now continues in R&D and with wind tunnel models. Ilya Tarasenko, the general director of the MiG corporation, as well as the head of the Sukhoi company, said in an interview in July 2020 that the PAK DP will be created on the basis of the
MiG-31
The Mikoyan MiG-31 (russian: link=no, Микоян МиГ-31; NATO reporting name: Foxhound) is a supersonic interceptor aircraft that was developed for use by the Soviet Air Forces. The aircraft was designed by the Mikoyan design bureau as a ...
's design.
According to ''
Izvestia
''Izvestia'' ( rus, Известия, p=ɪzˈvʲesʲtʲɪjə, "The News") is a daily broadsheet newspaper in Russia. Founded in 1917, it was a newspaper of record in the Soviet Union until the Soviet Union's dissolution in 1991, and describes ...
'', the PAK DP is envisioned to become an interceptor of hypersonic missiles by carrying a multifunctional long-range interceptor missile system (MPKR DP) that will dispense several sub-missiles in order to increase the chance of intercepting hypersonic weapons.
The PAK DP is also intended to carry
anti-satellite missiles
Anti-satellite weapons (ASAT) are space weapons designed to incapacitate or destroy satellites for strategic military , strategic or Military tactics , tactical
purposes. Several nations possess operational ASAT systems. Although no ASAT system ...
.
In January 2021,
Rostec Corporation, the owner of
Mikoyan
Russian Aircraft Corporation "MiG" (russian: Российская самолётостроительная корпорация „МиГ“, Rossiyskaya samolyotostroitel'naya korporatsiya "MiG"), commonly known as Mikoyan and MiG, was a Russi ...
, announced that the PAK DP had entered the development phase.
Design
In an interview for
RT, the Director General of RSK MiG, Ilya Tarasenko, speculated that it would be a new construction capable of
Mach number
Mach number (M or Ma) (; ) is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics representing the ratio of flow velocity past a boundary to the local speed of sound.
It is named after the Moravian physicist and philosopher Ernst Mach.
: \mathrm = \frac ...
4–4.3, equipped with an anti-missile laser, and said would be able to operate at very high altitudes and even in
near space
The mesosphere (; ) is the third layer of the atmosphere, directly above the stratosphere and directly below the thermosphere. In the mesosphere, temperature decreases as altitude increases. This characteristic is used to define its limits: it ...
. He also stated that it could be transformed into an unmanned version later. If purchased by the
Russian Air Force
" Air March"
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 12 August
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, equipment_label =
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, decorations =
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, he said that the first production PAK DP would be completed in 2025.
The aircraft may cruise at speeds of at least and fly at high altitudes (at levels between the
stratopause
The stratopause (formerly mesopeak) is the level of the atmosphere which is the boundary between two layers: the stratosphere and the mesosphere. In the stratosphere, the temperature increases with altitude, and the stratopause is the region where ...
and the
tropopause
The tropopause is the atmospheric boundary that demarcates the troposphere from the stratosphere; which are two of the five layers of the atmosphere of Earth. The tropopause is a thermodynamic gradient-stratification layer, that marks the end of ...
, i.e. below 45,000 meters and above 12,000 meters)
to cover the most amount of Russia's very large territory in the shortest period of time. It could use a variant of the
Izdeliye 30
The Saturn ''izdeliye'' 30The Russian term , translit. ''izdeliye'' literally means "manufactured article" or "product". is the designation for a turbofan engine being developed by NPO Saturn to succeed the Lyulka-Saturn AL-41F1 for improved ...
engines currently under development for the
Su-57
The Sukhoi Su-57 (russian: Сухой Су-57; NATO reporting name: Felon) is a twin-engine stealth multirole fighter aircraft developed by Sukhoi. It is the product of the PAK FA (russian: ПАК ФА, russian: label=short for, Перспек ...
.
It was said that the PAK DP will use stealth technology.
An unmanned version is also under consideration.
See also
*
Global Combat Air Programme
The Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) is a multinational initiative led by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy to develop a sixth-generation stealth fighter. The programme aims to replace the Eurofighter Typhoon in service with the Royal A ...
*
F/A-XX program
F/A-XX is a development and acquisition program for a future sixth-generation air superiority fighter to replace the United States Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and complement the F-35C beginning in the 2030s. A requirement was first identifie ...
*
Next Generation Air Dominance
The Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) is a United States Air Force (USAF) sixth-generation air superiority initiative with a goal of fielding a "family of systems" that is to succeed the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. A manned fighter aircra ...
*
Future Combat Air System
The Future Combat Air System (FCAS), french: Système de combat aérien du futur; SCAF; es, Futuro Sistema Aéreo de Combate; FSAC) is a European combat system of systems under development by Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Indra Sistemas. Th ...
References
{{Stealth aircraft
Mikoyan aircraft
Proposed aircraft of Russia
Proposed military aircraft
Soviet and Russian fighter aircraft
Stealth aircraft
Twinjets