Mikoyan MiG 1.42 / 1.44 / MFI

Mikoyan MiG 1. 42 / 1. 44 / MFI History

Mikoyan designed the MiG 1.42 in response to the Soviet need for a multirole frontline fighter as part of the "Multirole Frontline Fighter" program that began sometime in the 1980s. The fighter was designed to compete directly with the final product of the advanced tactical fighter program underway in the United States (which eventually became the Lockheed F-22 Raptor-produced air superiority fighter).

The 1.42 was chosen in 1986 as the final replacement for the successful Sukhoi Su-27 "Flanker" series. While the "1.42" designation was used to identify the project itself as well as the main prototype, the "1.44" designation was used to designate the program's aerodynamic test airframe (two are believed to have been built). Unlike the significantly improved features of the 1.42, these two airframe types represent the versions most closely related to the production standard airframe. The 1st 44 is essentially an aerodynamic demonstrator.

Overall, Project 1.42 appears to be little more than a technology demonstrator for the Mikoyan Bureau and the Russian Air Force.

NATO MiG 1.42/1. 44 Nomenclature

Although this aircraft is in non-production status, NATO assigns the appropriate designations to the two airframes in their stock nomenclature - they are "Foxglove" (for 1st 42) and "Flatpack" (for 1st 44). To further confuse the project aircraft is also known under the collective name "MiG-MFI".

MFI stands for "Mnogo-Funktsionalniy Istrebitel" or "Multi-role Fighter".

MiG 1.42/1. 44 Travel

MiG 1.42/1. The 44 is powered by two Lyulka-Saturn AL-41F series afterburner turbofan engines with thrust vectoring, each delivering 39,680 pounds of thrust. Thrust vectoring gives the aircraft unprecedented maneuverability in the air, especially when moving laterally.

The two engines are drawn in through a pair of bottom air intakes that are similar in layout to the Eurofighter Typhoon. The fuselage retains an overall pleasingly rounded looka far cry from the boxy Soviet Cold War-era fuselage.

The cockpit has been designed to remain sloping forward, behind the nose cone assembly, in order to one day accommodate an active phased array radar. The cockpit provides the pilot with a seat under the two-piece canopy with relatively good visibility from the seat.

The pilot sits behind an "all-glass" dashboard, and the mounted weapon system is said to be capable of targeting about 20 air targets simultaneously. Of note is the 1st 42/1's technology.

The 44 is basically the same design as the 4.5 generation fighter, including the fly-by-wire configuration and overall structure and layout. Fully articulated canards were added to the front of the fuselage to aid in low-altitude, low-speed flight.

The main wing assembly itself is a large area delta system with significant sweep along the trailing edge. The delta design means there is no "true" horizontal stabilizer on conventional aircraft. The vertical fins are mounted on the outside of each engine compartment at the stern and are distinguished by their large spacing. The engines themselves are closely spaced and exhausted by their respective vector nozzle rings. The landing gear is a traditional tricycle type with two main landing gear legs (single wheel) and one nose landing gear leg (two wheels).

Stealth is said to feature prominently in the 1.42's exterior design, but Western observers see this as an optimistic claim.

Performance

Estimated performance specs have put a top speed of 1.42 in the range of Mach 2.6 or 1,716 mph with afterburner ("super cruise" feature is considered part of engine performance - super cruise afterburner with high oil volume). The range is reportedly up to 2,500 miles, with an impressive service ceiling equivalent to 70,720 feet.

The Lyulka-Saturn engine is known to power the modified Tupolev Tu-16 "Badger" and Mikoyan MiG-25 "Foxbat" during evaluation and was found to outperform the MiG 1.42, provided it was replaced with a better range.

Armed

Despite reports that the MiG 1.42 used an internal weapons bay, the demonstrator was shown external weapons pylons. Standard internal armament is a 30mm Izhmash GSh-301 series cannon for close range self-defense. It is believed that MiG-1.

42, if put into production, will use standard-range air-to-air/air-to-surface missiles (radar and IR guided) as well as conventional throwing weapons found in the entire Russian Air Force inventory.

Further development

It was about four years too late, and sometime in 1994, a rolling test of the 1.44 fuselage was done in Zhukowski. However, the overall total cost of the program put the MiG 1.42 project in complete jeopardy compared to the reduction in Russian defense funding after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The high unit cost reportedly eventually led the Russian government to discontinue the MiG 1.42 in 1997. Development continued for a while on a limited front, and the 1.44 aerodynamic airframe was officially unveiled in January 1999, with a maiden flight expected in February of that year. However, further delays to the program gave further impetus to the landmark event, with the first flight not taking place until February 29, 2000.

At least two test flights were subsequently reported in 2001.

MiG 1.42 and PAK FA

Of course, Russian officials were quick to note that this model was superior to the American F-22. While the 1.42 has struggled over the past decade, the F-22 has entered production service as the USAF's first fifth-generation fighter, and the F-35 will follow. The Russians continue to be involved in the development of fifth-generation fighter jets with their upcoming Sukhoi PAK FA (Prospective Aviation Complex - Frontal Aviation), a development that may be more in line with the versatile Lockheed F-35 Lightning II. The PAK FA (now expected to replace the MiG-29 and Su-27 series) has now evolved into a joint development effort between Russia and India.

The first PAK FA prototype first flew in early 2010. The joint development effort (mainly to produce derivatives of the PAK FA for Indian services), known as the FGFA (Fifth Generation Fighter), involved Russia's Sukhoi and Russia-India's HAL. An agreement was signed in 2001.

The MiG 1.42/1.44 are believed to be used as a data acquisition platform for the PAK FA program, with a similar power plant found on the former designed to power the latter.

MiG-35 codename

MiG 1.42/1. The 44/MFI used to be called the "MiG-35". The designation has since been removed from the project and an updated (and completely unrelated) version of the Mikoyan MiG-29 "Fulcrum" was given.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes