Crucial blow: Ukraine's strikes cripple Russia's MiG‑31K fleet
August may turn out to be the deadliest month for Russian aviation since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The losses related to MiG-31K fighters are starting to look particularly painful for the invaders. The destruction of these machines is crucial for Ukraine because the takeoff of each one triggers alarms throughout the country.
According to Ukrainian media, citing sources in local military intelligence (HUR), a successful attack on the Savashleika airbase in the Nizhny Novgorod region was conducted on August 16. Two Il-76 transport aircraft and a MiG-31K fighter were destroyed. Five other aircraft stationed there were damaged, most likely MiG-31K fighters.
Heavy losses for the Russians associated with MiG-31K
The Ukrainian portal Defense Express notes that two days earlier, there was also an attack on the Savashleika airbase, which, although not as spectacular, destroyed a fuel depot and damaged one MiG-31K fighter.
The damage to six MiG-31K units and the destruction of one such machine will pose significant problems for the Russians. Defense Express reports that this constitutes 25% of all such machines in the invaders' army. Western analysts have long estimated that Russia's total number of MiG-31K fighters does not exceed 24 units.
Carrier of very dangerous weaponry
So far, the Russians have suffered significantly larger losses in terms of their other aircraft, such as the Su-25 or Su-34. However, these are not as advanced and valuable. Also, the Russians have much larger reserves of these aircraft, potentially over a hundred Su-34s.
The MiG-31K is a fighter unveiled in 2018. It measures about 72 feet in length and over 20 feet in width and can move at speeds of up to 1864 mph. Although it has a six-barrel 23 mm automatic cannon (with a supply of 260 rounds), its adaptation to carry the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles is much more significant in weaponry.
These missiles measure over 23 feet in length, reach 8-10 Mach speeds after launch, and can hit targets up to 1243 miles away. In practice, this means that launching them, for example, from Belarusian airspace, puts the whole of Ukraine within range. Therefore, the takeoff of every MiG-31K is associated with the announcement of an alarm.
