The fire started from the right engine. Both pilots have been saved; no one has been injured.
A MiG-31 caught fire while the aircraft was on the runway in Russia’s Permsky Krai on May 18, 2018.
Russia says the fire started from the right engine.
“The pilots were about to conduct a training flight, but the aircraft was caught on fire while entering a flight strip,” the statement reads.
Firefighters have extinguished the fire, while both pilots have been saved; no one has been injured.
The MiG-31 (NATO reporting name: Foxhound) was developed during the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau as supersonic interceptor aircraft and was aimed to replace the earlier MiG-25 “Foxbat.” In fact, the MiG-31 is based on and shares design elements with the MiG-25.
The Foxhound was first introduced into the Soviet military in 1980, and its mass production continued until 1994.
The MiG-31 has the distinction of being one of the fastest combat jets in the world and continues to be operated by the Russian Air and Space Force (RuASF).
Currently, MiG Corporation is fulfilling a contract to modernize the Russian Aerospace Defense Forces’ existing fleet of MiG-31s.
The Russian Defence Ministry expects the MiG-31 to remain in service until at least 2030.