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Moscow [Russia], November 25 (ANI/Sputnik): The combat effectiveness of Russia's MiG-31 interceptors will triple after repair and upgrade, representatives of the Sokol aircraft plant reported to the Deputy Defense Minister Aleksey Krivoruchko. On Thursday, Krivoruchko, during a working trip to Nizhny Novgorod, visited the Sokol aircraft plant, where he examined the production facilities of the enterprise, checked the progress of repair and modernization of MiG-31 fighters, and also held a meeting on the implementation of the state defence order. The overhaul makes it possible to achieve practically trouble-free operation of the aircraft in service, the plant's representative said. "And the...

Defence analysts believe that no other aircraft of its kind would be able to compete with what NATO calls the Foxhound in the next 10 to 15 years Russian airspace is guarded by a unique aircraft, which can intercept any target, from hidden cruise missiles to satellites – day and night, rain or shine, and at any speed. Defence analysts believe that no other aircraft of its kind would be able to compete with the Russian MiG-31 in the next 10 to 15 years. Arctic barrier The two-seat supersonic fighter-interceptor, referred to as Foxhound by NATO, is the first Soviet...

MOSCOW, April 11 (RIA Novosti) – The Russian Air Force is hoping to receive a new long-range fighter-interceptor by 2020 and retire its existing fleet of MiG-31 interceptors by 2028, Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said on Thursday. “We have started development of a new aircraft of this type and I think we can develop this plane before the state armament program ends in 2020,” Bondarev said at a meeting with Russian lawmakers. “The new plane should replace the existing fleet by 2028,” he said. Bondarev spoke out against restarting production of the MiG-31, which was stopped 20...

SAN CARLOS PARK, Fla. - A Lee County deputy goes in a woman's yard, and ends up facing off with a family pet. He shot the dog twice, and now the owner is furious, demanding answers, saying her dog did nothing wrong. Christine Bonelli was inside her San Carlos Park home Thursday afternoon when she heard two shots. "First I thought it was fireworks and said no, that's gunshots I think," Bonelli said. She stepped outside to find two deputies and her Foxhound Mix "Harley" with gunshot wounds. "Blood was coming out of his shoulder and on his leg, coming...

A Russian MiG-31 Foxhound interceptor/fighter crashed on Friday in the Perm region of the Urals, but the two crew members ejected safely. The crew have yet to be located, a local law enforcement officer said. A local security official confirmed the crash but declined to identify the plane model, saying only that it "was not carrying any weapons" and posed no danger to residential areas. Defense Ministry spokesman Vladimir Drik said later the pilot and navigator were "in a satisfactory condition." A special commission has been set up to ascertain the cause of the crash. MOSCOW/PERM, November 19 (RIA Novosti)

Russia does not have a contract to supply MiG-31 Foxhound fighter jets to Syria, the head of the Russian state-run arms exporter Rosoboronexport said on Wednesday. Media rumors about the sales of at least six MiG-31 aircraft to Damascus under a 2007 contract sparked criticism in the West and Israel, which consider arming Syria a threat to regional security. "The existence of a contract on the delivery of MiG-31 interceptors to Syria is a journalistic hoax," Rosoboronexport General Director Anatoly Isaykin told reporters at the Euronaval 2010 exhibition in Paris. The MiG-31 Foxhound is a two-seater supersonic interceptor aircraft developed...

The four MiG-31E fighter jets that Russia will deliver to Syria will be without offensive capabilities and used for intelligence gathering alone, according to reports that reached Jerusalem from Moscow this week. According to these reports, Russia did not sell more planes to the Syrians for the simple reason that Damascus does not have the ability to pay for any more. The reports said that two of the planes would be operational, and the other two would be purchased for "cannibalization" purposes, amid a Syrian realization that Russia would not provide effective "after-sale service," and that these planes would be...