[3e] MiG-31 Firefox

[Phaelen Bleux]

Firefox (MiG-31) (TL7+1)
This is the fictional aircraft of Craig Thomas' novel and the 1982 movie based on it. It is a top secret advanced Soviet interceptor, with several highly advanced features. It has excellent stealth capabilities (to the point of being nearly undetectable with radar), incredible speed (in excess of Mach 5), and a thought-controlled weapons system (although the pilot is required to think in Russian). Disadvantages of the plane include an obvious IR signature from the engines, a relatively light ordnance payload, and a very short range (given its speed).
Possible external ordnance includes the AA-6 Acrid AAM, AA-11, R-23R or R-60 guided missiles (all modified for thought-control). For defense, it has two 23mm autocannons, four rear defense pods, and a 360-degree camera system.
The Firefox has a crew of one. It burns 5,000 gallons of jet fuel per hour at routine usage. A full tank of fuel costs $12,600. Ammo for the autocannons costs $4,000; chaff reloads cost $240. Other ordnance costs vary by payload.
There is a real MiG-31 "Foxhound" which bears no resemblance to the fictional MiG-31 "Firefox."

Subassemblies: Body with Excellent Streamlining +5, High-Agility Wings +3, 3 retractable small Wheels +1.
Powertrain: Two 50,000-lb. thrust Turbo-Ramjets with Afterburners, 2,300-kWs advanced battery.
Fuel: 4,200 gallons jet fuel (Fire 13) in standard self-sealing fuel tanks (Fire +0) [Body and Wings].
Occupancy: 1 NCS.
Cargo: 0.

Armor
All: 4/25

Weaponry:
2x23mm Autocannons [Body:F] (500 rounds SAPHE each).*
4,400-lbs. of disposable ordnance [Wings:U].
*Linked. All weapons cyberslaved (½ SS).

Equipment:
Body: Radical stealth (-8), long range radio with scrambler (300-mile), very long range radio with scrambler (3,000-mile), inertial navigation system, precision navigation instruments, military GPS, IFF, autopilot, ejection seat, 40,000-lb. brake parachute, refueling probe, terrain following radar, 100-mile radar (Scan 23), advanced radar/IR detector, HUDWAC with pupil scanner, decoy discharger with 12 chaff/flare reloads, datalink, four small computers with RVO program, neural induction system (must speak Russian), terminal, dedicated targeting computer, 20-mile thermograph, 20-mile laser designator, four x20 LLTVs (+4/+8), 0.25 man/days limited life support. Wings: 4 hardpoints.

Statistics:
Size: 63'x46'x17' Payload: 16.5 tons Lwt.: 30.8 tons
Volume: 1,626 cf. Maint.: 2 hours Price: $102,065,880

HT: 12. HPs: 4,290 Body, 2,148 each Wing, 388 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 3568 aAccel: 24/37 aDecel: 69 aMR: 17.5 aSR: 4
Stall Speed: 171 mph.
gSpeed: 912 gAccel: 46 gDecel: 15 gMR: 0.25 gSR: 3
Ground Pressure Extremely High. No Off-Road speed.

Design Notes:
Body is 1,300 cf; wheels are 65 cf; wings are 163 cf each. Body structure is Extra-Heavy, Very Expensive with Excellent Streamlining. Armor is Expensive Composite. Computerized controls with Neural Induction Helmet. Controlled Instability. Design Loaded weight is 82,682 lbs.; this was decreased 1% to the "historical" value. Historical value loaded weight was used for performance calculations.
Design aSpeed is 3,227 mph dry, 3,953 mph with design afterburner; these bracket the "historical" value nicely.
The aircraft is designed at TL7 with the following exceptions: Radical Stealth (TL8), Cyberslave (TL8), RVO Program (TL8) and Neural Induction System (TL10).

[sir-talen]

Originally Posted by Phaelen Bleux

Firefox (MiG-31) (TL7+1)

Weaponry:
2x23mm Autocannons [Body:F] (500 rounds SAPHE each).*
4,400-lbs. of disposable ordnance [Wings:U].
*Linked. All weapons cyberslaved (½ SS).

Minor nitpick: The MiG-31's missiles (at least in the movie) were stored in a Bomb Bay, not on wing hardpoints. Nice design work otherwise!

[Phaelen Bleux]

Actually, that's a major gaff I'll have to change. Shouldn't affect the design, however, as I have extra space in the body and didn't do performance calcs with loaded hardpoints.

Thanks for the tip!