Six MiG-31 long-range interceptor aircraft reportedly been delivered to Syria

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World Defense & Security News - Syria
 
 
 
Six MiG-31 long-range interceptor aircraft reportedly been delivered to Syria
 
According to BGN News, six MiG-31 long-range interceptor aircraft from Russia have landed in Damascus, in partial fulfillment of a protocol signed between Moscow and the Syrian regime in 2007. The deal signed in 2007 between Russia and Syria features the sale of a total of 8 MiG-31 jets, the local media unveiled on August 16.
     
According to BGN News, six MiG-31 long-range interceptor aircraft from Russia have landed in Damascus, in partial fulfillment of a protocol signed between Moscow and the Syrian regime in 2007. The deal signed in 2007 between Russia and Syria features the sale of a total of 8 MiG-31 jets, the local media unveiled on August 16. Two Russian Air Force MiG-31 Fohound long-range interceptor aircraft
     
The aircraft recently arrived at Mezze Airbase on the outskirts of Damascus, the Turkish BGN News agency reported on 16 August. Neither the Russian nor the Syrian authorities have so far commented publicly on the reported deliveries.

Russia is pushing for a broad international coalition in the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) featuring Syria, Iraq , the Kurdistan Regional Government, as well as other nations in the region. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will host his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Monday.

The MiG-31 is a Russian long-range, high-altitude, and high-speed interceptor developed to replace the MiG-25 "Foxbat". The MiG-31 was the world's first operational fighter with a passive electronically scanned array radar (PESA), the Zaslon S-800. The heart of the system is the SBI-16 Zaslon radar, codenamed 'Rash Dance' by NATO. MiG-31 supersonic aircraft is equipped with two Solovyev D-30F6 turbofan shaft engines with a take-off thrust 15,500kgf each. The dry thrust of the D-30F6 is 9,500kgf for each engine. The engine provides a maximum speed of Mach 1.23 at low altitude and increases the aircraft's range. The MiG-31's main armament is four R-33 air-to-air missiles (NATO codename AA-9 'Amos') carried under the belly. Other weapons include the old AA-6 'Acrid', originally deployed on the MiG-25, and the Molniya R-60 or Vympel R-73 short-range IR missiles, carried on wing pylons.