The original MiG31, known to NATO as FoxhoundA, was developed during the Cold War and was intended to protect objects of strategic importance in the Soviet Union against cruise missile attacks launched by bombers and submarines. Since the shortest route from (and to) the probable adversary — the United States — runs through vast expanses in the north of Russia, where the airfield network is very sparse, the MiG31 needed to have a long range. This, in turn, meant it was a large aircraft — its maximum weight is 46 tons. The need for a quick response to the missile threat resulted in a requirement for a maximum speed of Mach 2.8 (or Mach 2.35 for cruise flight).

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